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Carson Spiers

Reds Re-Sign Carson Spiers To Minor League Deal

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The Reds announced they’ve re-signed righty Carson Spiers to a minor league contract with an invite to big league camp. Spiers will not be able to pitch in Spring Training anyhow, as he’s working back from July elbow surgery that’ll cost him most of the ’26 season.

Spiers was one of three players, along with Will Banfield and Roddery Muñoz, whom the Reds dropped from the roster at last week’s non-tender deadline. Spiers had technically been designated for assignment a few days earlier as Cincinnati created space to add three Rule 5 eligible prospects to the 40-man roster. They waited until the non-tender deadline to resolve the DFA, which meant they didn’t need to expose him to waivers. That’s a common tactic for teams to try to re-sign those players to minor league deals, keeping them in the organization without requiring a 40-man spot.

The 28-year-old Spiers has pitched in each of the past three big league seasons. He’s a depth arm who has started 14 of 29 career outings. Spiers carries a 5.69 earned run average across 117 innings. His 19.3% strikeout percentage and 9.4% swinging strike rate are each middling and he’s had a difficult time keeping the ball in the park. Most of Spiers’ big league experience came in 2024, as shoulder and elbow injuries cost him almost all of last season.

While Spiers has yet to find much in the way of MLB success, he owns a decent 4.08 ERA in almost 400 minor league innings. He has fanned nearly a quarter of opponents against an 8.9% walk rate. Spiers sits around 92 MPH with his four-seam and sinker while using three more pitches (sweeper, cutter and changeup) with regularity. He’ll remain with the organization that initially signed him as an undrafted free agent in 2020 and attempt to pitch his way back onto the roster once he has put the elbow injury behind him.

National League Non-Tenders: 11/21/25

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Every National League team has officially announced their non-tender decisions. It was a quiet evening in terms of subtractions, with only the Rangers parting with any marquee players. All players who were non-tendered are free agents without going on waivers. A few teams dropped pre-arbitration players from the back of the 40-man roster. It’s possible they preferred not to expose them to waivers and are hopeful of re-signing them to non-roster deals.

Here’s a full list of today’s activity in the NL, while the American League moves are available here. All projected salaries are courtesy of MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz.

