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Reds Select Robert Dugger

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The Reds announced a series of roster moves between the two games of today’s doubleheader, with Charlie Goldsmith of the Cincinnati Enquirer among those to relay the batch. Right-hander Robert Dugger has had his contract selected while catcher Mark Kolozsvary has been recalled. To make room on the active roster, reliever Luis Cessa was placed on the 15-day IL while catcher Aramis Garcia was placed on the 10-day IL. (Pitchers and position players have different minimum IL stints.) To make room for Dugger on the 40-man roster, righty Vladimir Gutierrez was transferred to the 60-day IL.

For Dugger, 27, this is the latest transaction in a season that’s been full of them. He started the season in the Rays organization on a minor league deal. He had his contracted selected on May 1, worked 5 1/3 innings of mop-up duty and then was designated for assignment the next day. The Reds grabbed him off waivers and treated him similarly, using him for a three-inning appearance before handing him his second DFA of the year. He accepted an outright assignment and eventually had his contracted selected again a few days later, but then got a third DFA without getting into a game. He accepted another outright assignment and has now returned to the big leagues yet again.

In between all of those transactions, he’s managed to throw 48 innings at the Triple-A level between the Rays and the Reds. He has a 5.06 ERA with a 17.6% strikeout rate and 10% walk rate. In the big leagues, it’s been just 8 1/3 frames with a 6.48 ERA.

As for Gutierrez, he landed on the injured list just over a month ago due to forearm soreness. This transfer means he won’t be eligible to return until 60 days from that initial placement, which would be early August. He recently started ramping up by throwing batting practice but evidently suffered some kind of setback. Manager David Bell relayed the news to Goldsmith recently. Though the severity of the setback is unclear, Gutierrez evidently isn’t close to returning to action.

Garcia’s IL placement is due to a finger issue that’s plagued him in recent games, whereas Cessa’s injury isn’t clear at this time. He left the first game of the doubleheader with something bothering him in his left side.

Reds Place Tyler Mahle On Injured List With Shoulder Strain

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2:54pm: Mahle tells reporters that an MRI revealed only irritation but no structural damage (Twitter thread via Charlie Goldsmith of the Cincinnati Enquirer). Mahle said the issue is “not concerning at all” and that he plans to return shortly after the All-Star break.

1:28pm: The Reds announced Wednesday that right-hander Tyler Mahle has been placed on the 15-day injured list with a shoulder strain. The move is retroactive to Sunday. Righty Ian Gibaut, whom the Reds claimed off waivers this week, will take his spot on the active roster. Cincinnati also announced that catcher Chris Okey cleared waivers and will remain in the organization after being assigned outright to Triple-A Louisville.

Mahle, one of the more notable trade candidates in the National League, had been scheduled to start a game for the Reds tomorrow. The team has not yet provided a timetable on his potential return, but the earliest he’ll be able to return is just two weeks prior to the Aug. 2 trade deadline.

The timing of the injury is brutal for the Reds, who have watched as Mahle has shaken off a poor start and rounded into form as next month’s deadline looms. After pitching to a grisly 7.01 ERA through six starts and walking 14 of the first 120 hitters he faced (11.7%), Mahle has rebounded to the tune of a 3.51 ERA, 27.8% strikeout rate and 8.0% walk rate across his past 66 2/3 frames. Nearly one-third of the 26 runs he’s allowed dating back to May 8 came in one nightmare outing against the Cubs on May 24 (eight runs in four innings). Since that start, Mahle owns a 2.58 ERA, 28.3% strikeout rate and 7.1% walk rate in 45 1/3 frames.

For much of the season — and for much of the offseason — it’s looked as though Mahle, teammate Luis Castillo and A’s ace Frankie Montas would be the three most coveted names on the trade market. All three are affordably controlled through the 2023 season and have made substantial strides in recent years to establish themselves as (at least) quality mid-rotation hurlers. Now, with Mahle on the injured list for a yet-to-be-determined period and Montas dealing with shoulder inflammation of his own, Castillo suddenly stands as the lone, healthy member of that heavily speculated-upon trio.

