Reds Select Will Banfield, Outright P.J. Higgins
The Reds announced that catcher Will Banfield has been selected to the 40-man roster and optioned to Triple-A Louisville. Fellow catcher P.J. Higgins has been outrighted to open a 40-man spot. It wasn’t previously reported that Higgins was off the 40-man roster so it seems Cincinnati quietly put him on waivers a few days ago.
Banfield, 26, signed a minor league deal with the Reds in the offseason. He presumably had some kind of opt-out or upward mobility clause in that deal, as that usually explains why a team would add a player to its roster but then immediately option him back to the minors. Giving him the 40-man spot prevents him from getting away but doesn’t require the team to bump anyone else off the active roster.
It has been a good season in Louisville for Banfield so far. He has six home runs in 189 plate appearances, a .281/.337/.439 line and 103 wRC+. That indicates he has been 3% better than league average, though he’s gotten some help from a .344 batting average on balls in play.
Banfield has a good defensive reputation, so it’s possible the Reds view any offensive output as a bonus. He hit just .233/.285/.343 at the Triple-A level across 2024 and 2025 but still got a brief look in the majors with the Reds last year, getting into seven games. He was non-tendered at the end of the year and then re-signed his aforementioned minor league deal.
The Reds have Tyler Stephenson and Jose Trevino as their catchers at the big league level. Higgins was on the 40-man but on optional assignment. It seems the Reds preferred Banfield in that job, so they have swapped him in. Stephenson is an impending free agent and Trevino’s deal is only guaranteed through 2027, so there could be some long-term openings for playing time. Banfield can be optioned for the rest of this year and one additional season.
Higgins, 33, also signed a minor league deal with the Reds in the offseason. He was added to the roster in April, outrighted in May, but then selected back to the roster a few days later. Around the transactions, he took 32 plate appearances in 14 games and hit .231/.276/.269. He now has a .212/.289/.340 line in 286 career trips to the plate. He has generally received favorable marks for his defense in the minors.
Since Higgins has been previously outrighted in his career, he has the right to reject this outright assignment and elect free agency. The last time the Reds outrighted him, he accepted and was back on the roster a few days later. Now that Banfield is ahead of him on the chart, perhaps that makes him more likely to test the open market.
Photo courtesy of Katie Stratman, Imagn Images
Reds Notes: Greene, Johnson, Pagán, Trevino, Haggerty
The Reds have gone 3-7 in their last ten games, bringing them to 33-36 on the season and last place in the NL Central. Neither the pitching nor the offense have been especially good this year, with the team’s rotation, bullpen, and lineup all placing in the Bottom 10 in the league by fWAR. A key factor on the rotation side is the health of Hunter Greene. According to Charlie Goldsmith of Charlie’s Chalkboard, Greene will begin a rehab assignment in the Arizona Complex League on June 18th.
Greene underwent surgery in March to remove bone chips from his throwing elbow. He was accordingly placed on the 60-day injured list before the season began. Based on earlier comments from manager Terry Francona, the plan is for Greene to return before the All-Star break. Assuming he requires four rehab starts, Greene could return for the June 7-9 series against the Phillies or from June 10-12 versus the Cubs. In either case, he’d made his second start after the All-Star break.
Greene pitched to a 2.76 ERA in 45 starts from 2024-25, missing time due to right elbow soreness and then a groin strain. He struck out 29.2% of opposing hitters in that span and held them to just a .596 OPS. That performance confirmed that Greene could dominate in the Majors if only he could stay healthy. He’s not had the chance to do that in 2026, but Greene should re-assume his role as the ace upon his return.
Chase Burns – who, like Greene, is a former No. 2 overall pick – has stepped up admirably in the meantime. In 75 2/3 innings, Burns has a 2.14 ERA and a 29.6% strikeout rate. The former is fourth-best among qualified starters, while the latter ranks third-best, just ahead of reigning NL Cy Young winner Paul Skenes. Beyond Burns, Andrew Abbott is the team’s only other qualified starter, and his 4.10 ERA is decent but hardly inspiring. Brady Singer, Nick Lodolo, and Rhett Lowder currently occupy the other three rotation spots. They range from just okay (Lowder) to below replacement level (Singer and Lodolo). Greene’s eventual return will benefit the group overall by shifting those three lower in the pecking order.
