The Reds announced that they have selected the contract of right-hander Jake Wong and recalled righty Eduardo Salazar from Triple-A Louisville. In corresponding moves, righty Levi Stoudt was optioned to Louisville while righty Randy Wynne was designated for assignment.
Wong, 26, was drafted by the Giants and spent his entire career there prior to this season. In December, the Reds took catcher/outfielder Blake Sabol from the Pirates in the Rule 5 draft and flipped him to the Giants for cash or a player to be named later. About a week later, the Reds announced that Wong would be the PTBNL from that Sabol deal.
The right-hander had pitched in the lower levels of the Giants’ system in 2018 and 2019 but then missed two entire seasons. The minor leagues were canceled by the pandemic in 2020 and then Wong spent all of 2021 on the injured list. Last year, he tossed 97 2/3 innings at High-A over 25 appearances, including 17 starts, with a 4.52 ERA. His 10.3% walk rate was a bit high but he struck out 25.3% of opponents and got ground balls at a 53.3% clip.
This year, the Reds have essentially moved Wong to full-time relief work, as his only start was 2 2/3 innings. On the whole, he’s tossed 34 1/3 innings over 17 appearances split between Double-A and Triple-A, but has struggled in his first taste of the upper levels of the farm. He has a 7.60 ERA this year between those two stops, striking out 22.6% of opponents but walking 13%.
Despite the poor results so far this year, the Reds have called him up since they need fresh arms. In their three-game set against Atlanta over the weekend, they allowed 24 runs and none of their starters lasted longer than four innings, leaving relief corps to absorb 16 2/3 frames over that series. They now have a three-game series in Baltimore before their next off-day and have called up Wong and Salazar to help them push through.
In order to get those arms onto the roster, the Reds have bumped Wynne off of it. He himself was added as a fresh arm just yesterday and made his major league debut. He tossed 2 1/3 innings, allowing three hits, a walk and one earned run without registering a strikeout. Despite that respectable showing in his first big league game, he’s quickly been bounced due to the club’s overtaxed pitching corps.
The Reds will now have a week to trade Wynne or pass him through waivers. Prior to getting called up, he tossed 31 2/3 innings in Triple-A this year with a 5.12 ERA, 12.9% strikeout rate, 5% walk rate and 31.8% ground ball rate.
Randy Wynn’s performance yesterday was memorable for both Wynn’s and us fans. A journeyman getting is big league shot, performing effectively, and Reds giving him that chance.
And they reward him by releasing him what a special moment….
Something about this just seems Wong.
……… And Randy can do little more than whine!
I was Wong , thought all the wong moves were done already.
If loving what the Reds are doing this is wong, I don’t want to be white.
There are now three big league Wongs.
Isn’t this already the 4th time Stoudt has been optioned? Only 1 more time left this season?
They don’t like him throwing batting practice and tiring in the third inning. Imagine that.
So when you ain’t really feeling Randy, why grab your Wong?
Wynne is the 5th pitcher and 6th player the Reds have designated this month. In the midst of all these pitching injuries and the Reds ascention to first place in the division, Krall has shown exemplary patience in not overpaying to acquire needed pitching.
His first taste of success as Reds GM, and he acts like he’s been here before. Stick with it Nick!
The problem is they neede pitching before the injuries to sustain success.
What happens the rest of the way is on him because the kids fight like hell with no support.
Noelvi for some pitching.
Who you think they can get for Noelvi?
How about Noelvi Marte, Edwin Arroyo, Levi Stoudt and Andrew Moore for Luis Castillo.
What a difference a year makes…
1/3 of the Tigers’ BP plus a starter
No. No and no.
Wynne had his “Crash Davis” moment. He can go back to AAA and talk about what it was like in “the show”
Reds downfall incoming.
Since they have done nothing to help an overworked bullpen caused by the failure to address the need for veteran starters to help the kids for two seasons now, I tend to agree.
You can’t rely on great comebacks and scoring runs in bunches forever.
It’s this great bunch of kids I feel sorry for since they fight like hell. Sadly, they’ll remember this come free agent time.