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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.

Reds To Place Tyler Stephenson On Concussion List

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1:25pm: The Reds have announced the move, with Kolozsvary being recalled to take Stephenson’s placed on the roster.

8:35am: The Reds will place catcher Tyler Stephenson on the 7-day concussion injured list this morning, tweets Bobby Nightengale of the Cincinnati Enquirer. Stephenson suffered a concussion in a collision play at the plate with Padres first baseman/designated hitter Luke Voit last night (video link via MLB.com)

The play itself has become a source of some controversy in the aftermath, with Reds fans and several Reds players feeling there was ill intent behind Voit’s slide. Padres fans, players and manager Bob Melvin, naturally, have opined that Voit didn’t have much of an alternative.

“The ball takes him right into Luke,” Melvin told reporters after the game (video link via Bally Sports San Diego). “There’s nowhere to go, and I think Luke was just trying to protect himself, putting his hands up. I think they got it right.” Voit, of course, insists that he “wasn’t trying to take [Stephenson] out or anything” and added that he hopes Stephenson will be all right.

Reds skipper David Bell said after the game that he “didn’t have a problem with the slide” but called it a “scary” and “helpless” feeling when a manager sees one of his players laid out and injured in that manner (link via Mark Sheldon of MLB.com).

Reds left fielder Tommy Pham, meanwhile, told reporters that the slide was “dirty as [expletive].” Reds shortstop Kyle Farmer, a former catcher, said after the game that he’s “not too happy about the slide,” adding that it’s “not too often you a runner slide and grab someone’s head … you’re usually trying to reach for the bag, and maybe that’s what he was trying to do, but after looking at the replay, it looked like a wrestling move to Tyler’s head and snapped it down” (video link via Bally Sports Cincinnati). “I’ve never really seen someone’s hands go to a catcher’s head on a slide,” Farmer continued.

Regardless of where your thoughts land on the slide by Voit, the relay throw, and the postgame comments from both teams, the end result is the same. Stephenson will be away from the Reds for at least a week. The hope is that he’ll quickly clear concussion protocol and be able to return in short order, though concussions of course are tricky injuries that often have lingering effects.

The 25-year-old Stephenson, selected with the No. 11 overall draft pick back in 2015, has gone from top prospect to Cincinnati’s clear everyday catcher. His performance in 2020-21 was strong enough that the Reds had zero hesitation in trading stalwart catcher Tucker Barnhart to the Tigers early in the 2021-22 offseason, and Stephenson has picked up right where he left off at the plate. In 37 plate appearances this year, he’s batted .267/.378/.467 with a pair of homers, raising his career batting line to a stout .285/.368/.443 with 14 home runs in 459 plate appearances. That’s well above-average production for any player (116 wRC+), but it’s among the best in the league, on a rate basis, among catchers.

Defensively, Stephenson has been sound. He’s 4-for-9 in throwing out base thieves this season (44%), bringing his career rate to 25% (just a percentage point below league average). He’s drawn above-average framing marks from each of Baseball Prospectus and FanGraphs, with Prospectus adding that he’s been about average in terms of blocking pitches in the dirt.

With Stephenson sidelined for the time being, the Reds seem likely to turn to Aramis Garcia as their top option behind the dish. Who will back him up remains an open question. Double-A catcher Mark Kolozsvary, a member of last year’s Team USA Olympic club, is on the 40-man roster but has gotten out to a slow start in Chattanooga. The Reds recently signed veteran Sandy Leon to a minor league contract as well, and if the team’s preference is for Kolozsvary to continue getting everyday at-bats rather than playing sparingly on the big league bench, it could be that Leon is quickly called to the MLB roster.

Whatever route the team takes, Stephenson’s loss is a huge blow to a team that has struggled immensely to score runs in 2022. Cincinnati ranks 25th in the Majors in runs scored, and they have more combined plate appearances than all five of the teams behind them (some of whom have had multiple postponements on the year). From a rate standpoint, the Reds’ offense has been far and away the worst in the league. Reds batters have combined for a gruesome .178/.250/.286 batting line, and the resulting 52 wRC+ is a full nine points lower than the second-worst club (Arizona). Stephenson has been one of the team’s only productive hitters, but he’ll now likely be replaced in the lineup by Garcia, a career .218/.255/.371 hitter in 214 Major League plate appearances.

Reds Place Jonathan India, Mike Moustakas On Injured List

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The Reds announced they’ve placed infielders Jonathan India and Mike Moustakas on the 10-day injured list. India has a right hamstring strain, while Moustakas has a right biceps strain. In corresponding moves, Cincinnati recalled outfielder TJ Friedl and selected infielder JT Riddle from Triple-A Louisville. The Reds had a vacancy on the 40-man roster after placing outfielder Tyler Naquin on the COVID-19 IL last night.

