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.
The remaking of the Reds bullpen begins. This is what happens when you make no improvements to an already bad bullpen during the off-season.
Reds look like a fun team this year. too early for the negativity. try to have fun
I agree with the fun team Larry but the criticism is valid and we saw an example of it yesterday.
eventually, Antone and Sims will be setting up Diaz…..hopefully
Santillan should be back too eventually. Antone and Sims have missed a lot of time though.
Happy late birthday to him, getting called up should be a good present
Baseball fan that was… OK of you.. always forward..
I’ve never seen so many moves and transactions in the first 5 days of baseball
It’s normal, I guess. Except with all these articles about players being released, I’ve never heard of any of them. But MLBTR is right to write about them. It’s important to followers of those teams.
Unless you follow a team closely, it is highly unlikely you will hear of all 26 men on a team’s roster. Most guys at the bottom of the pen order or at the end of the bench are likely to be mentioned much.
This seems normal, but these guys here report everything, which not everyone does.
Well, I’ll be a… You’re right about that. They report everything. Dare I say, I’ve learned alot about our game since being on MLBTR. Just a rough memory count, but I’m pretty sure I’ve been on here at least 15 years. When did this app start?
I guess Sousa got his marching orders.
Probably getting the band back together.
Nyuck nyuck nyuck, I guess he blew his You-tuba…
Two players named Herget have played MLB. Both relievers, both are playing currently. They don’t seem related.
Wow, you’re right. Odd.
Jimmy came up with the Reds and Kevin is with them currently. Hopefully Kevin ends up as good as Jimmy.
They called him on the Sousa-phone to tell him the news.
(yes I’ve used this joke before, and I’ll keep using it every time Bennett is in the news, thank you very much)
In the end, Reds game was a rainout . With Thursday an offday the moves unnecessary.
They play Thursday against Philly.
Not any more.
Wow, that’s about as early a postponement as you can get.
I like Hergets 3.9% walk rate, maybe that’ll rub off on a few of these guys…