  • The Braves announced that right-handers Alek Manoah and Carson Ragsdale were not tendered contracts. Both had been acquired earlier in the offseason via waivers, and both are now free agents. Manoah was projected to earn $2.2MM. Ragsdale was not arb-eligible.
  • The Brewers tendered contracts to their entire arbitration class, per Adam McCalvy of MLB.com.
  • The Cardinals chose not to tender contracts to lefty John King, catcher Yohel Pozo and righty Sem Robberse, Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports. Jorge Alcala, who was designated for assignment earlier this week, was also non-tendered, John Denton of MLB.com adds. King and Alcala were both projected for a $2.1MM salary. The others were not arb-eligible.
  • The Cubs non-tendered catcher Reese McGuire, per ESPN’s Jesse Rogers. He hit .226/.245/.444 through 140 plate appearances in a backup catcher role and was arb-eligible for the final time. He’d been projected to earn $1.9MM. Right-hander Eli Morgan, who was projected to earn $1.1MM, was also non-tendered, according to MLB.com’s Jordan Bastian.
  • The D-backs non-tendered left-hander Tommy Henry, who’d already been designated for assignment, and right-hander Taylor Rashi. Neither was eligible for arbitration. They tendered contracts to their entire arb class.
  • The Dodgers did not tender a contract to closer Evan Phillips, reports Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic. He was only under club control for one more season and projected for a $6.1MM salary but underwent Tommy John surgery in June. Dodgers righty Nick Frasso, who was not arb-eligible and finished the season on the 60-day IL, was also non-tendered, per Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic.
  • The Giants non-tendered left-hander Joey Lucchesi, reports Jon Heyman of the New York Post. Lucchesi pitched to a solid 3.76 ERA with a below-average 18.8% strikeout rate and strong 7.3% walk rate in 38 1/3 innings and had been projected for a $2MM salary. San Francisco also non-tendered catcher Andrew Knizner, who was designated for assignment this afternoon when the Giants acquired Joey Wiemer from Miami.
  • The Marlins tendered contracts to all of their eligible players, per Isaac Azout of Fish On First.
  • The Mets are non-tendering right-hander Max Kranick, according to Will Sammon of The Athletic. Kranick, 28, posted a 3.65 ERA in 37 innings with the Mets this year. It was his first big league opportunity since a five-inning cameo with the Pirates back in 2022. Kranick’s season came to an abrupt end back in July due to flexor tendon repair surgery. Southpaws Jose Castillo and Danny Young were also non-tendered, Sammon adds. Young had Tommy John surgery back in May. Castillo was a waiver claim who pitched for four different teams in 2025.
  • The Nationals tendered contracts to their entire roster, per a team announcement.
  • The Padres announced that lefty Omar Cruz and righty Sean Reynolds were non-tendered. Neither was arbitration-eligible. They tendered contracts to every member of their arbitration class.
  • The Phillies non-tendered righties Michael Mercado and Daniel Robert, neither of whom was arbitration-eligible. They’re both free agents. The Phils tendered contracts to all of their arb-eligible players otherwise.
  • The Pirates non-tendered outfielders Alexander Canario and Ronny Simon, as well as righties Colin Holderman and Dauri Moreta. All four were designated for assignment earlier in the week. Holderman was projected for a $1.7MM salary and Moreta for $800K. The others weren’t arb-eligible.
  • The Reds announced that catcher Will Banfield and right-handers Carson Spiers and Roddery Munoz were not tendered contracts. They’re all free agents. None of the three were arbitration-eligible, but by non-tendering them rather than designating them for assignment, Cincinnati bypasses the need to place them on waivers and can try to quickly re-sign any of the bunch to minor league deals, if the Reds are so inclined.
  • The Rockies non-tendered first baseman Michael Toglia, the team announced. He’d been designated for assignment earlier in the week, making today’s non-tender all but a formality.

Reds Select Three Players To 40-Man Roster, Designate Carson Spiers

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The Reds announced that they have added three players to the 40-man roster. Infielders Edwin Arroyo and Leo Balcazar had their contracts selected from Double-A Chattanooga, while outfielder Hector Rodriguez was selected from Triple-A Louisville. All three are now protected from the Rule 5 Draft. In addition, right-hander Carson Spiers was designated for assignment. The club’s 40-man roster now stands at an even 40.

Arroyo, 22, was originally a second-round draft pick by the Mariners in 2021. He was one of four prospects who went to Cincinnati in the Luis Castillo trade in July 2022. He spent most of 2023 at High-A but earned a promotion to Double-A in September of that year despite being just 19 years old. However, injury struck in March 2024, as Arroyo suffered a torn labrum in his left shoulder while diving back to the bag on a pickoff attempt. The resulting surgery wiped out his 2024 season. He was a non-roster invite to spring training in 2025 and returned to Double-A Chattanooga for his first full season there, save for a brief stint on the injured list in April for a left hamstring strain.

In 120 games for Chattanooga in 2025, Arroyo batted .284/.345/.371 while scoring 63 runs and chipping in 12 stolen bases. That output was good for a 107 wRC+. Arroyo decreased his strikeout rate to 16.9% in 2025 after sitting at 21.3% across High-A and Double-A in 2023. His walk rate declined from 8.8% to 7.7%, though that is not surprising given the difficulty of the jump to Double-A. MLB.com lists Arroyo as the Reds’ No. 8 prospect and considers him a decent hitter with untapped power potential, though his calling card is his plus defense at shortstop. He figures to spend most 2026 at Triple-A.

