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Austin Wynns

Athletics Acquire Austin Wynns

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The A’s announced that they have picked up catcher Austin Wynns in a trade with the Reds, with cash considerations heading back to Cincinnati in return.  To clear roster space for Wynns, the Athletics designated right-hander Carlos Duran for assignment.

Wynns was designated for assignment two days ago, as he had become the odd man out of the Reds’ catching mix when Tyler Stephenson returned from a season-opening stint on the injured list.  Wynns signed a minor league deal with Cincinnati during the offseason, and that contract was selected on Opening Day as Wynns and Jose Trevino went on to handle the catching duties for the next five weeks while Stephenson recovered from an oblique strain.

Ironically, another oblique strain has now opened the door to Wynns’ latest opportunity.  Shea Langeliers was placed on the Athletics’ 10-day IL with a strained left oblique on Friday, leaving the West Sacramento team with just Jhonny Pereda (36 career MLB games) and Willie MacIver (seven career games) as the top catching options.  Tyler Soderstrom has some catching experience but has suited up behind the plate just once in the last two seasons, so it makes sense that the A’s preferred to just bring in a veteran backstop rather than disrupt Soderstrom’s routine as a first baseman/left fielder.

The Athletics will be the seventh different organization Wynns has been part of during his career, and he has seen action with five of those clubs at the MLB level over his seven seasons in the bigs.  A .241/.287/.354 hitter over 716 career plate appearances, Wynns has quietly been extremely productive over his limited action with the Reds, as he posted an eye-opening .390/.429/.661 slash line in 63 PA since Opening Day 2024.  This gives Wynns a unique distinction, as he has the best wRC+ (198) of any Reds player in the entire 156-year history of the franchise, minimum 60 plate appearances in a Cincinnati uniform.

It is probably safe to assume that the 34-year-old Wynns won’t continue this kind of production with the A’s, even notwithstanding Sutter Health Park’s hitter-friendly nature.  Still, Wynns will provide the Athletics with some help behind the plate for however long Langeliers will be on the IL.  Manager Mark Kotsay didn’t give reporters (including MLB.com’s Martin Gallegos) a specific timeline for Langeliers’ recovery, citing the “tricky” nature of oblique injuries.

Reds Designate Austin Wynns For Assignment

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The Reds have designated catcher Austin Wynns for assignment, the team announced Friday. His spot on the roster will go to first baseman Christian Encarnacion-Strand, who is being reinstated from the injured list.

Wynns, 34, has hit brilliantly in limited time with Cincinnati, slashing .390/.429/.661 in 63 plate appearances dating back to last season. That includes a .400/.442/.700 line in 43 plate appearances in 2025. That outrageous output is propped up by a .513 average on balls in play, however, and it belies a career slash line of .241/.287/.354 for the journeyman Wynns.

Because Wynns is out of options, the Reds couldn’t simply send him to the minors. He’d first need to pass through waivers, which may well be where he’s headed now that he’s been designated for assignment. He’s a career .274/.363/.401 hitter in parts of seven Triple-A seasons — solid Triple-A production for any catcher, particularly a third one on a team’s depth chart.

Third catcher has indeed been Wynns’ role since Tyler Stephenson returned from an oblique strain. Stephenson and Jose Trevino have logged nearly all the time at catcher since Stephenson made his season debut. Wynns hasn’t logged a single plate appearance in June and tallied only seven trips to the plate in May, despite being healthy and on the active roster that entire time.

The Reds will have five days to trade Wynns before he has to be placed on outright waivers, though they could start the waiver process (which takes 48 hours) at any point between now and then. If Wynns does pass through waivers unclaimed — which he’s done eight prior times in his career — he’ll have the right to reject a minor league assignment in favor of free agency.

Encarnacion-Strand, 25, has been out since mid-April with a back injury. The Reds acquired him alongside Spencer Steer three years ago in the trade that sent Tyler Mahle to Minnesota. At the time, Encarnacion-Strand’s stock was on the rise. The former fourth-round pick was ripping through Triple-A pitching and looked poised to make the jump to the big leagues. He did just that in 2023 and hit well as a rookie: .270/.327/.477, 13 homers in 241 plate appearances.

