The Reds announced that they have reinstated outfielder Stuart Fairchild from the COVID-19 injured list with outfielder Hunter Renfroe designated for assignment in a corresponding move.
Renfroe, 31, joined the Reds just over two weeks ago. He began the year with the Angels, who went for it at the deadline but then fell out of contention in August. Since they no longer had the ability to trade anyone, they put six players on waivers in an attempt to save some money and dip under the luxury tax. Renfroe was one of those players, allowing the Reds to grab him for nothing other than taking on the remainder of his salary. They also grabbed Harrison Bader from the Yankees in a similar scenario, allowing them to add two outfielders for the stretch run without giving up any talent in return.
Unfortunately, Renfroe has struggled immensely since coming to Cincinnati, hitting .128/.227/.205. It’s still a surprise to see the club move on so quickly. Those poor results have come in a small sample of just 44 plate appearances, a time in which he has a .154 batting average on balls in play that would be bound for regression. Nonetheless, it seems the club has decided to quickly cut bait.
Earlier today, the Reds placed Bader on the injured list, meaning they are now without either of their waiver pickups from a few weeks ago. The club was willing to add roughly $2.76MM to their payroll in order to get those two outfielders for the final month of the schedule but will now be proceeding without either of them, at least until Bader can get healthy again.
With the trade deadline having passed, the Reds will put Renfroe on waivers in the coming days. Whether or not he will garner any interest will be an interesting situation, as it’s an unusual time of year for such a player to be on the wire. With the season winding down and Renfroe an impending free agent, only a contending club would have any incentive to put in a claim. But even for a contender, Renfroe wouldn’t be postseason eligible since it’s after the September 1 cutoff. He still has about $893K left on his $11.9MM salary, with any claiming club having to take that on just to add Renfroe for the less than two weeks left in the regular season. If he were to clear, he has more than enough service time to reject an outright assignment and elect free agency while retaining what’s left of his salary.
Recent struggles aside, Renfroe’s career offensive production is notable. Dating back to his 2016 debut with the Padres, he has hit 177 home runs and has slashed .239/.300/.478 for a wRC+ of 106. However, his defense is considered subpar, which subtracts some of the value of his bat. Despite that power potential, his glovework and poor plate discipline have capped his value and turned him into a journeyman in recent years. After sticking with the Padres through 2019, he’s since been traded to the Rays, Red Sox, Brewers and Angels, before landing with the Reds via waivers.
Hunter Renfro has made my list of under valued, solid players several times. That being said, this has not been one of Hunter’s best seasons by any measure.
He was alright in Anaheim. Has been cheeks since he arrived in Cincy tho.
He was terrible on the Angels. His stats in any situation where a baseball team needs him to be productive are pathetic.
Hunter Renfroe was ditched for Morgan Fairchild! Yeah, that’s the ticket.
@Manny, seems like you’ve been on the fence with Renfroe this season. Seems like you liked him more last season.
Al Conin
Looks like the Jon Lovitz/SNL reference slipped by you.
League changes are not easy.
Obviously this one is due to his performance, but I think there’s no coincidence that he’s now going to be on his 7th team in 6 years. I think you just have to buy into the rumors of him being a problem in the dugout.
No you don’t. Only times he was traded that didn’t really make sense were the trades from Boston and Milwaukee.
First, Bader to the IL and now Renfroe cut. Guess they weren’t the solution.
Is this the unofficial flag waving from management??
They waving the flag because they are 1/2 game out and waived someone with a -0.4 bWAR?
Kripes
Not waving the flag, rather concluding that Hunter won’t help
Yeah, I just don’t think that’s a well thought out move. I get that he’s slumping, but this is one of those guys that can get hot and even be a bench bat and make a difference. Not familiar enough with the Reds minor league teams to know if they have something down there at this point in the season who they think gives them a better chance??
They waved the flag when they didn’t acquire starting pitching before playing the Brewers 9 times in two weeks.
Based on the performances of the guys that were traded at the deadline, they may have been better off sticking with what they had.
14 games was enough
That was quick.
I am wondering if he brings a negative vibe to clubhouses. It seems he has been on every team in the last few years. The numbers even this year don’t warrant that many changes.
That doesn’t mean anything. Especially when you struggle as much as he has in Cincy.
yes that would make plently sense, another factor could be that back in feburary there was some remblings about renfroe being racist (anoymous brewers employee ama on reddit)
good grief…
Is the word “anoymous” a portmanteau for ‘enormously annoying’?