Rodriguez, 21, was signed by the Mets as an international free agent in January 2021 and was traded to the Reds in July 2022 in the Tyler Naquin deal. He split the 2025 season between Double-A and Triple-A, batting .298/.357/.481 with a 140 wRC+ in 82 games for Chattanooga. However, Rodriguez hit a wall upon reaching Triple-A, with an 85 wRC+ in 50 games. His walk rate declined to 5.2% after sitting at 8.1% in Double-A. His strikeout rate also increased from 13.9% to 16.5%, although the latter figure is still good and bodes well for his contact ability. The switch-hitter is considered the Reds’ No. 9 prospect and a solid baserunner, though he’ll likely move off of center field for one of the corners long-term.

Balcazar, 21, was signed by the Reds as an international free agent in January 2021 and split the 2025 season between High-A and Double-A. In 75 games at High-A, he posted a 110 wRC+ along with a 14.9% strikeout rate and an 8.5% walk rate. Though his wRC+ declined to 100 in 51 games at Double-A, his strikeout (11.1%) and walk rates (10.6%) both improved over his High-A numbers. MLB.com lists him as the club’s No. 23 prospect. Since his recovery from a torn ACL in 2023, he has proven himself a decent defender at shortstop, though he will continue to get reps at second base as well.

As for Spiers, his DFA was unsurprising given that he underwent elbow surgery in July and was expected to miss most or all of next year. The right-hander was signed as a non-drafted free agent in 2020 and pitched 117 big-league innings with a 5.69 ERA from 2023-25. The bulk of those innings came in 2024, when he made 22 appearances (10 starts) with a 5.46 ERA, a 19.5% strikeout rate, and a 6.6% walk rate. He made just three appearances (two starts) in 2025, all in April, before going on the injured list with a right shoulder impingement on April 20. He was pulled from a rehab assignment in early July with biceps tightness and underwent an MRI, which revealed the more serious UCL damage. It was unclear whether Spiers underwent Tommy John surgery or an internal brace procedure, but the most likely outcome is that he’ll be out until the start of the 2027 season.

Reds’ Carson Spiers To Undergo UCL Surgery

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TODAY: Sheldon clarifies that it isn’t yet known if Spiers will need a full Tommy John procedure or an internal brace surgery.  If the latter, Spiers’ recovery timeline could be in the 12-13 month range, increasing his chances of a return before the 2026 season is over.

JULY 26: Reds right-hander Carson Spiers will undergo a Tommy John surgery that will end his 2025 season and cost him all or virtually all of the 2026 season, MLB.com’s Mark Sheldon reports.  Spiers hasn’t pitched since April due to a shoulder impingement, and a minor league rehab assignment that began in early July was cut short when Spiers experienced some biceps soreness.  However, an MRI revealed the much worse news of UCL damage, and the righty now faces a lengthy stint on the sidelines.

Spiers has at least been amassing Major League service time while on the Reds’ IL, and he’ll continue to do so during his time on the 60-day injured list in 2026.  Given the usual 13-15 month recovery timeline for Tommy John patients, the timing of the surgery makes it unlikely that he’ll be back on a big league mound until the 2027 season, unless Spiers can perhaps get back in time for a peace-of-mind outing or two at the very end of the 2026 campaign.

Now in his third MLB season, Spiers was an undrafted free agent from the 2020 class of players who were somewhat left in limbo when the pandemic reduced the 2020 draft to just five rounds.  He made it to the Show for a few appearances for Cincinnati in September 2023, and then played a larger role for the Reds last year, tossing 90 2/3 innings while starting 10 of 22 games.  His abbreviated 2025 campaign consisted of two starts in three appearance, and 13 1/3 innings.

When not starting, Spiers has also operated as a long reliever, bulk pitcher, and a piggyback type of pitcher, so his ability to eat innings was helpful even if the results were shaky.  Spiers has a 5.69 ERA over his 117 career frames in the majors, as well as a 19.3% strikeout rate and 7.7% walk rate.  His career Triple-A numbers are a little better, and inflated by the 5.94 ERA he posted in 16 2/3 frames with Triple-A Louisville this year during his rehab assignment, when Spiers was naturally focused on getting comfortable and healthy rather than pure performance.