It’s still possible, of course, that Mahle makes a quick return from the IL, pitches well and that his medical records look sufficiently clean for a trade to come together. There’s little denying that a shoulder strain just three-plus weeks from the deadline, however, is going to give any number of would-be trade partners a fair bit of trepidation regarding the righty’s short- and long-term outlook. If the Reds are ultimately unable to move Mahle, they’d be able to try again this winter or at the 2023 deadline, health permitting. His value won’t be nearly as high at either juncture, however.

With Mahle shelved for at least the next couple weeks, an even broader focus will be placed on Castillo, who has been excellent since missing the first month of the season recovering from a spring shoulder injury. Utilityman Brandon Drury has become an oft-suggested trade candidate, but the Reds also have a series of other possible candidates. Outfielders Tyler Naquin and Tommy Pham and southpaw Mike Minor are among the other veterans the Reds could peddle in the weeks to come.

Reds Claim Ian Gibaut, Designate Chris Okey For Assignment

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2:32pm: The Reds announced Gibaut has indeed been claimed off waivers and Lodolo has been reinstated from the 60-day IL. In a series of corresponding moves, Cincinnati optioned infielder/outfielder Max Schrock to Triple-A Louisville, transferred righty Tony Santillan from the 15-day IL to the 60-day IL and designated catcher Chris Okey for assignment.

Santillan has been out since mid-June with a back strain, and his move to the 60-day injured list means he won’t be able to return until at least mid-August. It’s been a tough season overall for the righty, who has pitched to a 5.49 ERA with below-average strikeout (21.9%) and walk (12.5%) tendencies so far.

Okey, 27, made his big league debut last month and went 2-for-12 with five strikeouts in a total of 13 plate appearances. A 2016 second-round pick by the Reds, he’s never produced much at the plate in parts of six professional seasons, as evidenced by a career .209/.283/.331 slash in the minors. The Reds will have a week to trade him, pass him through outright waivers, or release him.

Notably, it seems as though Cincinnati may not yet be done making its slate of pregame roster moves. Both Mark Sheldon of MLB.com and Charlie Goldsmith of the Cincinnati Enquirer have noted, via Twitter, that Tyler Naquin is in the Reds’ clubhouse after completing a minor league rehab assignment. It seems likely that he’ll be activated for today’s game, but the team has not announced that move (or a corresponding transaction) just yet.

1:58pm: The Reds have claimed right-hander Ian Gibaut off waivers from the Dodgers, reports Juan Toribio of MLB.com (via Twitter). Los Angeles had designated Gibaut for assignment over the weekend. Between the Gibaut claim and left-hander Nick Lodolo’s forthcoming reinstatement from the 60-day injured list, Cincinnati will need to make multiple 40-man roster moves today.

An 11th-round pick of the Rays back in 2015, the now-28-year-old Gibaut is set to join his third organization in just over a week’s time. He opened the year with the Guardians’ Triple-A affiliate and made one long relief appearance upon being selected to the big league roster before Cleveland designated him for assignment. The Dodgers scooped Gibaut up off waivers, but he didn’t pitch for L.A. before a second DFA. Gibaut is out of minor league options, so the Reds will need to carry him on the big league roster.

Gibaut has pitched in parts of four Major League seasons, compiling 34 2/3 innings with a 5.19 ERA between four teams (Rangers, Rays, Twins, Guardians). He posted better numbers with the Guardians’ Triple-A affiliate in Columbus to begin the 2022 season — 3.20 ERA in 19 2/3 innings — and has a career 4.15 ERA, 29% strikeout rate and 10.9% walk rate in 136 2/3 innings.

It’s a small sample of 2022 data so far, but Gibaut’s 95.3 mph average fastball (2019-21) has jumped up to 97.1 mph so far. He’s also shown well above-average ability to spin his curveball. Both traits, paired with a solid Triple-A track record, likely appealed to the Reds.

