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Kevin Herget

Reds Designate Luis Cessa, Select Ben Lively

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The Reds announced a series of roster moves today, selecting right-hander Ben Lively and recalling fellow righty Kevin Herget. In corresponding moves, righty Luis Cessa was designated for assignment and left-hander Reiver Sanmartin was placed on the 15-day injured list with a left elbow stress reaction, retroactive to Monday. Additionally, infielder Matt Reynolds, who was designated for assignment on the weekend, cleared waivers and was outrighted to Triple-A Louisville. The club also released righty Hunter Strickland, per C. Trent Rosecrans of The Athletic.

Cessa, 31, spent many years working out of the bullpen for the Yankees before coming to the Reds at the deadline in 2021. He continued working as a reliever for the Reds initially but they converted him to the rotation late last year. They had a few vacancies after they traded away Luis Castillo, Tyler Mahle and Sonny Gray as part of their roster teardown. Cessa was able to hold his own in that new role last year, posting a 3.77 ERA over nine starts as the season was winding down.

He held a rotation job going into 2023 but couldn’t carry those results forward, as he’s been lit up for an ERA of 9.00 through 26 innings so far this year. There’s probably a bit of bad luck in there when considering his .410 batting average on balls in play and 60.2% strand rate but he’s also striking out a paltry 8.3% of batters faced, a significant drop from the 17.8% rate he managed in his nine starts at the end of last year.

The Reds will now have a week to trade Cessa or pass him through waivers. He’s making a salary of $2.65MM this year, which could deter other teams, considering his struggles on the season. Since he has more than five years of service time, in the event he clears waivers, he would have the right to reject an outright assignment and elect free agency while retaining that salary. If that comes to pass, any of the other 29 teams could sign Cessa for the prorated league minimum with the Reds on the hook for the remainder.

As for Lively, 31, he pitched in the big leagues in three straight years beginning in 2017, posting a 4.80 ERA in 120 innings. He signed with the Samsung Lions of the KBO League in August of 2019 and stayed with them through the 2021 campaign, registering a 4.14 ERA in his time there.

He returned to North America after that and has signed minor league deals with the Reds in each of the past two offseasons. Last year, he had a 4.09 ERA in 77 innings over 18 Triple-A starts but didn’t get called to the majors. He’s off to an even better start this year in terms of results, currently sporting a 2.33 ERA over 27 innings. There are some caveats to note, as he has just a 15.2% strikeout rate and is being helped by a .224 BABIP and 84.6% strand rate, but he will nonetheless get a chance to replicate those results in the big leagues, returning to the show for the first time since 2019.

Sanmartin is facing a significant absence as he won’t throw at all for the next four to six weeks, manager David Bell tells Bobby Nightengale of the Cincinnati Enquirer. That leaves Alex Young as the club’s only left-handed reliever for the time being.

As for Reynolds, he has the right to reject this assignment and elect free agency due to having a previous career outright, though it’s not yet clear if he’s chosen to do so. He only spent about a week on the club’s roster and got just five plate appearances in that time.

Strickland, 34, is a veteran who was with the Reds last year, making 66 appearances with a 4.91 ERA. He returned on a minor league deal in the winter, was released when he didn’t make the Opening Day roster but re-signed on another minors deal. Unfortunately, he has an 11.45 ERA through 12 Triple-A appearances and the Reds have released him yet again.

Reds Promote Levi Stoudt

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April 19: The Reds announced this morning that Stoudt has been activated from the taxi squad and is now on the active Major League roster to start today’s game. Righty Casey Legumina was optioned to Triple-A Louisville to clear a spot on the 26-man roster.

April 18, 2:10pm: Manager David Bell tells reporters, including Bobby Nightengale of the Cincinnati Enquirer, that it will just be a spot start for Stoudt. He’ll push the rotation back a day to give Greene an extra day of rest after getting hit on the shin by a comebacker in his most recent start.

1:55pm: The Reds announced that pitching prospect Levi Stoudt has been added to their taxi squad and is scheduled to start tomorrow’s game, which will be his major league debut. Additionally, the club reinstated right-hander Lucas Sims from the injured list and optioned fellow righty Kevin Herget to Triple-A. Stoudt already has a 40-man roster spot but a corresponding move will be required to get him on the active roster.