Since that time, wrist and back injuries have tanked Encarnacion-Strand’s output at the plate. He’s never been one to take many walks and has always been too much of a free swinger, and both of those flaws have been magnified as his power has dissipated amid health troubles. Over the past two seasons, “CES” has only 183 plate appearances in the majors, during which he’s batted .179/.208/.295.

In the absence of Encarnacion-Strand, Steer has been playing first base regularly. It’s possible the Reds will slide the versatile Steer across the diamond to make room for Encarnacion-Strand at first base. Neither player is a good defender at the hot corner, however, and Santiago Espinal is also in the mix at third base. The Reds could begin to move Steer all over the diamond again, as they’ve done in the past, if the goal is everyday at-bats for Encarnacion-Strand at first base. If not, Encarnacion-Strand could slide into a more limited role as a righty-swinging power bat off the bench.

Reds Select Austin Wynns

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The Reds announced that they have selected catcher Austin Wynns to their roster. To open a spot on the 40-man, they transferred left-hander Brandon Williamson to the 60-day injured list. Williamson underwent Tommy John surgery in September and will likely miss the entire 2025 season.

Adding Wynns has seemed likely for a while now. The Reds previously only had two catchers on their 40-man roster in Tyler Stephenson and Jose Trevino. Stephenson got an MRI on his back a couple of weeks ago which revealed a low-grade oblique strain. That made it inevitable that the Reds would have to add another backstop to pair with Trevino to start the season.

Wynns, 34, was in this role with Cincinnati in 2024 as well. The club selected his contract three times last year, whenever they needed a fresh body. In the first two cases, he was designated for assignment and outrighted back to Louisville a few days later. In the third case, he himself landed on the IL due to a right teres major tear and finished the season there. At season’s end, he was outrighted off the roster again and elected free agency but returned on a fresh minor league pact.

His .230/.277/.332 career batting line isn’t strong but he’s a veteran backstop who has appeared in parts of six big league seasons now. He’s considered a competent defender and the Reds are clearly comfortable with him.

Tyler Stephenson To Begin Season On Injured List

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Reds catcher Tyler Stephenson has been diagnosed with a low-grade oblique strain and will open the 2025 season on the injured list, reports Gordon Wittenmyer of the Cincinnati Enquirer. He underwent an MRI yesterday after experiencing discomfort in his back and side, and the imaging has revealed a strain. The team has not yet provided an expected timetable for Stephenson’s return, though it’s not uncommon for players to require around a month to recover from even Grade 1 oblique strains.

It’s a tough blow for the Reds to start the season. After a down season in 2023, Stephenson delivered a nice rebound effort in 2024, slashing .258/.338/.444 while popping a career-best 19 home runs. That marks four times in parts of five MLB seasons that the now-28-year-old former first-round pick has been comfortably above average at the plate. He’s a career .267/.343/.427 hitter, which is solid production for any position but especially for a catcher, where the majority of his peers are below-average bats with a more defensive-minded approach to the game.

With Stephenson headed to the injured list, the door will open for offseason trade acquisition Jose Trevino to begin the season as Cincinnati’s starting catcher. The Reds picked up Trevino in a trade sending reliever Fernando Cruz to the Yankees.

While the 32-year-old Trevino isn’t much of a threat at the plate — career .236/.275/.362 batting line — he’s a premium defender who won a Platinum Glove as recently as 2022. The veteran’s throwing was uncharacteristically below-average in 2024, as he thwarted just 18.6% of stolen base attempts after sitting at 25.6% and 33.3% in the two prior seasons, respectively. However, Trevino is a plus framer who draws consistently excellent marks for his ability to block pitches in the dirt. He’ll probably hit at the bottom of the Reds’ order while Stephenson is on the mend.

Stephenson and Trevino are currently the only catchers on the Reds’ 40-man roster, so they’ll have to make a move to add a backstop before the season begins. Veteran Austin Wynns, who appeared in seven games for Cincinnati last year, is in camp as a non-roster invitee and stands as the favorite to come up to the roster. Catchers Will Banfield and Michael Trautwein have been in big league camp as well. It’s also possible that the Reds will scoop up a veteran backup option who opts out of a minor league deal elsewhere or grab a catcher off waivers, should anyone hit the wire as teams set their rosters in the latter stages of camp.

