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Reds Activate Joey Votto

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The Reds announced Tuesday that first baseman Joey Votto is back from the 10-day injured list. To clear room for Votto, the Reds placed right-hander Michael Feliz on the 10-day IL (retroactive to Monday) with an elbow issue.

Cincinnati has gone more than a month without Votto, who hasn’t played since May 5 on account of a fractured left thumb. The 37-year-old, a six-time All-Star and former MVP, was off to a tough start before then with a career-low .226/.305/.425 line and five home runs in 118 trips to the plate. However, it wasn’t necessarily a hopeless start to the season for Votto, who dealt with some poor fortune that contributed to his mediocre line. For instance, Votto ranks well above average in several important Statcast categories – including expected weighted on-base average (his .377 xwOBA far outdoes his .319 real wOBA) – so his meager .250 batting average on balls in play seems likely to increase.

The Votto-less Reds have tread water since he went down, as they were one game under .500 then and that remains the case. The club is four games back in the competitive National League Central, which has three other contenders in the division-leading Brewers, the Cubs and the Cardinals.

Minor MLB Transactions: 6/7/21

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The latest minor moves from around baseball…

  • Reds righty Hector Perez cleared waivers and was outrighted off their roster, Bobby Nightengale of the Cincinnati Enquirer tweets. Perez, who celebrated his 25th birthday on Sunday, had been in limbo since the Reds designated him on June 2. He began this year by pitching to a 9.35 ERA in 8 2/3 innings at the Triple-A level before his designation.

Earlier:

  • The Red Sox outrighted Colten Brewer to Triple-A after the right-hander cleared waivers.  Brewer was designated for assignment last Thursday.  After a pretty solid 2019 season out of Boston’s bullpen, Brewer has struggled to a 6.75 ERA in 26 2/3 frames over the last two years, including a single inning of work this season that saw him allow four earned runs.

Reds Jonathan India Makes Change At The Plate

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  • Reds’ rookie second baseman Jonathan India made a change at the plate recently that’s paying off. He has settled down his mechanics in the batter’s box, ditching a high leg kick and utilizing instead a toe tap as his loading action, per Bobby Nightengale of the Cincinnati Enquirer. The early returns are encouraging: India torched the Cardinals this weekend, going 7-for-18 with two home runs, two doubles and four walks to just one strikeout. That output upped his overall line this year to a solid .261/.368/.423, 18 percent better than average with the bat.

Tyler Naqun Leaves Game Due To Hamstring Tightness

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  • Tyler Naquin left Sunday’s 8-7 Reds victory over the Cardinals due to left hamstring tightness.  Naquin took something of an awkward slide into second base in the first inning, and was replaced by a pinch-hitter for his next plate appearance in the top of the third.  Naquin has cooled down after a scorching-hot opening month of the season, but the outfielder still has an impressive .257/.333/.509 slash line and 11 homers over 189 plate appearances while emerging as Cincinnati’s everyday center fielder.  Reds manager David Bell told MLB.com’s Mark Sheldon and other reporters that the removal was precautionary in nature, and Naquin could be back as early as Tuesday for the Reds’ next game.

Alex Blandino Out With Broken Hand

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  • Alex Blandino has a broken right hand, but no surgery will be required, so he could return to the Reds in three to six weeks, per Bobby Nightengale of the Cincinnati Enquirer (via Twitter). A first round pick back in 2014, Blandino has appeared at every infield position and left field while also toeing the rubber four times this season for the Reds. He owns a .200/.317/.257 in 82 plate appearances.

Latest On Michael Lorenzen

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Michael Lorenzen has yet to pitch this season due to a shoulder strain suffered during Spring Training, and it will still be a while before the right-hander takes the field.  Reds manager David Bell told reporters (including MLB.com’s Mark Sheldon) that Lorenzen could “maybe” return to action around the All-Star break, though Lorenzen did provide a positive update on his rehab work.  “He said everything he did yesterday felt like he was never injured,” Bell said.

When Lorenzen does get back to Cincinnati, Bell noted that the right-hander “will come back as a reliever.  He’s not going to have to build up to be a starter.  We’ll get him back quicker that way.”

The shoulder strain was initially thought to be relatively minor when Lorenzen was sidelined back in March, though a setback during his rehab led to multiple PRP injections and a move to the 60-day injured list.  It also cost Lorenzen a potential chance at a rotation spot, as he was auditioning as a starter during Spring Training.  Lorenzen has also been used as a pinch-hitter and fill-in outfielder in recent years, but Bell didn’t mention whether or not Lorenzen would continue in any sort of two-way role upon his return.

The righty is no stranger to relief pitching, of course, after spending several seasons as a prime set-up weapon out of Cincinnati’s bullpen.  Lorenzen had never entirely closed the door on starting pitching, however, making three starts during the 2018 season and two turns in the Reds rotation last September, which led him to firmly set his sights on being a full-time starter in 2021.

Assuming he does get back around the All-Star break, Lorenzen will at least have the second half of the season to bank some quality innings and hopefully help the Reds compete for a postseason berth.  However, Cincinnati is just 25-29 at the moment, sitting in fourth place in the NL Central and six games back of the first-place Cubs.  If the Reds can’t get into the playoff race and decide to sell at the trade deadline, Lorenzen is scheduled for free agency this winter and would be an obvious trade chip.

Lorenzen would only have a couple of weeks between the All-Star break and the July 30 deadline to pitch effectively and prove his health for any interested suitors.  That said, he does have a solid track record as a reliever, and would be inexpensive — a team acquiring him on July 30 would be on the hook for roughly $1.49MM remaining on Lorenzen’s $4,437,500 salary for the year.  Even if Lorenzen is a bit shaky in his first couple of outings back from the injured list, it’s easy to imagine another team taking the calculated risk of trading for him anyway.