Stoudt, 25, came over to the Reds in the trade that sent Luis Castillo to the Mariners. He was selected by the latter club in the third round of the 2019 draft, then had Tommy John surgery shortly after, with his rehab coinciding with the minor leagues being canceled by the pandemic in 2020. Despite not yet making his professional debut, Baseball America considered him to be Seattle’s #12 prospect going into 2021. He was able to return to the mound that year, making 15 starts between High-A and Double-A, posting a 3.31 ERA in that time along with a 25.5% strikeout rate and 11% walk rate.

He was bumped up to the #8 spot on BA’s ranking of Mariner prospects for 2022, but that would end up being a tumultuous season for him. He had a 5.28 ERA through 18 Double-A starts. He dropped his walk rate to 5.9% but he also allowed 13 home runs in 87 innings. Nonetheless, the Reds still liked him enough to make him one of the four prospects they acquired in the Castillo deal. He finished strong after the trade, tossing five scoreless innings in a Double-A start before getting bumped to Triple-A for his final six starts, registering a 3.32 ERA in that time. BA ranked him #16 in the Reds’ system coming into 2023.

Stoudt would have been Rule 5 eligible this past December but the Reds added him to their roster to prevent him from being selected. He’s made three more Triple-A starts in the early going here with a 4.09 ERA, though an 18% walk rate, .185 batting average on balls in play and 94.2% strand rate suggest he probably deserved worse. Regardless, it’s a small sample and the club has decided he’s ready to try the big leagues.

It seems like Stoudt will be the replacement for Connor Overton, who was placed on the injured list over the weekend. Stoudt will slot into the club’s rotation alongside Hunter Greene, Nick Lodolo, Graham Ashcraft and Luis Cessa for now. Luke Weaver has been on a rehab assignment after starting the season on the injured list and seemed in line to jump to the big leagues this week, though it’s unclear why Stoudt is now taking the spot instead.

Reds Select Kevin Herget, Designate Bennett Sousa

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The Reds announced that they have selected the contract of right-hander Kevin Herget. To open a spot on the active roster, fellow righty Joel Kuhnel was optioned to Triple-A Louisville. In a corresponding 40-man move, left-hander Bennett Sousa was designated for assignment.

Herget, 32, spent many years as a Cardinals farmhand but finally made his major league debut last year with the Rays. He posted a 7.71 ERA, but in a small sample of seven innings over three appearances. He spent the rest of the year in Triple-A, making 21 appearances, 17 of those being starts. In his 97 2/3 innings at that level, he had a 2.95 ERA, striking out 24.4% of hitters with a miniscule 3.9% walk rate.

The Rays designated him for assignment at season’s end and he landed with the Reds on a minor league deal. He tossed 5 2/3 innings this spring over four appearances, allowing three earned runs while striking out five and walking none. The club’s bullpen has been used heavily in recent days, so he’ll slot in for Kuhnel and give the club a fresh arm.

The cost of getting Herget onto the roster is cutting Sousa the day before his 28th birthday. The southpaw had spent his entire career with the White Sox until the Reds claimed him off waivers in February. He made his major league debut last year, posting an unsightly 8.41 ERA in a small sample of 20 1/3 innings. He had a much nicer 3.95 ERA in 27 1/3 Triple-A innings with a 30.2% strikeout rate, 10.3% walk rate and 51.5% ground ball rate.

The Reds will now have one week to trade Sousa or pass him through waivers. Given that left-handed pitching depth tends to always be in demand, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see Sousa garner interest from one of the 29 other clubs in the league. Despite his poor results in the majors last year, he could intrigue teams based on his minor league track record. He also has a couple of option years remaining, meaning he could be stashed in the minors by any club willing to give him a 40-man spot.

Reds, Kevin Herget Agree To Minor League Deal

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The Reds are in agreement with right-hander Kevin Herget on a minor league contract, according to the MLB.com transactions log. He’ll presumably get an opportunity in big league Spring Training to compete for a roster spot.

Originally a 39th-round pick of the Cardinals in 2013, Herget has spent parts of 10 seasons in the minors. He earned his long-awaited first MLB call after inking a minor league deal with the Rays going into the 2022 campaign. The 31-year-old came out of the bullpen three times for manager Kevin Cash, logging seven innings of six-run ball. Outrighted off the 40-man roster at the end of the year, he qualified for minor league free agency.

While he didn’t get much work against big league hitters, Herget had an excellent year for Triple-A Durham. Starting 17 of his 21 outings, he pitched to a 2.95 ERA across 97 2/3 innings. Herget punched out a solid 24.4% of batters faced and only walked 3.9% of opponents. He’s now pitched five years at the highest level of the minor leagues, posting a cumulative 4.14 ERA over 380 1/3 frames.