Reds Sign Austin Wynns, Levi Jordan To Minor League Deals

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The Reds have signed catcher Austin Wynns and infielder/outfielder Levi Jordan to minor league deals, per the MLB.com transaction tracker for each player. Both have been assigned to Triple-A Louisville but could receive invites to big league camp. Wynns is represented by Klutch Sports.

Wynns, 34, is a journeyman catcher who was on and off the Reds’ roster last year. He had previously spent time with the Orioles, Giants, Dodgers and Rockies before signing a split deal with the Reds last offseason. The deal would pay him a $950K salary for time spent in the majors and a $300K rate for time in the minors. That second number was far higher than the typical salary for a minor league player, which was by design for a couple of reasons. It would decrease the likelihood of another team claiming him off waivers and increase the chances of Wynns accepting an outright assignment.

That quickly came to pass, as Wynns was off the roster by January, just a couple of weeks after signing his deal in mid-December. He accepted the assignment and gave the Reds some non-roster depth. This sequence played out throughout the season, with Wynns frequently added to the roster and then bumped off again shortly after when no longer needed. He finished the season on the injured list due to a right teres major tear. He was outrighted off the roster at the end of the year and elected free agency.

Wynns only got into seven games for the Reds last year but they clearly like him as a depth catcher. His .230/.277/.332 career batting line across six different seasons isn’t much to look at but his work behind the plate has generally been considered solid. Cincinnati currently has just two catchers on the 40-man roster in Tyler Stephenson and Jose Trevino. Wynns provides them with an experienced veteran who could be the first up in the event of an injury to one of those two, without taking up a roster spot. If he gets added back to the roster at any point, he is out of options.

Jordan, 29, just made his major league debut with the Reds in 2024. It was a very limited debut, as he received just 11 plate appearances in seven games, getting just one hit. He was outrighted off the roster in the summer and elected free agency at season’s end.

He has generally produced solid numbers in the minors. Over the past four years, he has slashed .268/.353/.424 for a 108 wRC+ in 1,382 minor league plate appearances. He has done that while bouncing between various defensive positions, lining up at all three outfield spots and the three infield positions to the left of first base.

The Reds have plenty of uncertainty in their position player mix, as guys like Matt McLain, Christian Encarnacion-Strand, TJ Friedl, Jake Fraley, Jeimer Candelario and others missed time due to injuries in 2024. Jordan provides them with a bit of depth all over the diamond. If he gets added back to the roster at any point, he still has a full slate of options.

Ty France Elects Free Agency

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The Reds announced a series of roster moves Friday, most notably revealing that first baseman Ty France cleared waivers and elected free agency. He would’ve been arbitration-eligible and was projected by MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz to earn $8.6MM in his final season of club control. Today’s outright and subsequent free agency election is effectively an early non-tender.

Cincinnati also passed catcher Austin Wynns, righty Tejay Antone and outfielder Nick Martini through waivers unclaimed. Like France, Wynns and Martini opted for free agency. Antone accepted an outright assignment and will remain with the club and continue mending from the third elbow surgery of his career.

France, 30, was an offensive force for his first three years with the Mariners from 2020-22, hitting a combined .285/.355/.443 with 42 homers, 68 doubles and three triples in 1418 plate appearances. He rarely struck out (16.7%), hit plenty of line drives and, after spending much of his minor league career playing other positions, worked his way into becoming an above-average defender at first base.

The 2023 season was a step back in all regards. France’s batting line slipped to .250/.337/.366 — still respectable but nowhere near his prior levels, particularly in the power department. His production dwindled further this year, and the Mariners designated him for assignment after he mustered only a .223/.312/.350 line in 88 games. The Reds swung a trade to acquire France in hope that a change of scenery would improve his output. France’s rate stats modestly improved, but not to the extent that one might hope when going from the league’s most pitcher-friendly stadium in Seattle to its most homer-happy park in Cincinnati. He finished the year at .234/.305/.365 between the two clubs.