Injury Notes: Jansen, Faedo, Lewis, Stephenson, Dunn

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Kenley Jansen’s problems with irregular heartbeats have plagued him for over a decade, yet that familiarity has also made this serious issue seem oddly matter-of-fact for the Braves closer.  With Jansen again on the injured list, he spoke with reporters (including MLB.com’s Mark Bowman) about his latest bout with atrial fibrillation.  Jansen said he actually first had an irregular heartbeat on June 18, but after a visit with doctors, he pitched five more times before his symptoms continued to the point that some time off was necessary.  However, after being placed on the IL on June 28, Jansen said he plans to miss only the minimum 15 days.

More on other injury situations from around baseball…

  • Tigers right-hander Alex Faedo left during the third inning of today’s start due to what the club described as right hip soreness.  More will be known about Faedo’s condition after the game, yet another injury would continue Detroit’s horrific luck with pitcher health this season.  Just about all of Detroit’s starting pitchers have spent time on the IL at some point and several are still recovering, which opened the door for Faedo to both make his MLB debut and then make 11 starts in his rookie season.
  • Kyle Lewis has started a Triple-A rehab assignment, and Mariners manager Scott Servais told reporters (including MLB.com’s Daniel Kramer) that Lewis will get “a healthy dose of playing time” as an outfielder.  Lewis suffered a torn meniscus in May 2021, and thus far in 2022 has played almost exclusively as a DH in minor league action and in four Major League games.  A return to regular outfield work is a positive sign for Lewis, who has missed over a month on the concussion-related IL.
  • Reds catcher Tyler Stephenson is set begin a Triple-A rehab assignment today, while Justin Dunn will make his next minor league rehab start on Wednesday, according to Bobby Nightengale of the Cincinnati Enquirer (Twitter links).  Stephenson suffered a fractured right thumb on June 9, but looks on pace to return within the original 4-6 week projected recovery timeline.  Dunn, meanwhile, has yet to pitch at all since the Reds acquired him from the Mariners as part of the Eugenio Suarez/Jesse Winker trade package in March — a shoulder injury sidelined Dunn in Spring Training.  Dunn has two rehab outings under his belt already, and he is slated to throw around 60-65 pitches in his next trip to the mound.

Lucas Sims To Undergo Season-Ending Back Surgery

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Reds reliever Lucas Sims will undergo surgery next week to repair a herniated disc in his back, he tells Bobby Nightengale of the Cincinnati Enquirer. He’ll miss the rest of the 2022 season. The 28-year-old expressed confidence he’ll have a relatively normal offseason and be ready for Spring Training next year.

Sims has been dogged by back issues virtually all year. He opened the season on the injured list and missed the first two weeks. The right-hander was reinstated in late April and made six appearances, but he was tagged for seven runs in 6 2/3 innings. Cincinnati placed Sims on the IL again in mid-May, and he was transferred to the 60-day version  last month. He’ll remain on the IL all year but will have to be reinstated to the 40-man roster at the start of the offseason.

It’s a virtually lost season for Sims, who’d shown flashes of emerging as a high-leverage arm in the preceding two years. A former first-round pick of the Braves, he struggled to throw strikes as a starter but looked to have a found a home in the bullpen by 2020. During the abbreviated season, Sims posted a 2.45 ERA across 25 2/3 innings. He punched out a third of batters faced, and manager David Bell increasingly used him in key situations the following year.

Sims even spent some time as the Cincinnati closer in 2021, collecting seven saves. He watched his ERA spike to 4.40 through 47 innings, but that belied excellent secondary numbers. Sims was one of the game’s top strikeout arms, fanning nearly 40% of opponents while generating swinging strikes on almost 15% of his offerings.

