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Reds Release T.J. Zeuch

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The Reds announced today that right-hander T.J. Zeuch has been released. That comes as part of a series of transactions that also saw righty Justin Dunn reinstated from the injured list and right-hander Raynel Espinal optioned to Triple-A Louisville. Dunn had been on the Covid-related injured list, hence the need for a 40-man move to reinstate him to what had been an at-capacity roster.

The 27-year-old  Zeuch has been on the injured list himself for the past three weeks due to a back issue. Players on the injured list cannot be placed on outright waivers, so the Reds’ options with Zeuch were to move him to the 60-day injured list for the remainder of the season or release him.

Zeuch began the season with the Cardinals organization but was designated for assignment and released in May. He caught on the Reds shortly thereafter and, after a solid run of five starts with the Reds’ Triple-A affiliate, found himself selected to the big league roster in Cincinnati. He made three starts prior to landing on the injured list, but the results were brutal; in just 10 2/3 innings, Zeuch was tattooed for 18 runs on 24 hits and seven walks with as many home runs allowed as strikeouts recorded (five).

While Zeuch never found extensive big league experience in parts of six seasons with the Blue Jays organization, this year’s calamitous, small-sample 15.19 ERA is a marked departure from past levels of performance. In parts of three seasons with the Jays from 2019-21, the 2016 first-rounder posted a respectable 4.59 ERA in 49 frames, logging a strong 50.9% ground-ball rate but struggling in terms of strikeout rate (14.1%) and walk rate (10.9%).

In parts of three seasons of Triple-A ball, Zeuch has a 4.71 ERA in 216 innings, although that’s skewed by an awful showing with the Cardinals earlier this year. Take out that span of 19 1/3 innings (25 earned runs allowed), and he’s sitting at a 4.02 mark for his career at that level — right in line with his broader 3.99 ERA in a total of 484 2/3 minor league innings.

Zeuch doesn’t appear to be at 100 percent at the moment, and with such little time remaining in the regular season, today’s release could very well end his 2022 campaign. He’ll enter the offseason likely to land a minor league deal and compete for a job somewhere next spring.

Reds Select Kyle Dowdy

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The Reds announced that they have selected the contract of right-hander Kyle Dowdy. He has been appointed the club’s “29th man” for today’s doubleheader. The club already had a vacancy on their 40-man roster, meaning no corresponding move will be required.

Dowdy, 29, has 22 1/3 innings of MLB experience on his résumé, which all came back in 2019 with the Rangers. Texas has claimed him off waivers from the Mets, who had nabbed Dowdy from Cleveland in the Rule 5 draft. He stuck with the Rangers through the end of July but was eventually returned to Cleveland after posting a 7.25 ERA over 22 1/3 innings.

He signed a minor league deal with the Reds in December of last year and has been with the Louisville Bats for all of 2022 so far. In 48 2/3 innings on the season, he has a 4.25 ERA, 24.2% strikeout rate and 38.2% ground ball rate. However, that’s come with a concerning 13.2% walk rate, something that’s been an issue for Dowdy in recent years. He also registered a 14.7% walk rate in Triple-A last year, in addition to a 16.4% rate in his time in the majors.

Despite those control issues, Dowdy has made it back to the big leagues for the first time in over three years. He has a full slate of options and less than a year of MLB service time, meaning he could potentially provide the Reds with a depth arm that can be moved between the majors and minors as long as he retains his spot on the 40-man roster.

Reds Select Raynel Espinal

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The Reds made some roster moves today, with Mark Sheldon of MLB.com relaying them on Twitter. Right-hander Justin Dunn, who was sick yesterday, has been placed on the injured list without a designation, implying he is on the COVID-related injured list. Right-hander Raynel Espinal has been called up from Triple-A to take his place on the roster. Additionally, outfielder Albert Almora Jr., who was designated for assignment last week, has been released.

Espinal, 30, has MLB experience, though his résumé is quite short. He made one appearance for the Red Sox last year, throwing two innings, his only appearance in the big leagues so far. As he was a COVID substitute player, he was removed from Boston’s roster without being exposed to waivers, reaching free agency at season’s end. He signed a minor league deal with the Giants but went to the Cubs in the Dixon Machado trade. Espinal was released a couple of weeks later, landing with the Reds on a minors deal.