A couple bullpen arms are on the mend as well, with Goldsmith adding that Pierce Johnson and Emilio Pagán will throw live batting practice on Monday and Friday, respectively. Johnson, who came to the Reds on a one-year deal this offseason, had a 3.27 ERA in 22 innings before going down with right elbow inflammation on May 30th. His 21.7% strikeout rate is his lowest since 2018 and a 3.1% drop from last year’s mark with the Braves. Johnson’s 4.01 SIERA paints him as a middle reliever, and that’s probably the role he’ll take once he gets back.
Pagán, out since May 6th with a Grade 2 left hamstring strain, will probably require more time than Johnson. After suffering his injury, Pagán told reporters he expected to be out for four to eight weeks. This Wednesday will mark six weeks since his IL placement, so an early July return could be a reasonable target depending on how long of a rehab assignment he needs. Pagán struggled badly in 14 innings pre-injury, but he had a 2.88 ERA and 32 saves last year, so he’ll serve as the closer when he returns.
Turning to the offense, the Reds announced this morning that catcher Jose Trevino was activated from the 10-day injured list, with P.J. Higgins optioned to Triple-A. Trevino returns after a month-long absence due to a left hamstring strain. He’s only made 32 plate appearances around two IL stints, the other being for a thoracic spine strain in April. Higgins didn’t do much to fill in while Trevino was out, recording four hits in a scattered 16 at-bats. Higgins could be designated and outrighted if a 40-man spot is needed, though he could refuse it after being outrighted last month.
In minor news, utilityman Sam Haggerty has joined the organization on a minor league deal, according to an announcement from the Reds’ Triple-A affiliate. Haggerty was released by the Rangers a week ago after they designated him for assignment. Haggerty has a 12 wRC+ in 47 plate appearances this year but was right around average in 182 PA last year. A switch-hitter, Haggerty has a 119 career wRC+ against southpaws and is a reasonable, no-risk depth pickup.
Photo courtesy of Katie Stratman, Imagn Images
Reds Announce Five Roster Moves
The Reds made five moves prior to today’s game with the Guardians, including the placement of catcher Jose Trevino on the 10-day injured list. Trevino is dealing with a left hamstring injury, and he’ll be replaced on the active roster by catcher P.J. Higgins, whose contract was selected from Triple-A Louisville. To create room for Higgins on the 40-man roster, Cincinnati designated outfielder Rece Hinds for assignment. In two other moves to get a fresh arm into the bullpen, the Reds called up right-hander Jose Franco from Triple-A, and optioned righty Luis Mey.
This is already the second IL stint of the year for Trevino, who missed about three weeks in April due to a thoracic spine sprain. Trevino hasn’t contributed much when he has been able to play, delivering only a .143/.172/.179 slash line over 30 plate appearances. Though Trevino is far better known for his strong defense than his subpar hitting over his career, the combined lack of production from Trevino, Higgins, and starter Tyler Stephenson have resulted in a -0.1 bWAR from the Reds’ catching position this season.
Higgins had his minor league contract selected to the 26-man roster when Trevino was first sidelined in April, and Higgins posted a .450 OPS over 12 plate appearances while appearing in five games. Upon Trevino’s return, the Reds designated Higgins for assignment and then outrighted him to Triple-A, with Higgins opting to stay in the organization rather than reject the outright in favor of free agency.
That decision has now rather quickly led to another stint in the majors for Higgins, even if he’ll likely be DFA’ed again once Trevino is healthy. Higgins has signed minor league deals with the Reds in each of the last three offseasons, and his five games in April marked his first taste of MLB action since 2022, when he appeared in 74 games with the Cubs.
A second-round pick for the Reds in the 2019 draft, Hinds hit .261/.333/.717 with five homers in 51 plate appearances after making his MLB debut in 2024. Those early fireworks didn’t carry over, however, as Hinds hit only .118/.150/.250 over 80 PA (with 39 strikeouts) during the 2025-26 seasons.
The near-total lack of production at the big league level has now made Hinds expendable in Cincinnati’s view, though manager Terry Francona is still a supporter. “Maybe for his sake, I really hope he gets an opportunity he didn’t get here,” Francona told Charlie Goldsmith and other reporters today. “I love the kid. There are obviously tools there. Sometimes, things have a way of working out for guys.”
To Francona’s point about Hinds’ tools, Hinds has been crushing Triple-A pitching for the last two seasons, he has elite speed, and he has the ability to play all three outfield positions. Though Hinds’ Triple-A strikeout rate is still at 27.9%, he has greatly increased his walk total in Louisville. It seems quite possible that another team might be intrigued enough to claim Hinds off the waiver wire, but if he does clear waivers, he doesn’t have the ability to reject an outright assignment to Triple-A.