Reds Select Randy Wynne

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The Reds announced this morning that they’ve selected the contract of right-hander Randy Wynne. Wynne is being brought in to replace righty Carson Spiers, who is headed to the 15-day injured list with a right shoulder impingement. No 40-man roster move was necessary to accommodate the addition of Wynne, though the Reds’ 40-man roster is now full.

Wynne, 32, was signed by the Reds out of the independent Frontier League back in 2019. He’s been working his way through the Reds organization ever since, climbing the minor league ladder and even getting a brief call-up to the majors back in 2023. He surrendered one run in 2 1/3 frames during his lone big league outing and was outrighted off the club’s 40-man roster not long after. Despite that relatively brief stint in the majors, Wynne has remained in the Reds organization as a swingman at Triple-A. He’s done fairly well for himself there in recent years, with a 4.16 ERA in 93 innings last season and a 3.06 ERA across his first four starts of the 2025 campaign.

He’ll take the vacated roster spot of Spiers, who threw 94 pitches yesterday over four innings of relief. The righty has a 6.08 ERA across 13 1/3 innings this year, his third season as a swing man for the Reds. Spiers’s work on the mound for Cincinnati has generally been serviceable but below-average overall, with most of those innings coming last season when he threw 90 2/3 frames of 5.46 ERA ball split between ten starts and 12 relief appearances. The severity of Spiers’s injury is not yet known, but he’ll miss at least the next two weeks as he nurses the injury.

The Reds are unlikely to need Wynne as a rotation piece as presently constructed given that Nick Lodolo should be back from the paternity list soon, meaning he’s likely to fill a similar long relief role to the one Spiers was slated for. It wouldn’t be a shock if the righty’s first appearance came today, given that reliever Brent Suter has been announced as today’s starter. Suter has looked solid this year with a 2.70 ERA despite a 4.52 FIP, but he last logged significant time as a starter back in 2018 and has maxed out at two innings to this point in the 2025 campaign. Given that Wynne is stretched out as a starter, it would make sense if the team’s plan against the Orioles today is for Suter to throw an inning or two before Wynne takes over as a bulk reliever.

Reds Notes: McLain, Spiers, Abbott, Stephenson

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The Reds announced a few moves before tonight’s game in San Francisco. Cincinnati placed second baseman Matt McLain on the 10-day injured list, retroactive to April 5, with a left hamstring strain. They also optioned righty Carson Spiers while recalling outfielder Will Benson and infielder Noelvi Marte from Triple-A Louisville.

The team specified that McLain’s hamstring strain was “slight,” so it’ll probably be a short-term absence. He had not played since Friday. Injured list stints can be backdated by a maximum of three days. The Reds were initially hopeful that McLain would be able to avoid the IL but seemingly knew he’d need at least a few more days and did not want to continue playing with a short bench. He’ll be eligible to return a week from today.

McLain had started seven of the first eight games at the keystone. The former first-round pick hit three home runs but was batting .214. Santiago Espinal has made three starts at second base, while Gavin Lux has started one game. The latter is in the lineup tonight against Giants right-hander Landen Roupp. Lux has mostly played left field in the early going. Blake Dunn gets the start there this evening. Marte, Benson and Espinal are all available off the bench.

Spiers heads to Louisville after opening the season in the rotation. The 27-year-old got the fifth rotation spot with Rhett Lowder and Andrew Abbott beginning the year on the injured list. Spiers combined for 9 1/3 frames of five-run ball over two starts. He allowed one run over six innings against the Rangers in his season debut before surrendering four runs across 3 1/3 innings in Milwaukee on Sunday.

It seems Abbott will be back from the injured list this weekend. The left-hander has made a pair of rehab appearances in Louisville. He got up to 92 pitches across 4 1/3 innings on Sunday. He’s back to essentially a full workload after falling slightly behind schedule in camp because of some residual shoulder discomfort. Abbott, who turned in a 3.72 ERA over 25 starts last season, will slot behind Hunter Greene, Nick Martinez, Brady Singer and Nick Lodolo.