The Reds and Sims failed to come to an agreement on an arbitration salary over the winter, and the sides went to an in-season hearing. The team emerged victorious, with the arbitrator setting Sims’ salary at the club’s proposed $1.2MM mark. (Sims’ camp had been seeking $1.6MM). With virtually nothing to show in terms of 2022 performance, he’d command an identical or marginally higher salary if tendered a contract for 2023. Sims will collect his salary and a full year of MLB service while rehabbing, pushing him past the four-year service threshold. He’s controllable through 2024.

Reds Outright Colin Moran

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8:16pm: As expected, Moran has decided to accept the outright assignment, the club announced (via Charlie Goldsmith of the Cincinnati Enquirer).

5:58pm: The Reds announced that corner infielder Colin Moran has cleared waivers and been assigned outright to Triple-A Louisville. He has the right to refuse a minor league assignment as a player with between four and five years of big league service time, but doing so would require forfeiting what remains of his $1MM guaranteed salary. C. Trent Rosecrans of the Athletic tweets that Moran has not yet informed the Reds of his decision.

Cincinnati hadn’t previously announced that Moran had been designated for assignment. The outright drops the club’s 40-man roster tally down to 39, although they’ll need a spot for reliever Jeff Hoffman whenever he’s ready to return from the COVID-19 injured list.

The Reds signed Moran to a one-year deal during Spring Training. He’d been cut loose by the division-rival Pirates after a four-year run in Pittsburgh. He typically offered league average production at the dish during his time in the Steel City, combining for a .269/.331/.419 line. After struggling defensively at the hot corner, however, he was increasingly limited to first base time of late. His solid but unspectacular offense at a bat-first position wasn’t enough for the Bucs to keep him around through his arbitration seasons.

While Cincinnati hoped they’d add a productive left-handed bat to their bench, Moran hasn’t performed especially well in 2022. He’s posted a .210/.299/.360 line with four home runs through 117 plate appearances during his major league action. That’s led to a pair of optional assignments to Louisville, where he’s punched out in 16 of his 52 trips against upper minors pitching. Those struggles made it such that no other team wanted to assume the remaining guarantees on his contract.

If Moran stays with the Bats on outright assignment, he’ll try to play his way back onto the 40-man roster before the end of the season. He’d technically remain controllable via arbitration through 2023 in that instance, but the 29-year-old would need an excellent second half to convince the club to tender him a contract. Moran would have another opportunity to qualify for minor league free agency at the end of the season if he’s not selected to the major league roster by then.

Guardians Acquire Sandy Leon, Designate Ian Gibaut For Assignment

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The Guardians announced this morning that they’ve acquired veteran catcher Sandy Leon from the Reds in exchange for cash. He’s being added directly to the Major League roster, and right-hander Ian Gibaut has been designated for assignment in order to open a spot on the 40-man roster. Leon’s acquisition comes in conjunction with catcher Austin Hedges being placed on the 7-day concussion list. Meanwhile, righty Anthony Castro has been recalled from Triple-A Columbus to join the bullpen, and lefty Konnor Pilkington has been tabbed as the 27th man for today’s doubleheader against the division-leading Twins. He’ll start the second game today for Cleveland.

Leon, 33, was with Cleveland for the 2020 season and also spent the bulk of Spring Training with the Guardians this season before being granted his release. He signed a minor league deal with the Reds in mid-April and has spent the bulk of the season in Triple-A Louisville, where he’s batted .222/.321/.306 in 84 plate appearances.

A career .212/.277/.319 hitter who’s never hit much outside of a magical 2016 campaign in Boston, when he slashed .310/.369/.476 in 283 plate appearances, Leon is a respected veteran who is generally lauded for his game-calling and defensive prowess. He’s thwarted one-third of the stolen-base attempts against him in his big league career and regularly drawn positive marks for his framing and pitch blocking. In 3621 innings behind the dish, Leon has totaled 36 Defensive Runs Saved.

Cleveland clearly places a premium on defense behind the plate, which is obvious when looking at the glove-first nature of their catching corps in recent years. Beyond Leon, they’ve relied primarily on Hedges, Roberto Perez and Yan Gomes for the better part of a decade — all of whom are considered premium defenders even though they’ve rarely contributed much with the bat. (Perez and Gomes each had a brief run of plus offense but graded out below-average over their Cleveland tenures as a whole.)