Reds Outright P.J. Higgins
The Reds have sent catcher P.J. Higgins outright to Triple-A Louisville, according to his transactions tracker at MLB.com. That indicates he cleared waivers after being designated for assignment earlier this week. He has the right to elect free agency but it isn’t stated whether or not he will do so.
Higgins, 33, signed a minor league deal with the Reds in the offseason. He was added to the roster in April when Jose Trevino hit the injured list due to a thoracic spine strain. Higgins was optioned to Triple-A later that month when Trevino came off the IL. During few weeks on the active roster, he appeared in six games and stepped to the plate 12 times. He struck out four times, drew one walk and picked up two hits, both singles.
That was the third time he had played in a major league season, though the other two were with the Cubs back in 2021 and 2022. He has a .209/.289/.342 line in 266 big league plate appearances on the whole. He’s generally been considered a decent defender in the minors. At the plate, he has done some good work, with a .273/.346/.405 line at Triple-A dating back to the start of 2021. His Triple-A line is just .133/.364/.133 this year, though in a small sample of 44 plate appearances.
Since Higgins has been outrighted in the past, he has the right to reject this assignment and elect free agency. The Reds probably hope that he sticks around or can be re-signed to a new minor league deal. Tyler Stephenson and Trevino are the only two backstops on the 40-man right now, so they’re a bit light on depth to cover for a potential injury to one of those two guys. Will Banfield is in the system on a minor league deal but he has only seven games of big league experience. If Higgins departs, the Reds could look to add depth in other ways. For instance, old friend Austin Wynns was just released by the Athletics.
Photo courtesy of Sam Greene, Imagn Images.
Reds Designate P.J. Higgins For Assignment
The Reds have designated catcher P.J. Higgins for assignment, per a team announcement. His spot on the 40-man roster goes to veteran righty Chris Paddack, whose previously reported agreement with Cincinnati has now been officially announced. Right-hander Rhett Lowder has been placed on the 15-day injured list to open an active roster spot. Manager Terry Francona said a couple days ago that Lowder would be IL-bound due to shoulder troubles. The team’s formal designation at this time is a vague “right shoulder pain.”
The 33-year-old Higgins appeared in six games with the Reds and took 12 plate appearances, going 2-for-10 with a pair of singles, a walk and a sacrifice fly in that time. He’s now played sparingly in parts of three big league seasons. In a total of 89 games and 266 plate appearances, the former 12th-rounder out of Old Dominion is a .209/.289/.342 hitter with six home runs, a 9.4% walk rate and a 26.3% strikeout rate.
Higgins obviously hasn’t hit much in his limited major league experience, but he’s been a solid hitter in parts of seven Triple-A seasons: .274/.349/.414. He’s thwarted a strong 29% of stolen base attempts against him in the minors. Baseball Prospectus credits him as a plus framer with slightly above-average blocking skills at the Triple-A level. The Reds will have five days to trade Higgins or place him on outright waivers. That’d be a 48-hour process. His DFA window will last a maximum of one week. Higgins has been outrighted in the past, so if he passes through waivers, he’d be able to elect free agency.
As for Lowder, while the IL placement was known to be coming, the formal announcement provides little in the way of clarity. Presumably, Francona will provide more information when he meets with the Reds beat later today. Lowder, the seventh overall pick in the 2023 draft, missed the 2025 season due to a flexor strain. He pitched well through his first six starts (3.18 ERA) but has been blown up for 11 runs over 4 1/3 innings in his past two outings.
NL Central Notes: Jones, Lodolo, Trevino, Pages
A little over 11 months after undergoing an internal brace surgery, Jared Jones is slated to begin a minor league rehab assignment on Wednesday with the Pirates‘ low-A affiliate in Bradenton. Pirates GM Ben Cherington made the announcement on his weekly radio show, telling MLB.com’s Jason Mackey that Jones has “passed all the physical checks. He pitched in an extended game last week [and] was up to 100 mph. He has the velocity and has been recovering well. Now he has to get back into that routine of being a pitcher and getting outs.”
