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The Latest On Jonathan India, Mark Payton, Michael Lorenzen

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The Reds will activate Jonathan India and return him to their active roster today. Mark Payton will be optioned back to their alternate site, per Bobby Nightengale of the Cincinnati Enquirer (via Twitter). While on the roster, Payton has been utilized more-or-less solely as a pinch-hitter, going one-for-seven with a walk and a strikeout in ten games.

India has been out for just a couple of days, last appearing in a game on April 26th. India just went on the injured list on April 30th without an injury designation, which suggests his placement could have been COVID-19 related. India also took a pitch to the head last Sunday, but he passed all the necessary medical tests at that time, per Nightengale. The Reds’ rookie second baseman has hit .239/.316/.358 over 79 plate appearances.

In his absence, Nick Senzel has returned to second base with Tyler Naquin stationed in center. While there was a time when it seemed Senzel would be the Reds’ second baseman of the future, Friday’s game was his first-ever start at the position in the Majors. Senzel is slated to start at second again today, though presumably, India will take the position back shortly.

In other Reds’ news, Michael Lorenzen will begin his rehab shortly after responding well to PRP treatment (platelet-rich plasma). It’s still a long road back for Lorenzen, however. Manager David Bell set a timeline of a couple of months for Lorenzen’s return, per Nightengale (via Twitter). The athletic 29-year-old was moved to the 60-day injured list in mid-April because of an ongoing shoulder strain.

Reds Designate Edgar Garcia, Select Jonathan India

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The Reds announced this morning that they’ve selected the contract of infielder Jonathan India and cleared a spot on the 40-man roster by designating right-hander Edgar Garcia for assignment. Cincinnati also activated Joey Votto from the injured list and optioned Max Schrock and Mark Payton to the alternate training site. Right-hander Sonny Gray (back injury) and outfielder Shogo Akiyama (hamstring strain) were both placed on the 10-day injured list, retroactive to March 29, as expected.

Garcia, 24, had a nice spring with the Reds but now could be headed elsewhere before ever playing in a regular-season game for them. Signed to a non-guaranteed big league deal over the winter, Garcia held opponents to a pair of runs on five hits and three walks with eight strikeouts through 7 1/3 Cactus League innings. He struggled with the Phillies and Rays in the Majors from 2019-20 — 6.17 ERA, 16 percent walk rate — but Garcia has posted strong ERAs with very good strikeout and walk rates in both Double-A and Triple-A. He has a minor league option remaining, which could attract the interest of another team.

None of the other moves announced Thursday were unexpected. Cincinnati confirmed what had long been apparent yesterday when declaring that India, the No. 5 overall draft pick in 2018, had made their Opening Day roster. He’s expected to serve as their primary second baseman.

Reds Select Mark Payton’s Contract

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The Reds announced that outfielder Mark Payton’s contract has been selected to the Major League roster.  Payton’s move was one of a few transactions made official by the club, as the Reds also optioned infielder Josh VanMeter to their alternate training site and made a change to their taxi squad — righty Jose De Leon joins the taxi squad, while outfielder Robel Garcia is out.

Payton now seems set to make his MLB debut, which he probably thought was in the cards back in December when the Reds plucked him out of the Athletics’ system via the Rule 5 draft.  In July, however, the Reds returned Payton back to Oakland seemingly as part of a roster crunch, yet then re-acquired the outfielder two weeks ago.  Since Payton is now officially a member of Cincinnati’s roster, he is free of any Rule 5 restrictions, so the Reds can freely option him between the majors and their alternate training site if they so choose.

A seventh-round pick for the Yankees in the 2014 draft, Payton has hit .286/.363/.455 with 62 home runs over 2248 career minor league plate appearances.  Those career numbers are heavily fueled by Payton’s 30 homers and .334/.400/.653 slash line over 447 PA for the Athletics’ Triple-A affiliate in 2019, though that performance carries some caveats.  2019 was the most hitter-friendly year in the history of Triple-A baseball, the Pacific Coast League was a notoriously hitter-friendly league even prior to 2019, and Payton (then in his age-27 season) was older than most Triple-A pitchers.

Still, obviously the Reds saw enough in Payton’s breakout year to make him a priority in the Rule 5 draft.  Payton does have some center field experience, though he has mostly played as a corner outfielder in recent years.  He will join Travis Jankowski as a left-handed hitting backup outfielder on a roster that also includes Shogo Akiyama and Jesse Winker as more regular lefty-swinging outfielders.

Reds Acquire Mark Payton From Athletics

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The Reds have acquired outfielder Mark Payton from the Athletics for cash considerations, Bobby Nightengale of the Cincinnati Enquirer tweets. Cincy took Payton from Oakland during last winter’s Rule 5 Draft, but it returned him to the A’s on July 21.

The 28-year-old Payton entered the pro ranks as a seventh-round pick of the Yankees in 2014, and he hasn’t played in the majors yet. However, he is coming off a 2019 in which he was a tremendous minor league producer. Payton logged 447 plate appearances with the A’s top minors affiliate, mashed 30 home runs and hit .334/.400/.653 – good for a 148 wRC+ even in the offensively charged Pacific Coast League. He only struck out in 17 percent of trips to the plate, so Payton certainly wasn’t selling out for power.

Reds Return Rule 5 Pick Mark Payton To Athletics

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4:03pm: Payton has indeed been added to the Athletics’ player pool, the team announced.

3:02pm: The Reds have returned Rule 5 pick Mark Payton to the Athletics, per a club announcement. The 28-year-old outfielder was not claimed by another club on waivers. It’s not yet clear if he’ll be part of Oakland’s 60-man player pool.

Last season was Payton’s first in the Oakland organization, and he made an impression with a gaudy .334/.400/.653 batting line in 447 plate appearances at the Triple-A level. Payton bashed a career-best 30 home runs last year, albeit in an extremely hitter-friendly setting amid a leaguewide home run surge. (The Triple-A ball was the same as the MLB ball last year.) That said, Payton also altered his swing and hit fly-balls at a career-high rate in 2019, so the uptick in power wasn’t solely attributable to the league context.

Unfortunately for Payton, the Reds added multiple high-profile outfielders to a group that already included Nick Senzel, Jesse Winker, Aristides Aquino and Phil Ervin. Cincinnati signed both Nick Castellanos and Shogo Akiyama this winter, leaving Payton as a long-shot to make the club — even with an expanded roster. That crammed outfield already led to a DFA for Scott Schebler and Payton’s return to the A’s, but outfielder Travis Jankowski has been told he’ll make the Reds’ Opening Day roster, Bobby Nightengale of the Cincinnati Enquirer tweets.

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