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Reds Activate Jonathan India, Designate JT Riddle For Assignment

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The Reds announced Tuesday that they’ve reinstated second baseman Jonathan India from the injured list and designated utilityman JT Riddle for assignment in order to open a spot on the 40-man roster. Cincinnati also optioned infielder Alejo Lopez to Triple-A and added infielder Matt Reynolds to the active roster. The Reds claimed Reynolds off waivers a couple days ago.

India, the reigning NL Rookie of the Year, wound up requiring only a minimal stay on the injured list while nursing a hamstring strain. He’s back in the lineup hitting leadoff for today’s game. The 25-year-old has gotten out to a slow start in his sophomore season, hitting just .241/.267/.276 — albeit in a tiny sample of 30 plate appearances. The 2021 season saw India, a former No. 5 overall draft pick, break out with an outstanding .269/.376/.459 batting line, 21 home runs, 34 doubles, two triples and a dozen steals.

As for Riddle, the 30-year-old journeyman appeared in two games and went 1-for-4 with a single in that brief look. He signed a minor league deal with Cincinnati in the offseason and got out to a fast start in Triple-A Louisville, where he hit .258/.333/.516 in 36 trips to the plate. That said, Riddle is a career .244/.296/.396 hitter in parts of seven Triple-A seasons, including a tepid .202/.269/.333 last season with the Twins’ top affiliate in St. Paul. The former Marlins prospect has spent the bulk of his pro career playing shortstop, but he’s moved into more of a utility role in recent seasons, seeing ample time at second base, third base and all three outfield spots (center, in particular).

The Reds will have a week to trade Riddle, place him on outright waivers or release him.

Reds Claim Matt Reynolds, Designate Ryan Hendrix

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The Reds announced that they have claimed infielder Matt Reynolds off waivers from the Mets. Right-handed pitcher Ryan Hendrix has been designated for assignment in a corresponding move, reports Mark Sheldon of MLB.com.

Reynolds, 31, made his major league debut with the Mets in 2016. Since then, he’s bounced around to the Nationals and Royals, as well as a stint in the minors for the White Sox. He returned to the Mets on a minor league deal and was selected to their 40-man roster a couple of weeks ago when Brandon Nimmo and Mark Canha tested positive for Covid-19. As they returned to reclaim their roster spots, Reynolds relinquished his, being designated for assignment last week.

Reynolds hasn’t hit much at the major league level thus far in his career, putting up a line of .212/.282/.323 in 131 games. However, his Triple-A numbers are much more encouraging, coming in at .282/.363/.434 in 585 games at that level. The Reds will be hoping Reynolds can carry some of that production up to the majors. Their infield has taken a number of hits in the early going this year, as Mike Moustakas, Jose Barrero, Jonathan India, Donovan Solano and Max Schrock are all on the injured list. Reynolds has played all over the infield in his career, while also seeing limited action in the outfield corners.

Hendrix made his major league debut last year, throwing 31 2/3 innings out of Cincinnati’s bullpen. His 5.97 ERA was on the high side, but he at least paired that with a decent 24.6% strikeout rate and tolerable 11.3% walk rate. Things have gone sour this year, however, as his ERA has shot up to 8.10, with a 22.2% walk rate. We’re talking about a miniscule sample of 3 1/3 innings, but the Reds are nonetheless willing to take the risk of Hendrix clearing waivers and sticking with the organization. The 27-year-old does have an option, which could give him some appeal to teams in need of pitching depth.

Mets Activate Mark Canha, Designate Matt Reynolds For Assignment

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The Mets made a few roster moves today, as relayed by Anthony DiComo of MLB.com. Mark Canha was reinstated from the Covid IL, while Matt Reynolds was designated for assignment to create room on the 40-man roster. (Players on the Covid list don’t count against a club’s 40-man roster.) Right-handed pitcher Jake Reed, who began the season on the injured list with an oblique strain, was reinstated and optioned to Triple-A Syracuse.