France will now head to the free-agent market for the first time but do so coming off a sub-optimal platform spanning two years of struggles. He’ll likely be limited to one-year offers and guarantees well shy of the $8.6MM he’d been projected to earn in arbitration.

Wynns, 33, is the consummate journeyman backup catcher. He’s a career .230/.277/.332 hitter in 673 plate appearances split among five big league teams. He’s been with six different organization since the Orioles selected him in the tenth round of the 2013 draft. Wynns is regarded as a sound defender but has never provided much from an offensive standpoint.

Martini, 34, cracked the Reds’ Opening Day roster and belted a pair of homers in their first game of the season. It was downhill from there, however. He hit just .204/.266/.324 over his next 159 plate appearances before suffering a sprained thumb that ended his season in early July. Martini is a career .294/.399/.454 hitter in parts of eight Triple-A seasons and a .252/.336/.400 hitter in 575 big league plate appearances.

Reds Place Andrew Abbott On Injured List Due To Shoulder Strain

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The Reds announced that left-hander Andrew Abbott has been placed on the 15-day injured list, retroactive to August 20, due to a left shoulder strain. Right-hander Alan Busenitz has been selected to take his place on the roster. To open a 40-man spot for Busenitz, catcher Austin Wynns has been transferred to the 60-day injured list.

At this point, the club hasn’t provided any information on when Abbott suffered the injury or how long they expect him to be out. He last took the ball on Sunday, tossing 83 pitches over five innings. His velocity was down a bit, per Statcast, with his fastball averaging 91.6 miles per hour. He was at 92.6 mph the previous start, perhaps indicating he wasn’t 100% last time out.

Regardless, it’s an unfortunate development for the Reds and their rotation. Abbott has been a mainstay this year, with a 3.72 ERA over his 25 starts on the season. Him and Hunter Greene are the two team leaders in innings but Greene landed on the IL last week due to elbow soreness. With Abbott now joining Greene on the IL, the club is without the two pillars of their rotation. That’s on top of Graham Ashcraft and Brandon Williamson, who are also on the IL.

Absences have been a key storyline for the Reds this year. In addition to those pitching issues, their position player mix currently has Wynns, Jeimer Candelario, Jake Fraley, Christian Encarnacion-Strand, Matt McLain and Nick Martini on the IL. They also didn’t have Noelvi Marté for the first 80 games of the year due to a PED suspension, lost TJ Friedl to the IL for a while, amid other issues.

Despite those challenges, the club is 63-64 and hanging in the playoff race. They are currently five games back of Atlanta for the final postseason spot in the National League, but staying afloat will be more challenging with the rotation in such trouble. Abbott was the scheduled starter today, so the club may have to do some kind of bullpen game, then proceed with a rotation consisting of Nick Lodolo, Nick Martinez, Carson Spiers and Julian Aguiar. Spiers and Martinez are swingmen who have moved into rotation roles due to injuries while Aguiar was just called up and has one major league start to his name.

The club has an off-day on Monday but then plays eight games in seven days thanks to a double-header next Friday, meaning they may have to call upon some depth. Lyon Richardson is on the 40-man roster but has been pitching in relief lately. Connor Phillips has a 9.92 ERA in Triple-A this year and just returned from a two-month stint at the club’s spring complex trying to get back on track. Prospect Rhett Lowder is at Triple-A but was just promoted there and has only one start at that level. Justus Sheffield is around in a non-roster capacity but has a 6.88 ERA in Triple-A this year.

For now, Busenitz will give the club a fresh arm for their bullpen. He signed a minor league deal with the club in January and has logged 55 innings over 40 Triple-A appearances this year. He has a 3.93 ERA in that time, along with a 22.3% strikeout rate and 7.9% walk rate. He is out of options and can’t be sent back down to the minors without first being exposed to waivers.

Wynns landed on the 10-day IL at the end of July due to a lat strain. It seems the club isn’t expecting him back any time soon, as he’s now ineligible to return until the final days of the regular season.