Given the nature of his acquisition, Leon could be in for a brief stay with the Guardians. Then again, Luke Maile has batted just .180/.268/.279 through 71 plate appearances this season, so even if Hedges returns in short order, it’s perhaps possible that Leon could supplant Maile as the backup to Hedges.

Leon’s return to the big leagues comes at the expense of Gibaut, who’d only just returned to the Majors himself yesterday. He pitched 1 1/3 scoreless innings in last night’s blowout at the hands of his 2021 Twins teammates but will now be traded or placed on outright waivers within a week’s time.

Gibaut, 28, has pitched in parts of four Major League seasons, totaling 34 2/3 innings of 5.19 ERA ball between the Rangers, Rays, Twins and Guardians. He’s notched a 3.20 ERA in 19 2/3 innings with Triple-A Columbus this season and carries a career 4.15 ERA, 29% strikeout rate and 10.9% walk rate in 136 2/3 frames at that level.

Between that solid track record and the fact that Gibaut sat at 97.1 mph with his heater last night — a huge jump from the 95.3 mph he averaged from 2019-21 — it’s possible a bullpen-needy club will look to claim him or strike up a small trade with Cleveland. If not, he’ll be able to reject an outright assignment in favor of free agency, should he choose, by virtue of the fact that he’s previously been outrighted in his career.

Shogo Akiyama Signs With NPB’s Hiroshima Carp

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June 26: Akiyama has signed a three-year deal with the NPB’s Hiroshima Carp, per C. Trent Rosecrans of The Athletic.

June 20: Former Reds outfielder Shogo Akiyama is headed back to Japan, Akiyama himself tells Japanese media (English languagelink via the Japan Times). A report from The Manichi in Japan suggests that Akiyama’s former team, the Seibu Lions, could have an offer waiting for him.

Originally signed by the Reds to a three-year, $21MM contract heading into the 2020 season, Akiyama was never able to replicate the star-level production he’d showed with the Lions over a nine-year career in Nippon Professional Baseball. The now-34-year-old outfielder tallied just 366 plate appearances with Cincinnati and posted an underwhelming .224/.320/.274 batting line — a far cry from the brilliant .301/.376/.454 batting line he posted in nine years with his former Seibu club.

The Reds released Akiyama partway through the third and final season of that contract, and he quickly landed a minor league deal with the Padres. Akiyama recently opted out of that contract, however, and he tells the Japanese media that his agent informed him there were no offers from big league teams. Akiyama didn’t specify whether that meant no Major League offers or no offers at all, but given that he just hit .343/.378/.529 with three homers, two doubles, a triple and a pair of steals in 16 games with the Padres’ Triple-A affiliate in El Paso, it wouldn’t be a surprise if there had been other minor league opportunities available.

It remains to be seen whether Akiyama will ultimately return to the Lions, sign with another team in NPB, or simply take the remainder of the year off. However, his return and acknowledgement of a lack of MLB interest looks to have closed the door on any near-term return to North American ball. He only recently turned 34, though, so Akiyama ought to have other opportunities to add to an impressive collection of accolades in Japan, where he’s a six-time Gold Glove winner and five-time NPB All-Star.

Yankees Interested In Luis Castillo

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We’ve already heard about a few teams with interest in the Reds’ starting pitching, and it isn’t surprising that the Yankees are also on that list.  According to The Athletic’s Peter Gammons, the Yankees have “talked” with Cincinnati about right-hander Luis Castillo, and Reds scouts have been watching pitching prospect Will Warren (currently throwing for the Yankees’ Double-A affiliate).

Starting pitching would ostensibly not be a major priority for the Bronx Bombers, given how the rotation has been arguably the league’s best over the first three months of the season.  Gerrit Cole, Jameson Taillon, Luis Severino, Nestor Cortes, and Jordan Montgomery have all looked excellent, and the rotation as a whole ranks first in baseball in walk rate (5.4%) and strikeout rate (25.4%), and second in cumulative fWAR (7.7) and ERA (3.00).