While Paul Skenes naturally garnered most of the headlines in 2024, Jones also made his big league debut that season and posted a 4.14 ERA over 121 2/3 innings and 22 starts. He hasn’t been able to follow up on that solid rookie campaign due to elbow problems that surfaced late in Spring Training 2025, though Jones was able to avoid a full Tommy John surgery. The shorter timeline usually associated with an internal brace procedure means that Jones is on track to return to Pittsburgh by late May or early June, if all goes well in his rehab. Interestingly, Mackey floated the idea that Jones could be used as a piggyback starter or even as a reliever if the Buccos want to limit his innings in his return from major surgery, as the Pirates’ rotation is strong enough at the moment that Jones isn’t necessarily needed for starting duty right away.
More from the NL Central…
- Nick Lodolo recorded seven strikeouts and allowed only two hits over five scoreless innings and 51 pitches for high-A Dayton in the first start of the Reds southpaw’s latest rehab assignment. Lodolo has yet to pitch in the majors this season due to blister problems that arose during Spring Training, and more blisters cut short his first rehab start with Dayton back on April 2. A few more weeks of recovery may have finally gotten the problem under control, though the extra time away means Lodolo will need another rehab start or two to build up his arm strength. Despite a lack of hitting and the absence of top starters Lodolo and Hunter Greene, the Reds weathered the storm to post an 18-10 record in their first 28 games.
- The Reds also activated catcher Jose Trevino from the 10-day injured list prior to today’s game with the Tigers, and catcher P.J. Higgins was optioned to Triple-A in the corresponding move. A thoracic spine strain has kept Trevino out of action since April 4. Now in his second season with the Reds, Trevino will resume his duties as a glove-first backup behind starting catcher Tyler Stephenson.
- Cardinals catcher Pedro Pages left Saturday’s game due to left hamstring tightness, but Pages told media (including Daniel Guerrero of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch) that he is day to day after scans revealed no substantive damage. “Everything’s intact from the hamstring. It’s just more swelling in the area, which is fine. I just got to flush it out and be ready to go,” Pages said. The backstop didn’t play today but believed he could be ready Monday when the Cardinals open a series in Pittsburgh. Though the Cards don’t have an off-day until May 11, they have the catching depth to afford Pages extra rest time if necessary since Ivan Herrera and Yohel Pozo are both on the active roster. Known more for his glove than his bat, Pages has a respectable 101 wRC+ (from a .250/.310/.404 slash line) over his first 59 plate appearances.
Reds Designate Christian Encarnacion-Strand For Assignment
Reds first baseman Christian Encarnacion-Strand has been designated for assignment, the team announced. Catcher P.J. Higgins is taking his spot on the 40-man roster. Higgins was selected after catcher Jose Trevino went to the IL due to a thoracic spine strain.
Encarnacion-Strand was the heir apparent at first base as Joey Votto‘s legendary career wound down. He delivered a 113 wRC+ across 63 games as a rookie in 2023. With Votto moving on at the end of that season, Encarnacion-Strand opened 2024 as Cincinnati’s everyday first baseman. He hit just .190 over the first six weeks of the year. A broken wrist ended his campaign in early May.
It was more of the same for Encarnacion-Strand last year. He had the first base job to begin the season, but posted a .482 OPS through three weeks, then hit the IL with back inflammation. Encarnacion-Strand spent most of June with the big-league club, slashing .230/.262/.410 over 17 games. He was sent back to Triple-A in early July.
The Reds landed Encarnacion-Strand in an August 2022 trade that sent right-hander Tyler Mahle to Minnesota. Cincinnati also acquired infielder Spencer Steer and left-hander Steve Hajjar in the deal. The swap seemed like a good piece of business for Cincinnati after 2023, with Mahle limited to nine starts in his Twins tenure and the infielders looking like key cogs for the Reds. Outside of Steer’s league-average contributions the past couple of seasons, it’s largely ended up as a wash for both sides.
Higgins hasn’t appeared in the big leagues since 2022 with the Cubs. He was decent in part-time work with Chicago, delivering a 99 wRC+ with six home runs across 74 games. After bouncing to the Diamondbacks and then back to the Cubs, Higgins landed with the Reds on a minor league deal ahead of the 2024 season. He’s provided subpar offensive numbers over the past two years at Triple-A. The 32-year-old will serve as the backup to Tyler Stephenson while Trevino is sidelined.
Photo courtesy of Paul Rutherford, Imagn Images
Players Entering Minor League Free Agency
Major League free agents became eligible to sign with other teams on Thursday, but the minor league free agent market has technically been open since season’s end. MLBTR has published several posts detailing players who had already elected to become minor free agents, but Baseball America’s Matt Eddy (multiple links) has the full account of all the minor league free agents that officially joined their big league counterparts on the open market on Thursday.
