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Padres To Sign Shogo Akiyama To Minors Deal

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The Padres have reached an agreement to sign former Reds outfielder Shogo Akiyama to a minor league deal, per The Athletic’s C. Trent Rosecrans (via Twitter).

There were rumors even earlier today that the Seibu Lions were interested in bringing Akiyama back to the organization where he made his name, but the Japanese outfielder apparently is not yet done with Major League Baseball. With the Reds, he made 183 trips to the plate in each of 2020 and 2021, hitting a combined .224/.320/.274 in that time.

The Padres seem almost continually to shuffle their roster in reaction to injury. So long as Trent Grisham remains healthy, he’ll be the man in center field, though health has been an issue at times for Grisham. With Wil Myers recently going on the injured list, however, it’s been a new collection of bodied patrolling the grass including Matt Beaty, Trayce Thompson, and Jose Azocar. Akiyama could provide necessary depth in this area.

Reds Notes: Overton, Hendrix, Akiyama

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The Reds will purchase Connor Overton’s contract from Triple-A today, per Bobby Nightenale of the Cincinnati Enquirer (via Twitter). Overton will get the start in tonight’s game against the Rockies. Overton made his big league debut last year, splitting the year between the Blue Jays and Pirates. Between the two stops, he tossed 15 1/3 innings over nine appearances (3 starts) with a 4.70 ERA/3.89 FIP.

Reliever Ryan Hendrix, who was designated for assignment, has cleared waivers and been outrighted to Triple-A, per Nightengale. The 27-year-old struggled through five relief appearances, serving up three earned runs over 4 1/3 innings.

Former Red Shogo Akiyama may soon find a new home: his old home. The Seibu Lions have expressed interest in signing Akiyama, per Jason Cockrey (via Twitter). Akiyama played for the Lions from 2011 to 2019, when he moved to the States for two seasons with the Reds. He was released earlier this year in the final season of his contract.

Outrights: Murphy, Riddle

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A pair of players recently designated for assignment have cleared waivers and will stick with their organizations:

  • The Nationals announced yesterday that right-hander Patrick Murphy has been assigned outright to Triple-A Rochester. He’ll remain in the organization following last week’s DFA but will no longer occupy a spot on the 40-man roster. The 26-year-old Murphy, claimed off waivers out of the Blue Jays organization in 2021, appeared in six games with the Nats this year but was tagged for six runs (four earned) on eight hits and eight walks with four strikeouts in 5 2/3 innings. He struggled in D.C. last year as well and now carries a 5.55 ERA and 27-to-14 K/BB ratio in 24 1/3 innings of work since that waiver claim. The 2013 third-rounder sits north of 96 mph with his heater and has a solid minor league track record, so the Nats will hope that he can right the ship in Rochester and return to the big leagues at some point.
  • Reds infielder JT Riddle cleared waivers and was outrighted to Triple-A Louisville, tweets C. Trent Rosecrans of the Athletic. Riddle has previously been outrighted in his career, giving him the right to refuse a minor league assignment. However, the 30-year-old has elected to report to Louisville, where he started the season with a .258/.333/.516 line in 36 plate appearances. Riddle, selected while the team was dealing with injuries to Jonathan India and Mike Moustakas, appeared in a pair of games with Cincinnati.

Reds Place Nick Lodolo On Injured List

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The Reds are losing another starter to the injured list, as the team announced this morning that rookie left-hander Nick Lodolo is headed to the 10-day IL. He’s dealing with a lower back strain, per Charlie Goldsmith of the Cincinnati Enquirer (Twitter link). Infielder Mike Moustakas was reinstated from the 10-day IL in a corresponding move, and he’s back in the Reds’ lineup as the designated hitter for Thursday’s game.

Cincinnati hasn’t given any indication as to whether this will be a brief stint on the IL for Lodolo, or whether their touted young lefty could be facing a more protracted absence. Regardless, he’s joining both Luis Castillo and Mike Minor on the injured list, leaving an already floundering Reds team with a question mark in the rotation. Tyler Mahle, Hunter Greene, Vladimir Gutierrez and Reiver Sanmartin are all healthy options at the moment, although Greene’s 5.27 ERA is the best of that bunch through four turns in the rotation.

Castillo set out on a rehab assignment this past weekend and threw 48 pitches (2 1/3 innings), so he’s at least on pace to rejoin the rotation sooner than later. The Reds had been planning on giving him two more rehab appearances before activating him in perhaps the second week of May, so we’ll see if the injury to Lodolo prompts a more accelerated timetable for the team’s top starter. Cincinnati could simply go with a bullpen game or two while waiting on Castillo’s return, or it’s possible that they’ll take a look at righty Graham Ashcraft, who’s out to a strong start in Triple-A. If the preference is for a shorter-term veteran option, right-hander Zack Godley is also on the roster down in Louisville. Either would need to be selected to the 40-man roster.