India’s IL placement is retroactive to April 16, meaning he could first return a week from today. The 25-year-old hasn’t played since last Thursday, but the Reds have held off on placing him on the IL until this evening. That’d seemingly indicate Cincinnati doesn’t anticipate there being a lengthy absence, but India will require a bit more recovery time. The defending NL Rookie of the Year has just seven hits — six singles and a double — through his first 30 plate appearances.

Moustakas was scratched from last night’s starting lineup because of the biceps issue. After the game, manager David Bell told reporters (link via C. Trent Rosecrans of the Athletic) he anticipated the veteran would return to the lineup tonight. That obviously won’t be the case, as Moustakas is now out until the middle of next week. He’s off to a rough start to the year, going 4-31 with 13 strikeouts.

The Reds were already without shortstop José Barrero and offseason signee Donovan Solano. The infield mix is very thin at this point, with Brandon Drury, Colin Moran and Alejo López the top options for playing time. Moran and López are getting the nods at third and second base, respectively, for tonight’s game against the Padres.

Riddle adds some extra infield depth behind that group. Signed to a minor league deal over the offseason, the left-handed hitter cracks the majors for the sixth consecutive season. Riddle was a fairly frequently-used role player with the 2017-19 Marlins, but he’s picked up just brief cups of coffee with the Pirates and Twins over the past two seasons. Over 793 big league plate appearances, he owns a .223/.261/.355 slash line. Riddle has gotten out to a strong start in Louisville, hitting a pair of homers and doubles apiece en route to a .258/.333/.516 mark in nine games.

In more fortunate Reds injury news, starter Luis Castillo threw 35 pitches during a live batting practice session today, tweets Bobby Nightengale of the Cincinnati Enquirer. The All-Star righty is set to begin a minor league rehab assignment this weekend.

Reds Sign Ross Detwiler To Minor League Deal

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The Reds have signed lefty Ross Detwiler to a minor league contract, per Baseball America’s Chris Hilburn-Trenkle. The CAA client hasn’t yet been assigned to an affiliate, but his deal with the team is also reflected on the Reds’ transactions log at MLB.com.

Detwiler, 36, split the 2021 season between the Marlins and Padres, working to a combined 4.64 ERA with a 27.1% strikeout rate, an 8.7% walk rate and a 39.9% ground-ball rate in 52 1/3 innings. Detwiler made five starts, albeit working primarily as an opener, though his work to kick off games did not go well. The well-traveled southpaw notched a 2.82 ERA as a reliever while holding opponents to an awful .186/.287/.311 batting line. As a starter, he tossed 7 2/3 innings and was clobbered for 13 runs on 14 hits (seven homers) and three walks, with opponents batting .378/.439/1.054.

The former No. 6 overall draft pick has had plenty of experience pitching both out of rotations and bullpens in the big leagues, but he’s been far more effective as a reliever late in his career. That goes beyond just the 2021 season; Detwiler had a nice year with the White Sox in 2020, tossing 19 2/3 innings with a 3.20 ERA out of the bullpen. Dating back to 2018, Detwiler has a 4.12 ERA, 22.1% strikeout rate and 8.2% walk rate in 83 innings as a reliever. Working as a starter in that time, he’s been tagged for a 6.96 ERA with just a 15.9% strikeout rate.

While Detwiler could technically give the Reds some rotation depth at a time when both Luis Castillo and Mike Minor are on the injured list, that recent track record makes him seem far likelier to serve as left-handed bullpen depth. Justin Wilson is currently the only lefty reliever in manager David Bell’s bullpen, and Cincinnati doesn’t have another lefty option on the 40-man roster. Former Rockies reliever Phillip Diehl is in Triple-A Louisville, and Detwiler seems likely to join him there as an upper-level option once he gets built up.

Mike Minor Shut Down Following Setback In Shoulder Rehab

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After letting Wade Miley go via waivers and trading Sonny Gray to the Twins in the offseason (amid other cost-cutting moves), the Reds attempted to restock the rotation in a trade that sent reliever Amir Garrett to the Royals in exchange for veteran southpaw Mike Minor. Not long after the trade, the Reds revealed that Minor was battling some shoulder issues and expected to begin the season on the injured list, though skipper David Bell suggested at the time that the shoulder soreness was not overly concerning.

Minor went on a rehab assignment last week, but the lefty suffered a setback in his first appearance with Double-A Chattanooga. Per The Athletic’s C. Trent Rosecrans, Minor has now been shut down for the time being and returned to Cincinnati. He’s back into a rest-and-rehab program and will need to build arm strength back up whenever he’s cleared to begin throwing. At present, there’s no timetable for Minor’s return.