This list details only players who have played in the Major Leagues, and whose minor league free agency hasn’t already been covered on MLBTR in the last month.
Athletics: Aaron Brooks, Carlos Duran, CD Pelham, Bryan Lavastida, Nick Martini, Alejo Lopez
Braves: Ian Anderson, Davis Daniel, Enoli Paredes, Amos Willingham, Brian Moran, Jonathan Ornelas, Chandler Seagle, Matthew Batten, Conner Capel
Orioles: Jakson Reetz, Livan Soto, Thaddeus Ward
Red Sox: John Brebbia, Isaiah Campbell, Mark Kolozsvary, Chadwick Tromp, Seby Zavala, Trayce Thompson
Cubs: Yency Almonte, Zach Pop, Caleb Kilian, Austin Gomber, Forrest Wall, Billy Hamilton, Joe Ross, Tommy Romero, Antonio Santos, Tom Cosgrove, Dixon Machado, Nicky Lopez, Carlos Perez
White Sox: Elvis Peguero, Kyle Tyler, Vinny Capra, Chris Rodriguez, Caleb Freeman, Joe Perez, Owen White, Andre Lipcius
Reds: Tejay Antone, Alan Busenitz, Buck Farmer, Josh Staumont, P.J. Higgins, Eric Yang, Levi Jordan, Edwin Rios, Davis Wendzel, Evan Kravetz, Adam Plutko, Charlie Barnes, Alex Young
Guardians: Riley Pint, Tyler Naquin, Parker Mushinski
Rockies: Xzavion Curry, Sean Bouchard, Owen Miller, Karl Kauffmann,
Tigers: Kevin Newman, Brian Serven, Jordan Balazovic, Nick Margevicius, Blair Calvo
Astros: Jon Singleton, Joe Hudson, Kenedy Corona, Greg Jones, Matt Bowman, Luis Contreras, Tyler Ivey, John Rooney
Royals: John Gant, Spencer Turnbull, Bobby Dalbec, Diego Castillo, Geoff Hartlieb, Jordan Groshans, Nick Pratto, Isan Diaz, Stephen Nogosek, Nick Robertson, Joey Krehbiel, Noah Murdock, Ryan Hendrix
Angels: Shaun Anderson, Brandon Drury, Yolmer Sanchez, Ben Gamel, Evan White, Cavan Biggio, Logan Davidson, Travis Blankenhorn, Oscar Colas, Kelvin Caceres, Dakota Hudson, Chad Stevens, Angel Felipe, Jordan Holloway, Victor Gonzalez
Dodgers: Michael Grove, Luken Baker, Giovanny Gallegos, Kyle Funkhouser, Chris Okey, CJ Alexander, Zach Penrod
Marlins: Jack Winkler, Lane Ramsey
Brewers: Luis Urias, Oliver Dunn, Julian Merryweather, Daz Cameron, Drew Avans, Josh Maciejewski, Jared Oliva
Twins: Jose Miranda, Anthony Misiewicz, Jonah Bride, Thomas Hatch, Daniel Duarte, Connor Gillispie
Mets: Joey Meneses, Jose Azocar, Joe La Sorsa, Gilberto Celestino, Ty Adcock, Bryce Montes de Oca, Yacksel Rios, Oliver Ortega, Luis De Los Santos
Yankees: Kenta Maeda, Jeimer Candelario, Rob Brantly, Andrew Velazquez, Jose Rojas, Joel Kuhnel, Wilking Rodriguez
Phillies: Matt Manning, Adonis Medina, Lucas Sims, Jacob Waguespack, Phil Bickford, Rodolfo Castro, Oscar Mercado, Brewer Hicklen, Christian Arroyo, Payton Henry
Pirates: Brett Sullivan, Nick Solak, Nelson Velazquez, Beau Burrows, Ryder Ryan
Cardinals: Zach Plesac, Anthony Veneziano, Tyler Matzek, Zack Weiss, Drew Rom, Aaron Wilkerson
Padres: Eguy Rosario, Tim Locastro, Reiss Knehr, Nate Mondou
Giants: Sean Hjelle, Miguel Diaz, Max Stassi, Sam Huff, Cole Waites, Drew Ellis, Ethan Small
Mariners: Michael Fulmer, Casey Lawrence, Collin Snider, Jesse Hahn, Nick Anderson, Josh Fleming, Austin Shenton, Jacob Nottingham, Beau Taylor, Cade Marlowe, Jack Lopez, Michael Mariot, Hagen Danner
Rays: Cooper Hummel, Jonathan Hernandez, Jamie Westbrook, Tres Barrera
Rangers: Omar Narvaez, Cal Quantrill, Ty Blach, Alan Trejo, Joe Barlow, Cory Abbott, Michael Plassmeyer, Alex De Goti
Blue Jays: Eloy Jimenez, Buddy Kennedy, Joe Mantiply, Elieser Hernandez, Rene Pinto, Adam Kloffenstein
Nationals: Francisco Mejia, Juan Yepez, Joan Adon, CJ Stubbs, Parker Dunshee, Erick Mejia, Adrian Sampson, Delino DeShields
Reds Sign P.J. Higgins To Minor League Deal
The Reds announced Monday that they’ve signed catcher/infielder P.J. Higgins to a minor league contract. The Bledsoe Agency client will receive an invitation to big league camp in spring training.