Between the three organizations, he’s thrown 102 1/3 Triple-A innings on the year over 25 appearances, 21 starts. He has a 5.63 ERA in that time, though with a strong 27.2% strikeout rate. It’s possible that he might be designated a COVID substitute again, just like with Boston last year. If that is indeed the case, he would be able to be removed from the roster without being exposed to waivers.

Reds Designate Albert Almora For Assignment

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The Reds announced that outfielder Albert Almora Jr. has been designated for assignment. The move opens an active roster spot for infielder Matt Reynolds, who is back from the 10-day injured list.

Almora signed a minor league deal with Cincinnati in Spring Training. He made the big league roster in late May and has spent the past few months in the majors as a depth outfielder. Almora has gotten into 64 games and tallied 235 plate appearances, by far his largest workload since 2019. He’s made plenty of contact and played excellent defense, but he hasn’t drawn many walks or hit for much power. He carries a .223/.282/.349 line with five homers and three stolen bases.

A former sixth overall pick of the Cubs, Almora was a regular earlier in his career on the strength of his glove. After a trio of roughly league average seasons at the dish to begin his career, the right-hander’s production has tailed off. Since the start of 2019, he carries a .219/.265/.344 line between the Cubs, Mets and Reds. He’s settled into a fourth/fifth outfield role as a result.

The Reds could’ve controlled Almora for another season via arbitration, but they were evidently prepared to non-tender him after this season. As they play out the remainder of a non-competitive year, they’ll keep Stuart Fairchild on hand as the fourth outfielder behind TJ Friedl, Nick Senzel and Aristides Aquino.

Cincinnati will place Almora on outright or release waivers within the next couple days. There’s not much of a distinction in his case, as the 28-year-old has more than five years of big league service time. That gives him the right to refuse a minor league assignment in favor of free agency while retaining his salary if he clears waivers. If he goes unclaimed, it’s likely Almora will return to the open market.

Reds Claim Luke Farrell

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The Reds have claimed righty Luke Farrell off waivers from the Cubs, per a team announcement. Cincinnati already had an open spot on the 40-man roster, so a corresponding move wasn’t required.

Farrell, 31, has spent parts of six seasons in the big leagues. This will be his second stint with the Reds, for whom he pitched in nine games back in 2017. The son of former Red Sox skipper John Farrell, Luke has totaled 98 2/3 innings at the MLB level and posted a 4.83 ERA with a 23.3% strikeout rate and 11.4% walk rate. He’d tossed 11 innings with the Cubs this season, allowing five runs on a dozen hits and three walks with nine punchouts.

Two of Farrell’s four appearances with the Cubs were starts, and he worked multiple innings in every outing with Chicago dating back to late August. He’s maxed out at 71 pitches during this stretch, so he could give the Reds an option to make a spot start, if needed, or otherwise provide some length in the bullpen. Farrell is out of minor league options, so he can’t be sent down to Triple-A without first clearing waivers; he’d need to be designated for assignment if Cincinnati wishes to remove him from the 28-man roster at any point.

Reds Release Colin Moran

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Sept. 8: Cincinnati announced today that Moran has been released. He’s a free agent who can now sign with any team. If he lands with another club and is added back to the Major League roster, he’d technically be under club control for another season, as he’ll finish the year with five-plus years of service, though this year’s struggles may render that a moot point.

Sept. 6: The Reds announced that they have reinstated outfielder Albert Almora Jr. from the injured list, with infielder Colin Moran getting designated for assignment in a corresponding move.

Moran, 29, is in his seventh MLB season. He spent the 2018-2021 stretch with the Pirates, hitting .272/.330/.428 over the first three years of that time. That production was exactly league average, as evidenced by his 100 wRC+. He took a bit of a downturn last year, slashing just .258/.334/.390 for a wRC+ of 97. Moran was making $2.8MM last year and headed for a raise through arbitration, but the club decided to move on, designating him for assignment in November.