Canha, along with Brandon Nimmo, both tested positive for Covid-19 and landed on the shelf April 15th. Both players were asymptomatic. Under the league’s 2022 health-and-safety protocols, players who test positive are subject to a 10-day absence from the club, though it’s possible to be reinstated in less time if the player has gone 24 or more hours without a fever, received a pair of negative PCR tests, and been given approval from a team physician and the MLB/MLBPA joint committee (a panel of one league-appointed and one union-appointed physician). That seems to have been the case for both players, as Nimmo was activated yesterday and Canha today, just four and five days after their IL placement.

Signed by the Mets to a two-year, $26.5MM deal in the offseason, Canha is off to a great start in his Queens residency. In his first 26 plate appearances, he’s hitting .381/.500/.381, for a wRC+ of 174.

Reynolds was signed to a minor league deal in the offseason and had his contract selected when Nimmo and Canha went on the IL. The 31-year-old has 251 career plate appearances in 131 games, hitting .212/.282/.323. A second round pick of the Mets in 2012, Reynolds has become a bit of a journeyman, spending time with the Nationals, Royals and White Sox in recent years, before returning to the Mets. In 21 Triple-A plate appearances this year, he’s hit .118/.238/.294.

Brandon Nimmo, Mark Canha Test Positive For Covid-19

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Mets outfielders Brandon Nimmo and Mark Canha are both out of the lineup and likely headed to the injured list after testing positive for Covid-19, reports Mike Puma of the New York Post (Twitter link). Both players are asymptomatic. Newsday’s Tim Healey first reported this morning that tweets that a member of the Mets’ staff had tested positive and that a few players were deemed close contacts and undergoing testing.

Under the league’s 2022 health-and-safety protocols, players who test positive are subject to a 10-day absence from the club, though it’s possible to be reinstated in less time if the player has gone 24 or more hours without a fever, received a pair of negative PCR tests, and been given approval from a team physician and the MLB/MLBPA joint committee (a panel of one league-appointed and one union-appointed physician). Asymptomatic players are not subject to regular testing under the 2022 protocols, but it’s possible that Canha (who told reporters last year that he is vaccinated) and Nimmo were deemed close contacts of the staff member(s) in question.

With both Nimmo and Canha sidelined for at least the next few days, manager Buck Showalter tells reporters that outfielder Nick Plummer and infielder Matt Reynolds are with the team (Twitter link via Puma). Showalter also added that one member of his coaching staff tested positive (Twitter link via Healey).

Plummer is on the 40-man roster, but Reynolds was not previously on the 40-man. Neither Nimmo nor Canha will count against the 40-man roster while on the Covid-related injured list, however, making it easier to add Reynolds to the roster. The Mets have Jeff McNeil starting in left field, Travis Jankowski in center, Robinson Cano at second base and J.D. Davis at designated hitter today. Dominic Smith’s left-handed bat is somewhat surprisingly absent from the lineup against right-hander Zach Davies, but Showalter tells reporters that’s simply because he wanted to get Davis some at-bats amid a lengthy stretch of predominantly right-handed opponents (Twitter link via Puma).

Mets, Matt Reynolds Agree To Minor League Deal

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Though the team did not formally announce it, the Mets agreed to a minor league contract with infielder Matt Reynolds earlier this month, tweets Anthony DiComo of MLB.com.

It’s a homecoming of sorts for the now-31-year-old Reynolds, a second-round pick of the Mets back in 2012. He spent parts of the 2016-17 seasons on the Mets’ big league roster and has since received very brief looks with the Nationals and Royals at the MLB level. In all, Reynolds is a .212/.282/.323 hitter through 251 plate appearances as a big leaguer.

Reynolds spent the 2021 season in the White Sox organization but hasn’t gotten a call to the big leagues since a that brief Kansas City audition in 2020. He played in 93 games for the ChiSox’ Triple-A affiliate last year, hitting at a solid .269/.373/.395 pace while splitting his time at the two middle-infield spots (in addition to a lone five-inning appearance in right field). In parts of seven Triple-A seasons, Reynolds is a .283/.363/.435 hitter.

Obviously, the infield is quite crowded in Queens, where the Mets have Robinson Cano, Francisco Lindor, Eduardo Escobar, J.D. Davis, Jeff McNeil and Luis Guillorme all slated for time on the big league roster. Reynolds will likely head to Triple-A Syracuse and see plenty of action at shortstop, though he also has experience at second, third and in all three outfield positions as well.