Herget has spent most of his career working out of the bullpen, but he’s gotten more rotation work over the past few seasons. He averaged 4.65 innings per appearance with the Bulls this year and could serve as either rotation or long relief depth in Cincinnati. The Reds presently have Hunter Greene, Nick Lodolo and Graham Ashcraft as their top three starters, while the bullpen finished 28th in the majors with a 4.72 ERA. They’re sure to add a few more immediate big league options this offseason, but the lack of defined roles in both the rotation and relief unit makes Cincinnati a solid landing spot for quality depth players of Herget’s ilk looking to snag an Opening Day job.

19 Players Elect Free Agency

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Players hit minor league free agency on a daily basis during the postseason, as opposed to major league free agents who hit free agency following the World Series when their contracts expire. On Thursday, MLBTR covered 15 players who elected minor league free agency, and we will continue to provide occasional updates as players continue to hit the open market, as noted on the MiLB.com transactions log.

If a player is not on their organization’s 40-man roster at the end of the season, he will hit minor league free agency as long as he has at least 3 years of MLB service time, been assigned outright more than once in his career, and/or has played in the minor leagues for parts of seven or more seasons. Everyone on today’s list is part of that group of players, and most will search for another minor league deal this offseason, though a few may manage to latch onto a major league club and secure a bench or bullpen spot entering the 2023 season.

Infielders:

Outfielders:

Pitchers:

Rays Select Jimmy Yacabonis, Designate Kevin Herget

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The Rays announced they’ve selected righty Jimmy Yacabonis onto the big league roster. Fellow righty Kevin Herget has been designated for assignment in a corresponding move.

Tampa Bay has operated a revolving door with its last bullpen spot in the past few days. In rapid succession, the Rays have selected and designated each of Cristofer Ogando, Easton McGee and now Herget, whose most recent call-up came just yesterday. Yacabonis will now step into the bullpen as the Rays juggle low-leverage innings headed into the postseason.

The Rays nabbed Yacabonis off waivers from the Marlins in early August. He spent two weeks in the big leagues with Tampa Bay, appearing four times out of the bullpen. The 30-year-old allowed five runs (four earned) in 3 2/3 innings, striking out four while issuing a pair of walks. He was designated for assignment and cleared waivers before accepting an outright assignment to Triple-A Durham.

Yacabonis has appeared in parts of five big league campaigns, suiting up with the Orioles, Mariners and Marlins in addition to his time in Tampa Bay. He owns a 5.92 ERA in 117 MLB innings, coming out of the bullpen for 57 of his 70 outings. He’s pitched to a 3.21 ERA in 33 2/3 Triple-A frames this year, and he’ll offer skipper Kevin Cash a potential multi-inning option for the last two games of the regular season. Yacabonis is technically postseason-eligible, although it’s unlikely the Rays will carry him on any of their playoff rosters.

Herget loses his roster spot after soaking up 4 1/3 innings in relief of Tyler Glasnow during yesterday’s loss to the Red Sox. The righty threw 77 pitches and certainly wouldn’t have been an option to appear in either of the next two games. With the Rays not planning on carrying him on the playoff roster, it’s not a surprise they promptly designated him for assignment. It nevertheless has to be a tough pill to swallow for the 31-year-old rookie, who has been DFA on three occasions dating back to mid-August.

In each of the past two instances, Herget went unclaimed on waivers and was sent back to Durham. He’ll land on the wire again in the next few days. Herget had a very impressive Triple-A campaign, working to a 2.95 ERA with a solid 24.4% strikeout percentage and a minuscule 3.9% walk rate over 97 2/3 frames. Even if he goes unclaimed on waivers and hits free agency — either via immediate rejection of an outright assignment or at the end of the year — that should draw him a fair number of minor league offers this winter.

Rays Designate Easton McGee For Assignment

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The Rays announced Monday that they’ve designated right-hander Easton McGee for assignment and selected the contract of fellow righty Kevin Herget from Triple-A Durham (for the third time this season, in Herget’s case). Tampa Bay also optioned utilityman Miles Mastrobuoni to Durham and recalled fellow infielder/outfielder Vidal Brujan.

McGee, 24, was selected to the 40-man roster himself just this weekend and debuted with three shutout innings of relief on the road in Houston. That sharp debut is overshadowed by a tough Triple-A showing for the 2016 fourth-rounder so far in 2022, however. In 107 2/3 innings in Durham, McGee has pitched to an ugly 5.43 ERA with a terrific 4.3% walk rate but a well below-average 17.4% strikeout rate. He’s allowed an average of 2.01 homers per nine innings in the minors this season and carries a career 4.38 ERA in parts of six minor league seasons (including a 5.19 ERA in Triple-A). The Rays will place McGee on outright waivers or release waivers within the coming days.