However, even beyond the “you can never have enough pitching” credo, there is certainly reason for Yankees GM Brian Cashman to be looking to reinforce his staff.  Severino tossed only 18 regular-season innings over the course of three injury-riddled seasons from 2019-21, and thus his workload might need to be managed down the stretch.  Likewise, Cortes has never thrown more than 119 2/3 combined innings in any pro season, while Taillon has also battled a number of injury problems throughout his career.

While none of Severino, Cortes, Taillon, Cole, or Montgomery have run into any real health issues thus far in 2022, that collective durability could actually be more of a reason for Cashman to proactively seek out another starter.  Since it’s very rare to have an entire rotation stay intact throughout a full season, the Yankees could look to add before trouble (inevitably?) strikes, since waiting until a problem arises could decrease New York’s leverage with the Reds or any other team dangling pitching.

Gammons also figures the Yankees will make another attempt to acquire Frankie Montas, after the Yankees engaged the A’s in trade talks back in March.  Castillo has also been on New York’s radar in the past, when the Bombers reportedly rejected Cincinnati’s ask of Gleyber Torres and more for Castillo back in January 2021.

The Reds will certainly have another high asking price on Castillo in the coming weeks.  The righty is arguably the top pitcher available prior to the August 2 trade deadline, due to both his front-of-the-rotation ability and his contractual status — Castillo isn’t scheduled for free agency until after the 2023 season.  He has been more solid than spectacular thus far in 2022, but it could be that Castillo is still ramping up after missing the first month of action due to shoulder soreness.

While Warren certainly wouldn’t be the centerpiece of any Castillo trade package, the 23-year-old righty is already gaining attention in his first year of pro ball.  An eighth-round pick for the Yankees in the 2021 draft, Warren is ranked by both Baseball America and MLB Pipeline as the 27th-best prospect in New York’s farm system, and he has a 3.72 ERA over 55 2/3 combined innings at high-A (35 IP) and Double-A (20 2/3 IP) in 2022.  His two newest pitches are his best offerings, as the Yankees’ pitching development staff helped Warren turn his slider and two-seamer into plus pitches.  It already seems like Warren would be a good fit as a relief pitcher down the road, according to Pipeline’s scouting report, though he might be able to work in a rotation if he can successfully mix his slider and two-seamer with a more average changeup and curveball.

Reds Claim Michael Papierski Off Waivers From Giants

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The Reds announced that they have claimed catcher Michael Papierski off waivers from the Giants and optioned him to Triple-A Louisville. The Reds recently placed Jeff Hoffman on the COVID-related IL, opening up a spot on the 40-man roster for this claim.

Papierski began this season in the Astros organization but went to the Giants in May as part of the Mauricio Dubon trade. A week later, he was selected to the big league roster as Curt Casali was placed on the concussion IL. Once Casali returned a week later, Papierski was optioned back to the minors. When the Giants claimed Yermin Mercedes off waivers from the White Sox recently, Papierski was designated to create room for him.

Papierski got into five MLB games with San Fran but wasn’t able to manage a hit in ten plate appearances. In 40 Triple-A games between the Astros’ and Giants’ organizations, he’s hit .210/.297/.308. That only amounts to a wRC+ of 53, though more encouraging signs can be found in his 10.3% walk rate and 16.4% strikeout rate, both of those being better than average. His .223 BABIP suggests some positive regression could be forthcoming.

Tyler Stephenson, the Reds’ primary catcher, landed on the IL earlier this month with a thumb fracture. He’s yet to even begin a rehab assignment, suggesting he’s not close to a return. Since he’s been gone, the club has been using Aramis Garcia and Chris Okey behind the plate, both of whom currently have a wRC+ below 25. Papierski will head to Louisville to alongside fellow catcher Mark Kolozsvary, to provide the club with some extra catching depth.

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