Reds Acquire Ty France

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The Reds announced Monday that they’ve acquired first baseman Ty France and cash from the Mariners in exchange for minor league catcher Andruw Salcedo. Seattle designated France for assignment last week. Cincinnati also placed catcher Austin Wynns on the 10-day injured list due to a lat strain, selected the contract of catcher Eric Yang from Triple-A Louisville and transferred righty Graham Ashcraft to the 60-day IL to open a 40-man spot. Their 40-man roster is now at capacity. Seattle is reportedly sending around $1.29MM to cover part of France’s remaining salary.

Entering the season, the notion of the Reds acquiring a first baseman would’ve seemed silly. Cincinnati had an infield surplus and a particular glut of first basemen, with Christian Encarnacion-Strand, Spencer Steer and offseason signee Jeimer Candelario all standing as options at the position. However, Encarnacion-Strand’s season ended early due to wrist surgery, while Steer has seen significant time in the outfield. Candelario has spent much of the year at third base but has been at first base more frequently since Noelvi Marte returned from an 80-game PED suspension. France figures to slide in at first base — certainly against left-handed pitching — while Candelario could see increased time at designated hitter.

Originally drafted by the Padres, France went to Seattle alongside Andres Munoz in the 2020 trade that sent catcher Austin Nola from Seattle to San Diego. He broke out immediately with the M’s and for several seasons was one of their most productive hitters — even earning a well-deserved All-Star nod in 2022. From 2020-22, France posted a combined .285/.355/.443 batting line. He belted 42 homers despite playing in the game’s most pitcher-friendly park, adding 68 doubles and three triples along the way. He didn’t walk much (6.5%) but also went down on strikes in only 16.7% of his plate appearances.

France’s bat took a step back in 2023, when he hit .250/.337/.366 with a dozen homers. His bat-to-ball skills remained strong, however, and his batted-ball metrics remained in line with those that he’d posted during that strong 2020-22 run. A dip in his homer-to-flyball rate was at least partially to blame, and the Mariners tendered France a contract despite the down year, understandably betting on his track record and the ostensibly fluky nature of his ’23 downturn.

The rebound the M’s had expected never manifested, unfortunately, and this year’s struggles are more alarming. France’s contact skills have dipped noticeably. After making contact on 91.2% of pitches in the strike zone in the three preceding seasons, his contact rate on balls in the zone has dropped to 87%. He’s chased off the plate less but also swung less in general as well, dropping from a 52.5% swing rate to a 48% mark. As he’s gotten more passive and made contact in the zone less often, pitchers have attacked him more (58% first-pitch strike rate in 2021-23; 61.2% in ’24). The change in approach hasn’t worked out, as France’s strikeout rate has spiked to a career-worst 24.4%.

The Reds, in dire need of an offensive jolt, will send a low-level catching prospect to the Mariners in hope of turning France around. He’ll move from one of the worst settings for a hitter (Seattle’s T-Mobile Park) to one of the best (Cincinnati’s Great American Ball Park) — and that swap alone should help France in the power department. The Reds will hope that the change in scenery and some new coaching input and new data from their front office can help France get back to his prior form. They’ve received an awful .215/.266/.363 slash from their first basemen this season, so France will have a low bar to clear when it comes to providing an upgrade..

If France is indeed able to return to form — or at least more closely approximate his peak form — he’ll be a multi-year option for Cincinnati. He’s not currently signed to a contract for the 2025 season but is arbitration-eligible one final time this winter. The Reds would owe him a raise on this year’s $6.775MM salary, though his early struggles in Seattle should tamp down the weight of any salary increase and keep him shy of $10MM. If not, France would be a trade or (likelier) non-tender candidate in the offseason.

As for the Mariners, they’ll bring in a 21-year-old catcher who’s played parts of four seasons in the Reds’ system. Salcedo carries a .246/.347/.330 batting line in a still-small sample of 98 professional games. He’s fanned in 27.5% of his plate appearances but also walked at a hearty 11.4% clip. He’s not regarded among the Reds’ top prospects, but that sort of low-level lottery ticket return is to be expected for a veteran player on a notable salary. In the meantime, they’ll continue to give regular playing time at first base to top prospect Tyler Locklear while also scouring the market for an additional bat to add to the mix after acquiring Randy Arozarena from the Rays last week.