@greg7274 I make it a habit to ignore anything from anonymous sources. They can’t be trusted and are too easily used for propaganda and baseless attacks.
agreed
Based on a reddit thread. Really dude?
dont blame the messager, I very much clairfied that it was anoymous
CubsWin?: I know you’re just the “messagers”, but it shows you that any “anonymous” person can accuse anyone they want to pin something like racist on someone famous. Even after it’s proven false, doubts linger the rest of the person’s life. You gotta be real careful when you say something like that about someone.
Exactly this.
The messenger also said Renfroe bringing a negative vibe “would make plenty of sense.” You certainly seem willing to perform a bit of character assassination without any evidence.
DeShaun Watson definitely blames the “messagers.”
…another portmanteau
…they massage and text message you simultaneously. It’s pretty hot.
Oh, I thought they created a mess for you because of their massages.
I know a source who says that their source’s source suggests that Renfroe has a crooked toe which is hindering his baseball ability and that could be the reason for the DFA.
LOL. Another reliable source of information in America: reddit. But you can be sure there are trolls on there who would say such a thing.
He had that bad clubhouse reputation in Milwaukee. Other teams have made the same claims. I am thinking its a possibility.
Renfroe had no bad clubhouse reputation anywhere. Where have other teams supposedly made those claims?
…on MySpace
Since the start of the 2019 season Renfroe has played for the:
Padres
Rays
Red Sox
Brewers
Angels
Reds
In that time he’s been traded 3 times, non-tendered and claimed off of waivers. The ability seems enticing; cannon arm in RF, big power potential, but apparently the negatives, whatever they are grossly outweigh the positives
He is one of the worst, if not the worst, players in baseball in clutch situations.
@Rsox
So what you’re saying is since 2019, he’s been one of the most sought after players in the Majors?
Stymee
This.
People are so quick to see that they want in a situation. Walter Kovac would be proud.
Every team thinks they can fix whatever is wrong with a player. To an extent if it is a fundamental/mechanical issue that is true, however, seldomly can personality issues be “fixed”
He”s had some solid years Its not over for him.
Some playoff contender will claim him, hoping to catch lightning in a bottle
Getting waived for Stuart Fairchild. Ouch.
Speed and defense > over power I guess, but yeah definitely a hit to the ego lol
> Getting waived for Stuart Fairchild. Ouch.
Being named Stuart Fairchild. Ouch.
Problem is he can’t get onto a playoff roster anymore. No point. I mean if the Reds still have a shot, which they do, this dude has power, so I don’t get this move.
He hit one home run and seldom made contact. What’s your confusion?
He spent the entire ‘22 season with the Crew with over 500 plate attempts, was their best overall hitter in terms of average and slug, and we (fans) were pretty surprised he was traded because the arb price was viewed as a bit too high by the team. He hit 29 home runs. He was on the Reds for all of 14 games or so, the Reds are supposedly fighting for a playoff spot, and they show him the door. That’s the confusion.
lmao
Reds regretted not doing enough in July so they claimed Bader/Renfroe and now got stuck with their empty calorie salaries. Good season for them but felt like could have been way more coming out of the Central.
Hunter Renfroe should go rule NPB or KBO. He is useless AF here.
Well, he could go overseas, but any baseball fan who casually looks at his numbers — baseball-reference.com/players/r/renfrhu01.shtml — would say this is a 31-year-old veteran with 177 career HRs and a .478 career slugging percentage and is not too old to continue to have productive years in MLB. Unless he just suddenly, totally lost all his ability.
Another great Perry Minasian move.
I wonder if Perry will be in baseball next year.
You literally got Renfroe for Junk, what is there to complain about…
Not having him would have been better than having him. Even if the Angels got him as a gift.
Not just Junk. It also may put the Angels over the cap.
And you don’t think Elvis Peguero would have helped this pen? He’d be one of the Angels best RPs.
I can’t imagine Perry will retain his position. The Angels are not going to partially clean house. They should bring in a President of operations and he should build his team.
I can’t imagine they’ll let Perry build his team. If they are going to replace key positions in the organization, short timer Perry, has to go.
Flush…. what the hell does Krall do?? troll the sewers???Is he a Flippin Ninja Turtle at night? We need pitching Bob ,but hell lets blow 2 million and aquire the contents of a porta potty..
No playoffs this year..
You don’t know what other teams were asking for their pitching at the deadline. Sometimes the best trades are the ones not made. You also can bet that they tried to claim pitching on 8/31, but Cleveland got them. In short, quit complaining and enjoy the fact that they are WAY ahead of where anyone thought back in April.