Cincinnati also provided an encouraging update on Tyler Stephenson last night. Pat Brennan of The Cincinnati Enquirer writes that Stephenson was cleared to begin baseball activities after an MRI. The fifth-year catcher suffered a mild oblique strain halfway through March. Jose Trevino has been pushed into primary catching duty while being backed up by Austin Wynns. They’ve played very well, combining for a .286/.333/.536 line over 31 plate appearances.

Andrew Abbott To Begin Season On Injured List

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Reds manager Terry Francona provided members of the media, including Mark Sheldon of MLB.com, updates on the club’s pitching plans to start the season. Left-hander Andrew Abbott will start the season on the injured list. That will allow right-hander Carson Spiers to have a rotation spot to start the year. Meanwhile, righty Graham Ashcraft will head to the bullpen. Fellow righty Lyon Richardson has been optioned to Triple-A, per a club announcement from earlier today.

Sheldon emphasizes that Abbott hasn’t experienced a setback, just that the Reds have been moving him along gradually. At the start of camp, about a month ago, Abbott relayed that he was a bit behind schedule, taking things slowly after he finished 2024 on the injured list due to a shoulder strain. He thought he still had a chance to be ready by Opening Day but Francona said the club wouldn’t rush him to just meet that specific target.

“I don’t even think about that just because I think that’s where you make mistakes, when you put an artificial deadline,” Francona said last month. “We’re going to do what’s right for every player. If somebody isn’t ready, whether it’s him or somebody else, we’ll figure out a way to make it work until they’re ready.”

That thinking still seems to be the plan. Rather than try to force Abbott to be ready for the first week of April, they will just let him be ready whenever he’s ready. Since it seems to have been sort of a borderline call, perhaps he will only miss a very short time. IL stints can be backdated by three days, even at the start of the season, meaning he could be back as soon as 12 days into the campaign.

For now, the club will proceed without Abbott. Four rotation spots will be taken by Hunter Greene, Brady Singer, Nick Lodolo and Nick Martinez. As mentioned, the fifth will go to Spiers, who posted a 5.46 earned run average in a swing role last year. For what it’s worth, his numbers have been good in camp. He’s allowed three earned runs in 10 innings, with ten punchouts and four walks.

He likely won’t have a firm grip on a rotation spot. As mentioned, Abbott could return fairly quickly. The Reds also have Richardson and Connor Phillips as healthy options on the 40-man. Rhett Lowder is another, although he was slowed by elbow soreness early in camp and has an uncertain status at the moment. Prospect Chase Petty isn’t on the roster but should be in the Triple-A rotation and pushing for a promotion this year. Spiers has options and could be pushed to Triple-A himself at some point, or perhaps to the bullpen.

As for Ashcraft, he’s generally been a passable back-end starter of the ground ball variety. In 60 starts over the past three seasons, he has a 4.91 ERA. His 16.6% strikeout rate is subpar but his 7.6% walk rate is good and he’s kept 50.2% of balls in play on the dirt.

It was reported earlier in camp that the club had some hope that Ashcraft could thrive in a bullpen role. Per C. Trent Rosecrans of The Athletic, Ashcraft said today that he’s excited about the move, hoping that his stuff plays up in shorter stints. His fastballs (four-seamer, sinker, cutter) have generally averaged in the 95-98 mile-per-hour range in his career. He hasn’t translated that into many punchouts yet but perhaps the relief role will allow him to find an extra gear.

Photo courtesy Sam Greene, Imagn Images.

Reds Select Tony Santillan

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The Reds announced this morning that they’ve selected the contract of right-hander Tony Santillan. To make room or Santillan on the 40-man and active rosters, outfielder Nick Martini was transferred to the 60-day injured list while right-hander Carson Spiers was placed on the 15-day IL with a right shoulder impingement.

It’s far from Santillan’s first stint in the majors with Cincinnati. The 27-year-old was a second-round pick by the club back in 2015 and made his debut with the club back in 2021, when he was one of the club’s top relievers. In 43 1/3 innings of work that season, Santillan posted a strong 2.91 ERA (162 ERA+) despite a somewhat lackluster 4.62 FIP in 26 games. While Santillan struck out an excellent 29.5% of opponents, his 11.1% walk rate and his seven homers allowed both weighed that down somewhat.