He ended up landing with the Reds on a $1MM deal but hasn’t fared much better this year. Moran hit .211/.305/.376 across 42 MLB games, getting optioned multiple times and outrighted in June. He slashed .249/.310/.415 in 53 Triple-A games and was selected back to the 40-man roster just over a week ago when Mike Moustakas landed on the IL, but he’s now lost his spot yet again.

The Reds recently promoted corner infield prospect Spencer Steer, whom they acquired in the Tyler Mahle trade a few weeks ago, likely playing a part in nudging Moran out of their plans. They can use the final weeks of the season to evaluate Steer and see if he fares well enough to secure himself a job on next year’s team.

Every Team’s Initial September Call-Ups

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Each season as the calendar flips to September, we see a flurry of transactions around Major League Baseball. Active roster sizes jump from 26 to 28 for the season’s final month, with teams permitted to bring up no more than one additional pitcher. We’ve already covered a host of transactions with 40-man roster implications throughout the day at MLBTR. Here’s a full round-up of teams’ initial September roster moves.

American League West

Houston Astros:

Los Angeles Angels:

Oakland Athletics

Seattle Mariners

  • Reinstated LHP Matthew Boyd from 60-day injured list
  • Recalled OF Taylor Trammell from Triple-A Tacoma
  • Corresponding moves: None required

Texas Rangers

  • Selected contract of RHP Jesus Tinoco from Triple-A Round Rock
  • Recalled OF Nick Solak from Triple-A Round Rock
  • Corresponding move: Transferred RHP Josh Sborz to 60-day injured list

American League Central

Chicago White Sox

  • Recalled OF Adam Haseley from Triple-A Charlotte
  • Recalled RHP Matt Foster from Triple-A Charlotte
  • Corresponding move: None required

Cleveland Guardians

Detroit Tigers

Kansas City Royals

  • Selected contract of RHP Daniel Mengden from Triple-A Omaha
  • Recalled OF Nate Eaton from Triple-A Omaha
  • Corresponding move: None required

Minnesota Twins

  • Added LHP Austin Davis (previously claimed off waivers from Red Sox) to active roster
  • Selected contract of OF Billy Hamilton from Triple-A St. Paul
  • Corresponding move: Transferred OF Trevor Larnach to 60-day injured list

American League East

Baltimore Orioles

  • Selected contract of 1B Jesus Aguilar from Triple-A Norfolk
  • Recalled LHP DL Hall from Triple-A Norfolk
  • Corresponding move: Designated INF Richie Martin for assignment

Boston Red Sox

New York Yankees

  • Recalled SS Oswald Peraza from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre
  • Activated INF Marwin Gonzalez from paternity list
  • Corresponding moves: None required

Tampa Bay Rays

  • Reinstated RHP Matt Wisler from the 15-day injured list
  • Recalled INF Jonathan Aranda from Triple-A Durham
  • Corresponding moves: None required

Toronto Blue Jays

  • Recalled RHP Casey Lawrence from Triple-A Buffalo
  • Added OF Bradley Zimmer (claimed off waivers from Phillies this week) to active roster
  • Corresponding moves: None required

National League West

Arizona Diamondbacks

Colorado Rockies

  • Recalled INF Alan Trejo from Triple-A Albuquerque
  • Recalled RHP Chad Smith from Triple-A Albuquerque
  • Corresponding moves: None required

Los Angeles Dodgers

  • Reinstated LHP Clayton Kershaw from 15-day injured list
  • Recalled 3B Miguel Vargas from Triple-A Oklahoma City
  • Corresponding moves: None required

San Diego Padres

  • Recalled INF Matt Beaty from Triple-A El Paso
  • Recalled RHP Reiss Knehr from Triple-A El Paso
  • Corresponding moves: None required

San Francisco Giants

National League Central

Chicago Cubs

  • Selected contract of RHP Jeremiah Estrada from Triple-A Iowa
  • Recalled INF David Bote from Triple-A Iowa
  • Corresponding move: Transferred Wade Miley from 15-day injured list to 60-day injured list

Cincinnati Reds

Milwaukee Brewers

  • Recalled RHP Luis Perdomo from Triple-A Nashville
  • Recalled OF Esteury Ruiz from Triple-A Nashville
  • Corresponding moves: None required