It’s a depth blow to a Reds rotation that is also without top starter Luis Castillo, who’s also been sidelined thanks to shoulder issues. Castillo’s work early in camp was delayed by shoulder soreness, but he’s said to be healthy now and is throwing to hitters as he ramps up toward a rehab assignment of his own. The Reds have previously expressed optimism that Castillo could return late this month. With both Castillo and Minor shelved, Cincinnati has been deploying Tyler Mahle, Reiver Sanmartin, Vladimir Gutierrez and top prospects Hunter Greene and Nick Lodolo as its starting five.

The setback to Minor figures to only further rile a fanbase that wasn’t happy with the Reds’ offseason direction. Cincinnati let Miley go on waivers to spare a $1MM buyout on a $10MM club option they weren’t going to exercise — the Cubs claimed him and happily picked that option up — but months later took on about $7.3MM in salary to acquire Minor on the heels of a less-productive season. Of course, Cincinnati couldn’t have known early in the offseason that they’d manage to successfully jettison the remaining three years and $35MM on Eugenio Suarez’s contract. The money saved in the Jesse Winker/Suarez trade with the Mariners surely played a role in the Reds’ decisions to acquire Minor and sign free agents Tommy Pham, Donovan Solano (also currently on the injured list) and Hunter Strickland.

Minor, 34, is in the second guaranteed season of a two-year, $18MM contract originally signed with Kansas City. The Reds hold a $13MM club option on him with a $1MM buyout, though the Royals agreed to pay that buyout as part of the trade. Over the past two seasons, Minor has a 5.18 ERA in 215 1/3 innings, albeit with much more palatable strikeout and walk rates (23.2% and 6.7%, respectively).

Reds Place Daniel Duarte On 10-Day IL, Recall Alejo Lopez

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The Reds have placed right-handed pitcher Daniel Duarte on the 10-day injured list with elbow swelling, per a team announcement. Infielder Alejo Lopez has been recalled to take his place on the roster.

Duarte was just recalled yesterday to take the roster spot of Nick Senzel, who was himself placed on the IL. After throwing one inning in yesterday’s game, Duarte will join Senzel on the injured list. The 25-year-old made his MLB debut earlier in the year and now has 2 2/3 big league innings under his belt.

As for Lopez, he made his MLB debut last year, slashing an even .261/.261/.261 in a small sample of 23 plate appearances. In Triple-A last year, he didn’t provide much power but walked more than he struck out, leading to a slashline of .303/.386/.446. That amounted to a 126 wRC+ over 290 plate appearances. The 25-year-old (26 next month) has primarily played second and third base, with brief appearances in the outfield and at shortstop as well. He’ll provide some depth for a Reds position player mix that’s already taken a few hits in recent weeks. Eugenio Suarez and Jesse Winker were traded to the Mariners, while Shogo Akiyama was released. The early-season IL already features the aforementioned Senzel, alongside Max Schrock, Donovan Solano and Jose Barrero.

Mariners Acquire Riley O’Brien

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The Mariners announced that they have acquired right-hander Riley O’Brien from the Reds in exchange for cash considerations or a player to be named later. He had been designated for assignment recently when the Reds selected Nick Lodolo to their roster. The Mariners won’t need to make a corresponding move, as a spot on their 40-man roster was recently opened up when Mitch Haniger was placed on the Covid-related injured list.

Drafted by the Rays in 2017, O’Brien was traded to the Reds at the 2020 deadline for Cody Reed. He made his MLB debut in 2021, getting a cup of coffee that lasted 1 1/3 innings. He made 22 Triple-A starts and one relief appearance last year, logging 112 2/3 innings with a 4.55 ERA, 24.7% strikeout rate, 45% groundball rate and 11.2% walk rate. Control has been a consistent drag on O’Brien’s performance thus far in his career, as he’s never posted a walk rate below 9.8% at any level.

The 27-year-old still has options remaining, meaning he’ll likely join the Triple-A Tacoma Rainiers and serve as depth for the Mariners’ pitching staff. The big league rotation already has five members in Robbie Ray, Logan Gilbert, Marco Gonzales, Chris Flexen and Matt Brash. However, due to the shortened Spring Training this year, many teams are deploying six-man rotations or occasional spot starts from depth arms in order to weather the unusual schedule. O’Brien should be in the mix for such a role, alongside Nick Margevicius and Justus Sheffield. The club also has veteran Asher Wojciechowski in the minors, although he doesn’t currently have a roster spot. Top pitching prospect George Kirby could be an option at some point this season, although he’s started his year in Double-A and would also require a 40-man slot.

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