Reds Designate Hector Perez For Assignment

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The Reds announced they’ve designated right-hander Héctor Pérez for assignment. Right-hander Michael Feliz has been reinstated from the COVID-19 injured list, necessitating a 40-man roster spot. Feliz was placed on the IL yesterday to accommodate the addition of utilityman Mike Freeman, whose contract was selected to the 40-man roster before last night’s game against the Phillies. Lefty Cionel Pérez has been optioned to Triple-A Louisville to create active roster space.

Cincinnati acquired Freeman, 33, from the Indians in a minor trade in March. He picked up two plate appearances in last night’s game, finishing the night on the mound as the Reds tried to preserve their bullpen arms amidst a 14-run loss. That marked Freeman’s sixth consecutive season logging some big league time, the bulk of which came between 2019-20 in Cleveland. Freeman owns a .234/.316/.331 line in 349 big league plate appearances. He’s been off to a tough start with Louisville, hitting just .204/.316/.306 over sixteen games.

Héctor Pérez, who’ll turn 25 this week, originally signed with the Astros as an international amateur. The Blue Jays acquired him as part of the Roberto Osuna deal at the 2018 trade deadline, and he spent the next few seasons in their system. Pérez made his MLB debut with Toronto last year, averaging 95.7 MPH on his fastball and showing a mid-80s slider. The Reds acquired him for a player to be named later or cash considerations in January.

Unfortunately for Pérez, his control has evaporated in the early going this season. Across 8 2/3 Triple-A innings, he’s allowed nine runs on eight hits and an alarming eleven walks. The Reds will now have a week to trade him or place him on outright waivers. Pérez is in his final minor league option year, so any acquiring team could shuttle him back-and-forth between the big leagues and Triple-A for the rest of this season.

Reds Release Nicky Delmonico, Cheslor Cuthbert

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The Reds have released former big leaguers Nicky Delmonico and Cheslor Cuthbert, as announced this morning by their Triple-A affiliate (on Twitter). Both are now free agents.

Delmonico, 28, spent parts of the 2017-20 seasons in the Majors with the White Sox, serving as a left fielder, first baseman and designated hitter. He turned in an impressive rookie effort back in ’17, hitting at a .262/.373/.482 clip through 166 plate appearances.

It’s been a steady decline for the former Orioles and Brewers farmhand since that time, however. In 408 big league plate appearances from 2018-20, Delmonico hit just .210/.287/.346. Things haven’t gone too much better in Triple-A so far in 2021, as Delmonico has managed a rather tepid .221/.312/.382 output — albeit in a small sample of just 77 plate appearances. In parts of five Triple-A campaigns, Delmonico is a .259/.342/.421 hitter.

The 28-year-old Cuthbert, meanwhile, was once one of the Royals’ premier prospects but has never produced much in the big leagues. He did connect on a career-high 12 home runs back in 2016, his lone season as a regular in the Majors (510 plate appearances), but he carries an overall line of .250/.300/.378 in 1161 trips to the plate. Like Delmonico, he’s struggled with the Reds’ Triple-A club, hitting just .203/.330/.338 in 88 plate appearances.

He’s played primarily third base in his pro career, but Cuthbert does have some experience at first base and second base as well. This year’s struggles notwithstanding, Cuthbert is a career .281/.350/.463 hitter in parts of seven Triple-A seasons.

Reds Option Cionel Perez, Activate Wade Miley

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The Reds have optioned Cionel Perez to Triple-A to make way for the activation of Wade Miley from the injured list, per the Athletic’s C. Trent Rosecrans (via Twitter). Miley will start today’s game against the Phillies.

Miley has been out just the minimum amount of time because of a foot sprain. His last two outings were his shortest of the season coming on the heels of no-hitting the Indians on May 7th. The veteran lefty has a 3.50 ERA/3.20 FIP in eight starts this season totaling 43 2/3 innings.

Perez has struggled through 17 appearances. The former Astro currently owns a 7.47 ERA/5.99 FIP in 15 2/3 innings of work. Control has been a problem for Perez with an untenable 20.5 percent walk rate. Amir Garrett and Sean Doolittle are the only southpaws left in the Reds’ bullpen.

Reds Recall Vladimir Gutierrez

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The Reds have recalled right-hander Vladimir Gutierrez to start this afternoon’s game against the Cubs. Reliever Ashton Goudeau was optioned to Triple-A Louisville to open active roster space. Gutierrez will be making his major league debut.

Gutierrez, 25, was a high-profile international amateur prospect who joined the Reds on a $4.75MM bonus in September 2016. He posted serviceable but unspectacular numbers between High-A and Double-A over his first two minor league seasons before a disastrous first crack at Triple-A. Gutierrez pitched to a 6.04 ERA in 137 innings with Louisville in 2019, then missed all of last season after being suspended for performance-enhancing drugs.

Nevertheless, the Reds added him to the 40-man roster to protect him from the Rule 5 draft over the winter. He’ll now get a big league call after a much better beginning this year in Triple-A. Over three starts with Louisville, Gutierrez has tossed seventeen innings of five-run ball, striking out 21 with seven walks. With Jeff Hoffman now on the injured list with a shoulder impingement, Gutierrez could get a few starts to try to cement himself in the big league rotation.

While Hoffman is headed to the injured list, another Reds starter is expected back in the next couple days. Lefty Wade Miley, who went on the IL May 21 with a foot sprain, will start Monday’s game against the Phillies, manager David Bell told reporters (including Mark Sheldon of MLB.com).

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