Pittsburgh Pirates

  • Recalled RHP Johan Oviedo from Triple-A Indianapolis
  • Recalled OF Calvin Mitchell from Triple-A Indianapolis
  • Corresponding moves: None required

St. Louis Cardinals

  • Selected contract of OF Ben DeLuzio from Triple-A Memphis
  • Recalled RHP James Naile from Triple-A Memphis
  • Corresponding moves: None required

National League East

Atlanta Braves

  • Reinstated IF Orlando Arcia from 10-day injured list
  • Added recently-claimed RHP Jesse Chavez to active roster
  • Corresponding moves: None required

Miami Marlins*

New York Mets

Philadelphia Phillies

  • Selected contract of RHP Vinny Nittoli from Triple-A Lehigh Valley
  • Recalled C Donny Sands from Triple-A Lehigh Valley
  • Corresponding moves: None required

Washington Nationals

  • Recalled C Tres Barrera from Triple-A Rochester
  • Recalled RHP Mason Thompson from Triple-A Rochester
  • Corresponding moves: None required

*Marlins moves reported by Jordan McPherson of the Miami Herald (Twitter link)

Reds Select Spencer Steer, Fernando Cruz

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11:15am: The Reds have formally selected the contracts of Steer and right-hander Fernando Cruz, per a team announcement. Mike Moustakas and righty Jeff Hoffman were transferred from the 10-day injured list to the 60-day injured list to open space on the 40-man roster.

Cruz, 32, reaches the big leagues in the culmination of one of the more remarkable baseball journeys in recent memory. Drafted by the Royals as an infielder back in 2007, he toiled through four minor league seasons before beginning to experiment off the mound in 2011 and giving up infield work for good by 2012. Cruz still struggled to advance through the minors, however, and after a one-year stop  in the Cubs organization, was out of affiliated ball entirely by 2016.

From 2016-21, Cruz split his time between the Puerto Rican Winter League, the Mexican League (both winter and regular season) and the independent Canadian-American Association, where he worked as a starter and closer alike for the New Jersey Jackals. The Reds signed him this past winter on the heels of his latest indie ball campaign, and he’s broken out with 56 innings of 2.89 ERA ball in Triple-A, where he’s punched out 29.3% of his opponents against an 8.4% walk rate.

Whether Cruz is truly a long-term piece for the Reds can be debated, but it’s hard not to be happy for a 32-year-old rookie who was out of affiliated ball for six seasons. A call to the Majors must have seemed like a pipe dream not long ago for Cruz, but that MLB debut could come any day now.

8:27am: The Reds are promoting top infield prospect Spencer Steer to the Majors, reports C. Trent Rosecrans of The Athletic. He’ll join the big league team today as part of September roster expansion and should get regular opportunities down the stretch.

Steer, 24, came to the Reds alongside left-hander Steven Hajjar and infielder Christian Encarnacion-Strand in the deadline trade that sent right-hander Tyler Mahle to Minnesota. He recently moved into the back end of Baseball America’s top 100 prospect rankings, checking in at No. 98 on this month’s update.

A third-round pick by Minnesota back in 2019, Steer was the headliner in that Mahle trade, due in no small part to the numbers he posted between Double-A (.307/.385/.591, 144 wRC+) and Triple-A (.242/.345/.485, 117 wRC+) during his time with the Twins. Steer has continued at a strong pace with Cincinnati’s Triple-A affiliate in Louisville, hitting at a .297/.375/.467 pace. Between the two organizations, he’s combined for 23 home runs, 30 doubles, a pair of triples and four steals (in seven tries). He’s walked at a 10.4% clip and punched out in 18.1% of his trips to the plate this season.

The Reds have played Steer at all four infield positions, plus one game in right field, but he’s spent the vast majority of his time at second base and third base — both this season and in his professional career. With 2021 National League Rookie of the Year Jonathan India entrenched at second base, Steer seems likely ticketed for the hot corner, at least in the long term. For the short term, however, the Reds could potentially continue to bounce him around the diamond while getting a look at his bat against big league pitching. With Joey Votto out for the season and Mike Moustakas back on the injured list (and clearly not factoring into the team’s long-term plans), Steer should have plenty opportunities for at-bats alongside India and shortstop Jose Barrero, giving Reds fans a potential glimpse of the future infield.