White Sox To Select Andrew Vaughn

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Prized White Sox prospect Andrew Vaughn has made the team’s Opening Day roster. He isn’t on Chicago’s 40-man, so the team will need to select him.

The White Sox could have gained an extra year of service time by keeping Vaughn down for the first few weeks of the season, but executive vice president Ken Williams said last week that wouldn’t be a motivating factor in their decision. The team was true to its word. If Vaughn doesn’t return to the minors, he’ll be controllable through 2026 and eligible for arbitration after 2023, though the White Sox could certainly extend him before then, as they’ve done on multiple occasions in recent years with offensive building blocks such as Yoan Moncada, Tim Anderson, Eloy Jimenez and Luis Robert.

General manager Rick Hahn stated Tuesday (via James Fegan of The Athletic), “Having Andrew around will be a positive for this offense.” The White Sox expect Vaughn to factor in at designated hitter, first base and left field, according to Hahn.

It became easier to envision Vaughn making Chicago’s season-opening roster when the club received the devastating news of Jimenez’s ruptured pectoral tendon last week. Jimenez underwent surgery Tuesday and remains likely to miss at least five to six months, Hahn said. The hope is that Vaughn will help fill Jimenez’s enormous offensive void.

Now 22 years old, Vaughn is a former University of California standout whom the White Sox drafted third overall in 2019 and then signed to a $7.2MM-plus bonus. Vaughn hasn’t gotten above High-A ball since then, but he has held his own in the minors, having slashed .278/.384/.449 in 245 plate appearances. He has also looked ready for prime time this spring with a .279/.375/.459 line and six extra-base hits (three doubles, two home runs and a triple) in 61 at-bats.

Along with Vaughn’s addition, the White Sox made a handful of other roster moves Tuesday. They optioned infielder Danny Mendick to their alternate site and reassigned fellow infielders Tim Beckham, Zach Remillard and Matt Reynolds, outfielder Nick Williams, and right-hander Ryan Burr. The club also made the previously reported release of catcher Jonathan Lucroy official.

White Sox Announce Series Of Minor League Deals

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The White Sox announced the additions of fourteen players on minor league contracts with MLB spring training invitations this week. Among the signees not previously-reported are infielder Matt Reynolds; right-handers Ryan Burr, Tayron Guerrero, Alex McRae, Connor Sadzeck and Mike Wright; and left-handers Jacob Lindgren and Kodi Medeiros.

Reynolds and McRae have the most recent MLB experience of this contingent, having played in the big leagues last season. Reynolds appeared in three games for the Royals. Also a former Met and National, the right-handed hitter has compiled a .212/.282/.323 slash line across 251 plate appearances in parts of four seasons. McRae tossed a pair of scoreless relief appearances for Chicago in 2020. The right-hander has a 7.50 ERA/5.64 SIERA in 36 MLB innings with the Pirates and White Sox over the last three years.

Burr, Guerrero and Sadzeck are all righty relievers who last pitched in the majors in 2019. Each brings a power arm and has flashed some bat-missing ability (Guerrero and Sadzeck especially), but all three have been plagued by control problems. Wright was a swing option early in his career with the Orioles and can serve as a potential rotation or long relief depth piece for the Sox. He spent last season with the NC Dinos of the Korea Baseball Organization, where he started 29 games and posted a 4.68 ERA with below-average strikeout (17.9%) and walk (9.1%) rates. Nevertheless, Wright managed to pitch 157.2 innings last season, perhaps giving him a leg up from a durability perspective on pitchers who spent last year in the United States, where a shorter season led to drastically curtailed innings totals.

Lindgren and Medeiros were both well-regarded prospects at one point whose careers have since been sidetracked. Lindgren has been through a series of injuries and hasn’t pitched in the majors since 2015, although he’s still only entering his age-28 season. Medeiros, once a top fifteen overall draft pick by the Brewers, has never consistently performed in the minors and has yet to play in the big leagues.

Royals Outright Matt Reynolds

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Infielder Matt Reynolds, whom the Royals designated for assignment over the weekend, cleared waivers and was outrighted to Triple-A Omaha, per a team announcement. That he was outrighted to Triple-A and not to the alternate training site is an important distinction, as it indicates that he’s been removed from the team’s player pool, thus rendering him ineligible to return to the Royals in 2020.