Those issues, combined with a back strain that sidelined Santillan for much of the 2022 campaign and the early part of the 2023 season, left the right-hander on the outside looking in of the club’s bullpen mix going forward, however. Over those two injury-marred seasons, Santillan struggled to a 5.09 ERA with a 4.52 FIP, 19.3% strikeout rate, and 14.9% walk rate while pitching just 23 total frames in the majors. His work in the minors last year wasn’t much better, as he was torched to the tune of a 7.88 ERA in 35 appearances at the Triple-A level last season.

Despite that rough performance, the Reds nonetheless re-signed Santillan to a minor league deal this past offseason, and that decision has largely paid off. The righty has looked much better at Triple-A this season than he did a year ago, posting a 3.49 ERA with a 3.87 FIP in 38 2/3 innings of work as a single-inning reliever. While his 13.2% walk rate is still elevated as ever, his strikeout rate has bounced back in a big way to compensate: he’s fanned 30.5% of opponents this year. That high strikeout rate was a big part of what made him so successful in 2021, and given that it’s hardly a surprise that the Reds would be interested in seeing what he can do at the big league level.

Making room for Santillan on the Cincinnati roster is Spiers, who has emerged as a quality middle relief arm for the Reds this year after struggling in his first taste of big league action last season. The 26-year-old posted an ERA north of 6.00 in 13 innings of work in 2023 but has emerged looking far better this season with a solid 3.83 ERA and even more impressive numbers under the hood while swinging between the rotation and bullpen this year. While Spiers has only struck out 20.5% of batters faced this year, an excellent 4.5% walk rate has left him with a 3.51 FIP and a 3.86 SIERA, both of which are well above average marks. Fortunately, Spiers told reporters (including Charlie Goldsmith of the Cincinnati Enquirer) this afternoon that his injury figures to be only a short-term issue and that he expects to miss just one start.

As for Martini, the outfielder’s transfer to the 60-day IL is hardly a surprise given the fact that he underwent surgery on his thumb earlier this week. Martini’s timetable for return isn’t entirely clear, though he’s expected to be able to return before the end of the year. That return now won’t come until after September 5, 60 days after he was first sidelined by the injury. In 163 trips to the plate with the Reds this year, Martini has slashed a lackluster .212/.272/.370.

Reds’ Graham Ashcraft Diagnosed With Elbow Strain

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July 12: Manager David Bell told reporters on Friday that Ashcraft won’t be back until September at the earliest (X link via Charlie Goldsmith of the Cincinnati Enquirer). The Reds could move him to the 60-day injured list at some point given that timetable.

July 11: The Reds optioned righty Graham Ashcraft to Triple-A Louisville earlier in the week, but they’ve now rescinded that transaction and instead placed Ashcraft on the major league 15-day injured list due to elbow discomfort. As Charlie Goldsmith of the Cincinnati Enquirer explains, Ashcraft reported elbow discomfort after being sent down. The team’s medical staff examined the right-hander, discovered the strain, and recommended a platelet-rich plasma injection. He’s been shut down from throwing entirely for the next two weeks as the team waits to see how his elbow responds to the treatment.

It’s been a tough couple months for the 26-year-old Ashcraft, who entered the season locked into a rotation spot but was sent to Triple-A for a reset in early June on the heels of some notable struggles. He returned after three weeks when the Reds placed Nick Lodolo on the IL due to a blister issue on his pitching hand.

Ashcraft started the season well, tossing seven starts (39 1/3 innings) of 3.86 ERA ball with a below-average 18.6% strikeout rate but a sharp 7% walk rate and strong 51.2% grounder rate. He struggled greatly over his next six trips to the mound, however, posting a 7.71 ERA in 28 frames with a diminished 14.9% strikeout rate.

It’s not clear to what extent the elbow was bothering Ashcraft earlier in the season, but it’s worth pointing out that the big righty averaged 95.2 mph on his sinker over his first seven starts but has checked in at an average of 94.1 mph since. He’s also lost about a half mile per hour off his cutter and 1.4 mph off his slider, on average.