Lodolo, 24, was the No. 7 overall draft pick back in 2019 and entered the season ranked among the sport’s top pitching prospects. He’s gotten out to a rough start, however, surrendering a 5.52 ERA through 14 2/3 innings over his first three big league starts. He’s punched out an impressive 27.5% of his opponents thus far, but Lodolo has yielded a whopping 18 hits — three of them home runs. He’s also walked five hitters and plunked a pair, further crowding the basepaths. Certainly, a rocky stretch of three starts to begin his career isn’t going to dramatically alter the perception of Lodolo or dampen his long-term outlook, but the struggles are magnified, given the injuries and struggles that are permeating the remainder of the Reds’ pitching staff.

As for the 33-year-old Moustakas, he wound up missing a minimal 10 days with a right biceps strain. The three-time All-Star is in dire need of a rebound at the dish, as he opened the year with a .129/.125/.129 slash and is batting just .196/.261/.336 in 238 plate appearances dating back to 2021. Moustakas is in the third season of a four-year, $64MM contract with the Reds.

Reds To Select Phillip Diehl

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12:45pm: The Reds announced the move, adding that lefty Justin Wilson is heading to the 10-day injured list with a soreness in his left elbow. With Wilson sidelined and Diehl up in the Majors, the Reds will still have just one lone southpaw option in the bullpen.

11:25am: The Reds are selecting the contract of left-handed reliever Phillip Diehl, reports C. Trent Rosecrans of The Athletic (Twitter link). It’ll be the Cincinnati native’s first big league work since appearing with the Rockies in 2020. The Reds have an open spot on the 40-man roster at the moment, so no corresponding 40-man move was necessary. The team hasn’t yet announced the transaction, though, so it’s possible it’ll be accompanied by other roster moves.

Diehl, 27, is in his second season with his hometown organization. He spent the 2021 season with the Reds’ Triple-A affiliate in Louisville, where he pitched to a terrific 2.47 ERA with a 33%  strikeout rate against a 5.6% walk rate in 54 2/3 innings of relief. Despite that showing, Diehl didn’t get a look in the big leagues with the Reds, who claimed him off waivers from the Rockies in early April and passed him through waivers a month later.

This season, Diehl has has yielded four earned runs on five hits and a walk with 11 strikeouts through eight frames. He’ll give manager David Bell a second southpaw option in a bullpen that had previously only included veteran Justin Wilson.

In 13 1/3 career Major League innings, Diehl has allowed 13 runs. He’s been outstanding at Triple-A dating back to last season, however, and has a long history of both missing bats (31.1% strikeout rate) and limiting free passes (6.7% walk rate) in parts of six minor league seasons.

Reds Activate Jonathan India, Designate JT Riddle For Assignment

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The Reds announced Tuesday that they’ve reinstated second baseman Jonathan India from the injured list and designated utilityman JT Riddle for assignment in order to open a spot on the 40-man roster. Cincinnati also optioned infielder Alejo Lopez to Triple-A and added infielder Matt Reynolds to the active roster. The Reds claimed Reynolds off waivers a couple days ago.

India, the reigning NL Rookie of the Year, wound up requiring only a minimal stay on the injured list while nursing a hamstring strain. He’s back in the lineup hitting leadoff for today’s game. The 25-year-old has gotten out to a slow start in his sophomore season, hitting just .241/.267/.276 — albeit in a tiny sample of 30 plate appearances. The 2021 season saw India, a former No. 5 overall draft pick, break out with an outstanding .269/.376/.459 batting line, 21 home runs, 34 doubles, two triples and a dozen steals.

As for Riddle, the 30-year-old journeyman appeared in two games and went 1-for-4 with a single in that brief look. He signed a minor league deal with Cincinnati in the offseason and got out to a fast start in Triple-A Louisville, where he hit .258/.333/.516 in 36 trips to the plate. That said, Riddle is a career .244/.296/.396 hitter in parts of seven Triple-A seasons, including a tepid .202/.269/.333 last season with the Twins’ top affiliate in St. Paul. The former Marlins prospect has spent the bulk of his pro career playing shortstop, but he’s moved into more of a utility role in recent seasons, seeing ample time at second base, third base and all three outfield spots (center, in particular).

The Reds will have a week to trade Riddle, place him on outright waivers or release him.

