12:33pm: The Reds have outrighted Allen to Triple-A Louisville, MLB.com’s Mark Sheldon tweets.
9:24am: The Reds have announced that they’ve designated first baseman and outfielder Brandon Allen for assignment. The move clears roster space for Tim Melville, who will start this afternoon.
Allen never actually made a plate appearance for the Reds. They signed him to a minor-league deal in November and selected his contract on Friday, but he did not appear in a game. The 30-year-old played for the Mets’ Triple-A team in Las Vegas last season, batting .273/.350/.478. He last played in the big leagues in 2012, and he compiled a .203/.290/.375 line in parts of four seasons in the bigs.