The Reds aren’t providing a timetable right now, as Ashcraft’s return (and any further treatment) hinges on the outcome from the PRP injection. For now, the club hasn’t indicated that a major absence is a consideration or concern, but elbow strains in general are an ominous development for any pitcher. Ashcraft has crossed over the two-year threshold in MLB service this season, meaning he’s under club control for at least four more years — through the 2028 campaign. However, he’ll still have multiple option years remaining beyond the current campaign, so it’s possible that future optional assignments to Triple-A could push that free-agent window back even further.

With Ashcraft squarely out of the rotation picture for the time being, righty Carson Spiers will get an extended look as he aims to secure a starting job alongside Hunter Greene, Nick Lodolo, Frankie Montas and Andrew Abbott. The 26-year-old Spiers carries a 3.64 ERA, 17.9% strikeout rate and 5% walk rate through 42 innings — five relief appearances and four starts.

Reds Recall Rece Hinds For MLB Debut, Outright Levi Jordan

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The Reds made a handful of moves before tonight’s series opener with the Rockies. Cincinnati recalled outfield prospect Rece Hinds in his first MLB promotion. They also brought up righty reliever Yosver Zulueta from Triple-A Louisville. In corresponding moves, the Reds optioned right-hander Graham Ashcraft and placed outfielder Stuart Fairchild on the 10-day injured list (retroactive to July 7) with a spinal disc injury.

Hinds is in the starting lineup tonight in right field. He’ll hit eighth and likely take his first big league at-bat against Colorado starter Ryan Feltner. The righty-hitting corner outfielder has been on Cincinnati’s 40-man roster since the start of last offseason. The Reds selected his contract to keep him out of the Rule 5 draft. He has been on optional assignment to Louisville all year.

Initially drafted as a third base prospect, Hinds was a second-round pick out of high school back in 2019. Evaluators have long been intrigued by the massive raw power he packs into a 6’4″ frame, but Hinds’ stock has dipped since he entered pro ball because of longstanding contact questions. The 23-year-old has punched out in nearly 35% of his plate appearances over parts of five minor league campaigns.

Strikeouts have again been a concern this season. Hinds has fanned at an untenable 38.4% clip through 328 trips to the plate in Louisville. While he has connected on 13 home runs, his .216/.290/.409 slash line in Triple-A is below average. The Reds remain intrigued by Hinds’ pure power potential, but it’s fair to expect a lot of swing-and-miss in his initial look at MLB pitching.

Cincinnati has tried to find a reliable righty-hitting outfielder to take some at-bats from lefties Jake Fraley and Will Benson. Fairchild has teed off on lefties at a .308/.388/.473 clip over 103 plate appearances, but he hasn’t produced at all against right-handed pitching (.127/.188/.203 in 86 PAs). He’s now out for an indeterminate amount of time, perhaps contributing to the decision to bring in Austin Slater in a late-night trade with the Giants. (Fraley is also currently away from the team tending to a family matter.)

On the pitching side, Zulueta steps into the bullpen and pushes Ashcraft back to Triple-A. It’s the second time this season that the Reds optioned the righty, who opened the year in the rotation. Ashcraft started three times since being recalled on June 26, allowing 10 runs in 15 innings. The Reds could soon welcome Nick Lodolo back from his stint on the 15-day injured list. Manager David Bell told reporters that rookie right-hander Carson Spiers will hold his rotation spot behind Lodolo, Hunter Greene, Andrew Abbott and Frankie Montas (X link via Charlie Goldsmith of the Cincinnati Enquirer).

In other Reds news, Cincinnati announced that utilityman Levi Jordan went unclaimed on waivers. He was outrighted back to Louisville. The Reds designated Jordan for assignment last week when they called up Edwin Ríos. A former 29th-round draftee, Jordan earned an MLB call in late June and appeared in seven contests. He picked up his first hit, a double off Daulton Jefferies, over 10 at-bats. He’s hitting .302/.384/.443 on the year in Triple-A.

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