The 29-year-old Reynolds appeared in three games with the Royals this season after signing a minor league pact over the winter. The former Mets and Nationals infielder was hitless in 11 trips to the plate in his first taste of big league action since the 2018 season in Washington.

Reynolds, a career .212/.282/.323 hitter, has never seen more than 130 plate appearances in a Major League season but carries a solid track record at the Triple-A level, where he’s batted .286/.361/.441 in parts of six seasons (2038 plate appearances). That includes a .295/.401/.521 showing last year. The 2012 second-rounder has appeared at every position on the diamond other than catcher, even pitching two minor league innings, over the course of his professional career. His outright by the Royals likely puts an end to his 2020 season, but his Triple-A track record and defensive versatility should create opportunities for him to sign a minor league deal with a new club in need of infield depth this offseason.

Royals Make A Number Of Roster Moves

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The Kansas City Royals have been busy this afternoon. They announced a number of roster moves. In terms of additions, Kelvin Gutierrez has been reinstated to the active roster from the injured list, and Nick Heath has been recalled. To make room, Matt Reynolds has been designated for assignment and Ryan McBroom has been assigned to the team’s alternate training site.

Heath, 26, has 2 hits in 6 at-bats this season for the Royals, his first taste of big-league action. The speedy centerfielder split 2019 between Double-A and Triple-A, slashing .255/.345/.387. Heath is a burner who will get into games as a pinch-runner. He stole 60 bases last year in 73 attempts for an 82% success rate.

Gutierrez has been a top-20 prospect for the Royals, but an elbow strain sent him to the 60-day injured list in July. He debuted last season, appearing in 20 games and slashing .269/.304/.356 as their starting third baseman for much of May. Injuries slowed his progress before a toe fracture ended his season in September. Maikel Franco takes his licks as the Royals’ regular third baseman these days, but the 26-year-old Gutierrez will serve as his backup, per MLB.com’s Jeffrey Flanagan (via Twitter). Franco has spent time DHing recently due to a leg injury, so Gutierrez may get some playing time right off the bat. He’ll be at the hot corner and batting sixth for the Royals today.

Gutierrez ostensibly takes Reynolds’ roster spot. The 29-year-old journeyman had taken on the backup third baseman role, but he went hitless in 11 at-bats while striking out 7 times. Reynolds was called up from the alternate training site earlier this week, but he’ll now be exposed to waivers before reassignment.

McBroom is probably the most recognizable name of the bunch. He’s appeared in 34 games for the Royals this season. Most of his time has come at first base or designated hitter, but he’s also frequently been brought off the bench as a pinch-hitter and occasionally sees time in the outfield corners. A triple slash of .253/.291/.493 contributed negative 0.1 rWAR, but positive 0.2 fWAR for the 28-year-old this season. With Franco taking at-bats at designated hitter because of his leg injury, the Royals have less need for McBroom’s power bat.

Royals Place Jorge Soler On IL

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The Kansas City Royals announced that outfielder Jorge Soler has been placed on the 10-day injured list with a right oblique strain. Matt Reynolds has been recalled to take his roster spot.

Soler has not appeared in a game since Saturday. The Royals had hoped he’d heal enough from a few days off, but they still hope to get him back before the end of the season. Soler hasn’t quite lived up to the ceiling he set in 2019, but he’s remained a power threat in the middle of the Royals’ order. He owns a triple slash of .235/.331/.456 on the year over 159 plate appearances with 8 long balls and a still-robust .221 ISO.

Ryan O’Hearn and Ryan McBroom have served as designated hitter the last two games. The Royals are likely to cycle different players through the role as long as Soler is out, using the spot to semi-rest regulars like Hunter Dozier, O’Hearn, or Maikel Franco.

Reynolds is a 29-year-old left-side infielder who’s previously appeared in the majors with the Mets and Nationals. He spent all of 2019 with the Nationals’ Triple-A club in Fresno, putting up an impressive triple slash of .295/.401/.521 with 16 home runs. It was his best season by a fair margin, but given his age, the Royals do not likely expect much from Reynolds. That said, he could be one of the players used to cycle through as designated hitter, or he could spell Franco on occasion at third.

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