Steer displayed an ability to make consistent contact this year, has steadily improved his power output since being drafted, and is a solid defender at multiple positions. Steer sits outside the top-100 rankings at FanGraphs and MLB.com but ranks ninth and seventh in the Reds’ system on those respective rankings. Scouting reports on him generally agree that he lacks a true plus tool but also lacks any glaring flaws; his blend of defensive versatility, solid bat-to-ball skills, improved power and an at-least average arm give him the potential to be a regular in the Cincinnati infield for years to come.

Depending on how much playing time Steer receives down the stretch, it’s possible he’ll exhaust his rookie status over the next five weeks. He’d need more than 130 at-bats to do so, but regardless, he won’t receive a full year of service in 2022 and won’t put himself on a path to Super Two trajectory, based on this September promotion. If he remains rookie-eligible heading into 2023, the Reds would retain the ability to receive compensatory draft picks based on potential Rookie of the Year voting in 2023.

Ross Detwiler Elects Free Agency

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Reliever Ross Detwiler has gone unclaimed on outright waivers and elected minor league free agency, the Reds announced this evening. Cincinnati had designated him for assignment this week.

Detwiler signed a minor league deal with the Reds in April. Not long thereafter, he made the big league roster. The southpaw pitched in 30 games, tossing 26 1/3 innings out of the bullpen. Detwiler managed only a 4.44 ERA over that stretch, although he posted roughly league average strikeout and walk numbers. He fanned 23% of opponents against an 8.2% walk percentage, but the 14-year MLB veteran served up five home runs (1.71 HR/9).

It’s the second straight season with an ERA well above 4.00 for Detwiler, but he’s only a year removed from punching out an impressive 27.1% of hitters with the Marlins and Padres in 2021. He’s typically been an effective left-handed specialist in the majors, although southpaws have hit at a solid .275/.339/.373 clip through 56 plate appearances this season.

The 36-year-old now heads back to the open market and can look to catch on elsewhere for the stretch run. Detwiler would have to sign somewhere else within the next two hours to be eligible for another team’s postseason roster, but a club could look into adding him as a depth arm for the final month of the regular season alone. Detwiler was released by Miami last September, but he signed a big league deal with the Padres for the final couple weeks of that season. San Diego didn’t wind up making the postseason regardless, but Detwiler’s addition was strictly about trying to stockpile bullpen depth to get the Friars into the playoffs.

Reds Select Derek Law, Designate Ross Detwiler

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The Reds announced that they have selected the contract of right-hander Derek Law, with left-hander Ross Detwiler being designated for assignment in a corresponding move. Additionally, infielder/outfielder Max Schrock, who was designated yesterday, has been released.

Law is a veteran who turns 32 years old in two weeks. He’s previously suited up for the Giants, Blue Jays, Twins and Tigers in his career, having appeared in 178 career games with a 4.22 ERA. He began this season on a minor league deal with Detroit, getting selected to the big league club at the end of July. After just two appearances, he was designated for assignment before electing free agency and signing a minor league deal with the Reds.

He’s performed well in Triple-A this year, registering a 3.23 ERA while with in the Tigers’ organization and an even better 1.13 since joining the Reds. Between the two, he’s thrown 47 Triple-A innings on the year with a 2.87 ERA, 24.7% strikeout rate and 6.8% walk rate.

In order to make room for Law, the Reds are cutting the 36-year-old Detwiler from the roster. Signed to a minor league deal in the offseason, the southpaw was selected to the big league roster in May. Since then, he’s thrown 26 1/3 innings out of Cincy’s bullpen with a 4.44 ERA, 23% strikeout rate, 8.2% walk rate and 38.3% ground ball rate.

Since the trade deadline has passed, the Reds will have to place him on outright waivers or release waivers. If he is claimed prior to 11:59pm ET on August 31, he will be eligible for that team’s postseason roster. If he clears, he would have the ability to reject an outright assignment and elect free agency, as a player with over five years of MLB service time.

As for Schrock, he was designated for assignment yesterday but has been on the minor league injured list for a while. Injured players can’t be placed on outright waivers, making this release an inevitability.

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