Herget, meanwhile, heads back to the big leagues for the third time this season. The former Cardinals 39th-round pick went through a nearly decade-long grind to reach the big leagues earlier this summer and has pitched 2 2/3 MLB frames so far in 2022, allowing a pair of runs in that time. He’s been quite good in Durham, however, pitching to a 2.95 ERA with a 24.4% strikeout rate and a superb 3.9% walk rate through 97 2/3 innings. As was the case with McGee, he’ll give the Rays some potential length out of the bullpen.

Brujan’s first extended look in the Majors has been a struggle, to say the least. The longtime top prospect has exhausted his rookie eligibility this season, piling up 154 plate appearances but producing just a .165/.234/.245 batting line in that time. The switch-hitter, who’s ranked among Baseball America’s 100 best prospect for the past four years, has been an above-average hitter at every minor league stop and is enjoying another solid season in Triple-A, however. In 290 trips to the plate with Durham, he’s slashed .292/.369/.440 (118 wRC+).

This is Brujan’s final option season, so the Rays will need to carry him on the Major League roster next season. Even in spite of his big league struggles to date, there’s no way Brujan would make it through waivers, so he’ll either be an offseason trade candidate or be tasked with continuing his development on the fly and at the Major League level in 2023.

Outrighted: Herget, Neuse, Sanchez

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A few updates on some recently DFA’ed players who passed through waivers, per the league’s transactions log at MLB.com…

  • Righty Kevin Herget, designated for for assignment Friday by the Rays, went unclaimed on waivers and has been assigned outright to Triple-A Durham. Herget made his big league debut as a 31-year-old rookie this season after grinding through the minor leagues and independent baseball for more than nine years. He tossed just 2 2/3 frames and yielded a pair of runs in that time but also recorded his first big league strikeout. Even if Herget doesn’t get another look with the Rays in 2022, his excellent work in Triple-A this year should generate interest in minor  league free agency this winter. In 93 2/3 frames, he’s pitched to a 2.98 ERA with a strong 24.9% strikeout rate and an outstanding 3.9% walk rate.
  • Athletics infielder Sheldon Neuse cleared outright waivers and has been assigned to Triple-A Las Vegas. The 27-year-old logged a career-high 293 plate appearances in 2022 but recorded just a .214/.273/.288 slash with four homers, four doubles and a pair of triples in that time. Neuse has consistently produced at the Triple-A level, where he’s slashed .299/.353/.471 in 1559 plate appearances, but he’s only managed a .212/.262/.296 slash in 420 Major League trips to the plate. Neuse has spent the bulk of his pro career playing third base, but he does have just over 750 innings of experience at second base and at shortstop — in addition to brief cameos at first base and in the outfield corners.
  • Veteran right-hander Aaron Sanchez, whom the Twins designated for assignment Friday, remains in the organization after clearing waivers and being assigned outright to Triple-A St. Paul. Injuries, most notably shoulder surgery, have blown up the once-promising career of Sanchez, formerly the No. 34 overall draft pick by the Blue Jays and the 2016 American League ERA leader. Since tossing 192 innings with a flat 3.00 ERA in ’16, Sanchez has thrown just 524 1/3 Major League innings (plus another 103 minor league innings) in a span of six seasons. Still just 30, Sanchez has pitched decently in Minnesota this season, tossing 27 innings with a 4.00 ERA, 25-to-7 K/BB ratio and 53.8% ground-ball rate.

Rays Designate Kevin Herget For Assignment

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The Rays announced Thursday that they’ve designated righty Kevin Herget for assignment. His spot on the 40-man roster will go to infielder/outfielder Miles Mastrobuoni, whose selection to the Major League roster (covered here this morning) is now official. Catcher Rene Pinto was optioned to Triple-A Durham, as expected.

It’s the second DFA of the season for the 31-year-old Herget, although unlike his first stint on the big league roster earlier this summer, Herget actually got into a pair of games and made his MLB debut this time around. That marked the culmination of an arduous, nearly decade-long grind through both the minor leagues and the independent circuit for Herget — a 39th-round pick out of Division-III Kean University by the Cardinals back in 2013.