You have no clue what was out there…what was ….the owners and Krall wouldn’t spend or trade for…go back to 1990. Since then, all that has happened is a show to sell a ticket, nothing else. J Hamlton Griffey Frazier(All-Star Game) Chapman. Then deal Castillo… could bring chapman back on the cheap. He wanted to come here to finish his career. Votto a wasted career in Cincy..just like Trout. ..oh and “quit complaining know one thought they’d be where they are? They are exactly where they should be, nothing changes, the bottom 3 of the division… same place next year!
I know exactly what was out there. I also know no one expected the Reds to play meaningful games in September. I also know all trades they made the last 2 seasons worked brilliantly in their favor. Finally, I know pessimistic “fans” like you suck.
@ekrog
I’m with you, but there’s no point arguing with some people.
PS- Get off his lawn
5th or 3rd they still sux ..no pitching and no pitching in the future. ..Rebuild every 5 years uncle boob!
Its pretty obvious that the Marlins will claim Renfroe, he fits their model. With thay being said, Renfroe is a darn good player. The Reds GM is a moron in letting him go. Renfroe would be the Mets fourth best hitter. I know it be a waste to pick him up considering hes a free agent and the Mets already have Veintos and Stewart but I’d like to see how he hits as a Met anf maybe they can sign him in the offseason. Hes better than VogelFat, get rid of him
If the Reds GM were an idiot he would not make this move. Renfroe’s only value is at the plate and he has been awful in Cincy. Fairchild a much better defender and Senzel is crushing lefties as a short side platoon player. The Reds need additional bullpen pitching available down the stretch due to current patchwork rotation.
@leftyr32 I’ll take Renfroe’s career stats over a 2 week sample size. He has a canon for an arm and is a 30 Hr bat that hits for around normally a .250, .260 average. Those hitters don’t just grow on trees
It’s a two week season for the Reds. Remfroe has been horrible the three weeks they had him. He wasn’t going to be brought back. Moving on is prudent.
Too bad he forgot to bring those elite skills with him from the Angels. If he had he would have been a fixture in Cincy.
Law of avgs, which very much applies to ballplayers performance, should be respected here. He’s due. Big time. Kind like when Adam Duvall went on a tear in August and was going to lead the BoSox to the WC, but went cold as ice in Sept and is now batting what is normal average production.
Matt Carpenter went on a tear for like 120 ABs slugging .700+ last year. Padres signed him. Can’t miss pick right? Has Slg .319 over 190 abs. Take the avg of those two — he’s in line w/career avg. Happened w/Aaron Hicks between NYY and O’s this year.
Red should have waited. His rebound is going to be fierce.
Still waiting on that fierce rebound
VogelFat. Did you come up with that yourself? How clever. Sorry, I meant lame.
@gbs42 Sorry I offended your son Mrs. Vogelbach
Have you ever read anything they have posted that wasn’t clever, I mean lame?
This guy has been with 6 teams in the last 4 years.. he’s not a bad player not sure why he gets tossed around like a Highschool cheerleader on prom night
Gotta be a reason for his constant turnover. You don’t send people packing that can contribute. Deals like this seldom bear fruit anyway.
Clubhouse cancer probably a hillbilly dummy
to
So, you’re saying he’s a sought after player
Also, your misogyny is noted
This guy looks like an AL Central guy. Detroit maybe.
Loved Renfroe when he was with the Red Sox a few years back. They sent him to Milwaukee. They didn’t love him. He goes to L.A.. Waived to the Reds then DFA’d.
I don’t know squat.
Dude been on like 8 teams in the last 9 yrs something not right with him to be on that many clubs. Probably clubhouse cancer
Renfroe and his wife had their first baby on June 9th. I wonder how much that is affecting him. I remember my first and being away for a day or two that first year felt like an eternity. So much happens in that time.
hire a nanny..could be a side piece.
How the mighty have fallen
Hunter was with Red Sox for one year, best season, 31hr, 96rbis, and he was a terrific right fielder. Chaim Bloom – finally fired – sent him to the Brewers for a couple of prospects which was his thing, but mostly to trade his salary that was going to go to about $ 8m, another standard Bloom / Rays move. Hunter was a terrific clubhouse guy too. Many of us never forgave Bloom for this trade. His year with the Brewers he had 29 hrs. I think the salary is hurting him – now about $ 11m. He is a mid level player and teams seem to feel he is too expensive for that role. He is also streaky, but when hot he is a terror. Miss him in Boston!