Higgins, 30, logged Major League time with the Cubs in 2021-22, batting a combined .210/.291/.348 with six home runs, 11 doubles and a triple in 254 trips to the plate. Modest as that production may be, Higgins has spent parts of four seasons at the Triple-A level and clobbered opposing pitchers at that level, posting a .318/.401/.499 slash in 672 overall plate appearances.
Beyond the production at the plate in the upper minors, Higgins has some quiet versatility that could help him eventually win a spot on Cincinnati’s bench. He’s primarily been a catcher in his professional career, but the Cubs have also given him 867 career innings at first base, 584 innings at third base, 93 innings at second base and even 37 frames at shortstop. If he can ultimately deliver anything within a stone’s throw of league-average production at the plate, he could make for an interesting bench player — particularly for a Reds club that carried three catchers for much of the 2023 season (Tyler Stephenson, Luke Maile, Curt Casali).
As things stand, Stephenson and the recently re-signed Maile figure to handle considerable work behind the plate. That said, Stephenson was more productive at the plate when he was playing first base or serving as a designated hitter than when he was catching — and his glovework behind the dish also graded out quite poorly. It wouldn’t be all that surprising if the Reds again opt for three catchers, with Stephenson spending ample time at first and DH. Higgins could potentially factor into that equation if he impresses next spring. He hasn’t drawn particularly strong defensive grades in limited action in the majors, though Baseball America touted him as at least an average defender at catcher before his MLB debut.
Cubs Acquire P.J. Higgins
Per The Athletic’s Patrick Mooney, the Cubs have acquired catcher P.J. Higgins in a minor trade with the Diamondbacks in exchange for cash consideration.
It’s a homecoming for Higgins, who was drafted by the Cubs in the 12th round of the 2015 draft. He made his big league debut on the north side back in 2021 with a nine-game cup of coffee before getting a longer look in the organization the following season as the club’s third catcher behind Willson Contreras and Yan Gomes. Higgins made it into 74 games that season, slashing .229/.310/.383 in 229 plate appearances, good for a roughly average wRC+ of 97. In addition to his 236 innings of work behind the plate, Higgins spent time at both infield corners with the Cubs in 2022.
Despite that solid performance, Higgins was eventually designated for assignment by the Cubs during the offseason to make room for newly-signed catcher Tucker Barnhart on the 40-man roster. Higgins elected free agency shortly thereafter before signing with the Diamondbacks on a minor league deal shortly after the new year. In 2023, Higgins has hit well at the Triple-A level for Arizona with a .317/.407/.473 slash line (116 wRC+) in 58 games. Unfortunately for Higgins, he was blocked with the Diamondbacks by Gabriel Moreno, Carson Kelly, and Jose Herrera, all of whom were on the 40-man roster in Arizona.
Higgins now returns to Chicago, though he’s once again blocked by a trio of catchers on the 40-man roster: Barnhart, Gomes, and Miguel Amaya. That being said, Barnhart has struggled massively at the plate with a wRC+ of just 58 in 110 plate appearances this season, while Gomes was among MLBTR’s Top 50 Deadline Trade Candidates earlier this month. Should the club move on from either Barnhart or Gomes in the near future, Higgins could have a path to a roster spot with the Cubs as the club’s third catcher. In the meantime, he figures to head to Triple-A where he’ll share time with Dom Nunez and Bryce Windham at the Triple-A level.