Herget’s pair of calls to the big leagues this season have been well-earned. In his first year with the Rays organization, he’s logged 93 2/3 innings in Durham while pitching to a sharp 2.98 ERA with a solid 24.9% strikeout rate and a pristine 3.9% walk rate. It’s by far the most success Herget has enjoyed in parts of five seasons at the Triple-A level, where he has a lifetime 4.16 ERA, 22.7% strikeout rate and 5.8% walk rate in 376 1/3 innings. Herget’s brief MLB experience during this most recent stint saw him yield a pair of runs on two hits and no walks with one strikeout in 2 2/3 innings.

With the trade deadline squarely in the rear-view mirror at this point in the season, the Rays’ only real choices with Herget are to place him on outright waivers or release waivers. He went unclaimed and was outrighted to Durham last time around, so Herget would have the option to reject an outright assignment in favor of free agency if he passes through waivers a second time. However, with just a couple weeks left in the season, it seems likelier that he’d accept and head back to Durham — particularly since he’ll be a minor league free agent this winter anyway.

Rays Make Several Roster Moves

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Sep. 13: The Rays announced that Criswell has been returned to Triple-A. Additionally, they have recalled Josh Fleming and Yonny Chirinos, with the latter serving as the “29th man” for today’s doubleheader.

Sep. 12, 1:05pm: Topkin relays that McKay has indeed been transferred to the 60-day IL to open up another 40-man roster spot. The Rays also announced the moves, saying that Criswell has been “added” to the roster, with Guerra and Herget “selected.” That would seem to suggest that Criswell is a COVID substitute, temporarily taking Raley’s place on the roster. That means he will be eligible to be removed from the roster at a later date without being placed on waivers.

9:05am: The Rays are making a series of changes to their pitching staff prior to a big five-game series in Toronto that starts tonight (Twitter links from Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times). Three right-handers will be added to the roster: Cooper Criswell, Kevin Herget and Javy Guerra. Two other righties, Luis Patiño and Calvin Faucher, were optioned after yesterday’s game to open a couple of spots on the active roster. Left-hander Brooks Raley will open a third by being placed on the restricted list, ineligible to cross the Canadian-American border due to his unvaccinated status. None of Criswell, Herget or Guerra are on the 40-man roster, which is currently at 39. Raley won’t count against that number while on the restricted list, leaving the club still to open one spot. Speculatively speaking, they could transfer lefty Brendan McKay to the 60-day injusted list in the wake of the news of his Tommy John surgery.

Criswell, 26, made his MLB debut last year with a 1 1/3-inning cup of coffee with the Angels. They placed him on the 60-day IL this year due to shoulder soreness and eventually lost him to the Rays on a waiver claim in July. Since that claim, Criswell has thrown 27 1/3 innings over eight games for the Triple-A Durham Bulls. He has a 3.95 ERA in that time with a 20.8% strikeout rate, 4.7% walk rate and 51.9% ground ball rate. He was designated for assignment in July, getting outrighted after clearing waivers. He will get the start for tonight’s game and could give the Rays at least a few frames. Each of his last eight appearances have been between three and four innings.

Herget, 31, spent many years in the Cardinals’ system and one in Cleveland’s before joining the Rays on a minor league deal. He was selected to Tampa’s roster in August but got designated for assignment before making his MLB debut. He’s thrown 91 2/3 innings over 19 appearances for the Bulls on the year, making him another multi-inning option for the Rays. He has a 2.55 ERA for the season with a 24.7% strikeout rate, 3.8% walk rate and 35.9% ground ball rate.

Guerra, 26, has 34 innings of MLB experience thus far, mostly with the Padres. He was traded to the Rays in April for cash considerations but was designated for assignment in May, clearing waivers and getting outrighted to Durham. He briefly returned to the team as a COVID substitute the last time the Rays traveled to Toronto. He’s been used in the more traditional single-inning reliever role, having thrown 41 1/3 innings over 43 Triple-A games this year. He has a 1.74 ERA in that stretch with a 31.9% strikeout rate, 9.8% walk rate and 47.1% grounder rate.

Thanks to tomorrow’s doubleheader, the Rays and Jays will be playing five games over the next four days, making it fairly logical for Tampa to add some fresh arms. Josh Fleming and Jimmy Yacabonis are also traveling with the team on the taxi squad, making them candidates to be the club’s “29th man” for the twin bill. Along with the Mariners, the Rays and Blue Jays are holding down the American League Wild Card spots, with all three teams within half a game of each other. That means these contests will be key in determining the postseason picture in a few weeks’ time. In this year’s new playoff format, the first round is played entirely in the home field of the top-seeded team, so there’s a meaningful difference between having the first Wild Card spot and the second/third.

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