Ronald Blum of the Associated Press reported the specifics of the cash considerations.

Reds Select Austin Wynns, Edwin Ríos

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The Reds announced that catcher Luke Maile has been placed on the 10-day injured list due to a herniated disc in his back. Outfielder Jake Fraley was placed on the family medical emergency list. To take those two roster spots, the club has selected catcher Austin Wynns and infielder Edwin Ríos. They had one open 40-man spot but opened another by designating infielder/outfielder Levi Jordan for assignment.

Maile, 33, was visibly injured in yesterday’s game. In video provided by Bally Sports Cincinnati on X, he can be seen limping and clutching at his back while running towards first base. It’s unclear how serious the issue is but the Reds have decided to let him sit out for the next ten days at least.

The injury will get Wynns selected to the roster for the third time in the past two weeks. He was first added when Tyler Stephenson was hurt with a day-to-day issue, but removed once Stephenson felt better. Then Stephenson needed to go on the paternity list, getting Wynns a second stint. When Stephenson came back, Wynns was bumped off again and now returns once more.

Every time he’s been nudged off the roster, Wynns has cleared waivers and accepted an outright assignment. As a player with more than three years of service time but less than five, he has the right to reject outright assignments, but doing so means walking away from whatever money is left on his contract. He signed a split deal with the Reds in the offseason that pays him $900K in the majors and $300K in the minors and seemingly wants to keep that on the table for himself.

Now he’ll presumably get at least a stretch of 10 days to serve as Stephenson’s backup while Maile is out. Wynns has hit just .229/.276/.331 in his career but is generally considered to be a competent defender.

Ríos, 30, signed a minor league deal with the Reds in the offseason. He’s taken 203 trips to the plate at the Triple-A level this year, striking out in 28.6% of those but also drawing walks at an 11.8% clip and hitting 11 home runs. He has a .243/.340/.486 line for the year, which translates to a 107 wRC+.

That has generally been the recipe with Ríos, who has previously been with the Dodgers and Cubs. He has 21 home runs in just 325 big league plate appearances but has also been punched out at a 33.5% clip. He’ll provide the Reds with a potent left-handed power bat but also one with some holes in it. Defensively, he’s mostly played first and third base but also the outfield corners.

Noelvi Marté has been at third base most of the time lately, with Jeimer Candelario and Spencer Steer sharing first base and the designated hitter slot. Steer can also play a bit of left field, but the Reds have some other options on the grass. Even with Fraley away from the club, they have Stuart Fairchild, Nick Martini, Will Benson and Blake Dunn as capable outfielders. Ríos is out of options but can be retained beyond this season via arbitration if he manages to hang onto his roster spot through the end of the year.

Austin Wynns Accepts Outright Assignment With Reds

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Catcher Austin Wynns passed through waivers unclaimed and has accepted an outright assignment to Triple-A Louisville, per C. Trent Rosecrans of The Athletic on X. The backstop had been designated for assignment by the Reds earlier this week.

Wynns, 33, signed a split deal with the Reds in the offseason that pays him a $900K salary while in the majors and $300K in the minors. Since he is out of options, the club has outrighted him off the 40-man three times already this year. As a player with more than three years of service time but less than five, Wynns can reject an outright assignment but would have to walk away from his remaining money in order to do so.

That specific contract structure and service time situation have allowed the Reds to shuttle Wynns on and off the roster whenever they have needed a third catcher to support Tyler Stephenson and Luke Maile. Wynns was added a couple of weeks ago when Stephenson was hurt but bumped off the roster when Stephenson felt better. Shortly thereafter, Stephenson went on the paternity list, which gave Wynns another few days on the roster before being bumped off again.

It’s possible that Wynns may be quickly needed yet again in short order. Maile appeared to injure himself running to first base today, with video relayed on X by Bally Sports Cincinnati. He initially stayed in the game but was later replaced behind the plate by Stephenson. Wynns has hit just .229/.276/.331 in his career but is generally considered a competent defender behind the plate.

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