Reds Sign Taylor Motter To Minor League Deal

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The Reds have signed infielder Taylor Motter to a minor league deal, according to his transactions tracker at MLB.com. Motter has been assigned to the Louisville Bats, the club’s Triple-A team.

Motter, 32, played in 143 total games over the 2016-2018 seasons, spending time with the Rays, Mariners and Twins. He brought some speed and defensive versatility, swiping 13 bags in that stretch while lining up defensively at every position on the diamond except for catcher and center field. Unfortunately, he wasn’t able to provide much with the bat, hitting just .191/.263/.312 in that stretch, a 57 wRC+.

In 2019, he lingered in the minors and then went to the KBO in 2020. Last year, he bounced around and got into 16 MLB games, split between the Rockies and Red Sox, producing a similar batting line to his previous numbers. However, he fared quite well in Triple-A last year. In 82 games, he hit .313/.436/.668 for a 167 wRC+. If he could carry any of that up to the big leagues with him this year, the Reds would surely be very grateful.

Cincy has been hit hard by injuries in the early part of the season, particularly on the infield. Mike Moustakas, Jose Barrero, Jonathan India, Donovan Solano and Max Schrock are all currently on the injured list. Motter will spend some time in Triple-A and try to earn his way into the club’s plans.

Reds Notes: India, Stephenson

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  • The Reds might be able to activate Jonathan India from the 10-day IL on Tuesday, his first day of eligibility to return.  India has taken grounders and run the bases on each of the last two days, and told MLB.com’s Mark Sheldon and other reporters that he is “feeling great,” though “I’m not going to push anything to come back right now.”  India has been out of action with a right hamstring strain, and is one of 11 Cincinnati players on the injured list
  • Tyler Stephenson is on the seven-day version of the IL after suffering a concussion on April 20, and manager David Bell told Sheldon and company that the catcher will likely be sidelined until early May.  Bell even implied that Stephenson may not join the Reds during an upcoming road trip that runs April 29 to May 5, if just for precautionary reasons in advance of a possible May 6 activation.

Reds Claim Matt Reynolds, Designate Ryan Hendrix

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The Reds announced that they have claimed infielder Matt Reynolds off waivers from the Mets. Right-handed pitcher Ryan Hendrix has been designated for assignment in a corresponding move, reports Mark Sheldon of MLB.com.

Reynolds, 31, made his major league debut with the Mets in 2016. Since then, he’s bounced around to the Nationals and Royals, as well as a stint in the minors for the White Sox. He returned to the Mets on a minor league deal and was selected to their 40-man roster a couple of weeks ago when Brandon Nimmo and Mark Canha tested positive for Covid-19. As they returned to reclaim their roster spots, Reynolds relinquished his, being designated for assignment last week.

Reynolds hasn’t hit much at the major league level thus far in his career, putting up a line of .212/.282/.323 in 131 games. However, his Triple-A numbers are much more encouraging, coming in at .282/.363/.434 in 585 games at that level. The Reds will be hoping Reynolds can carry some of that production up to the majors. Their infield has taken a number of hits in the early going this year, as Mike Moustakas, Jose Barrero, Jonathan India, Donovan Solano and Max Schrock are all on the injured list. Reynolds has played all over the infield in his career, while also seeing limited action in the outfield corners.

Hendrix made his major league debut last year, throwing 31 2/3 innings out of Cincinnati’s bullpen. His 5.97 ERA was on the high side, but he at least paired that with a decent 24.6% strikeout rate and tolerable 11.3% walk rate. Things have gone sour this year, however, as his ERA has shot up to 8.10, with a 22.2% walk rate. We’re talking about a miniscule sample of 3 1/3 innings, but the Reds are nonetheless willing to take the risk of Hendrix clearing waivers and sticking with the organization. The 27-year-old does have an option, which could give him some appeal to teams in need of pitching depth.

Reds Activate Tyler Naquin, Option TJ Friedl

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The Reds have activated outfielder Tyler Naquin from the COVID injured list, per C. Trent Rosecrans of The Athletic (via Twitter). In corresponding moves, TJ Friedl was optioned to Triple-A, and righty Daniel Duarte was placed on the 60-day injured list.

The 30-year-old Naquin will step right back into the leadoff spot while defending right field today. He was hitting .273/.333/.455 in 36 plate appearances before requiring a few days off.

Friedl saw limited playing time while on the roster, having gone 0-7 this season with a walk. Duarte, already on the 10-day injured list with right elbow swelling, simply moves to the 60-day, opening a spot on the 40-man roster. Duarte made just three appearances with the Reds this season.

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