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Reiver Sanmartin

Reds Sign Reiver Sanmartin, Alex Blandino To Minor League Deals

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The Reds signed left-hander Reiver Sanmartin and infielder Alex Blandino to minor league deals within the last week, according to Cincinnati’s official transactions page.  Sanmartin was assigned to Triple-A Louisville, while Blandino was assigned to Double-A Chattanooga.

Sanmartin was cut loose by the Reds just prior to the non-tender deadline, and he’ll now return to the team while no longer part of the 40-man roster.  It doesn’t seem like he’ll be available for most or even all of the 2024 season after undergoing UCL surgery back in July, if that surgery was indeed a standard Tommy John procedure.  However, Sanmartin’s prognosis improves if he underwent an internal brace procedure, which carries a more fluid but perhaps significantly shorter recovery timeline depending of the nature of the injury.  Should Sanmartin fall within that 6-9 month range for a brace surgery, he might be ready to go for the start of Spring Training.

There wasn’t any mention whether or not Sanmartin’s minor league deal was for one or two years, as the longer deal would’ve hinted at a longer recovery.  Such two-year pacts at either the minor league or Major League levels aren’t uncommon for pitchers recovering from major arm surgeries, as teams get to lock up a player with the acknowledgement that they’ll miss most or all of that first year.  Just earlier today, the Red Sox inked a two-year minor league pact with Wyatt Mills, who had TJ surgery last July.

Sanmartin came to the Reds from the Yankees as part of the Sonny Gray trade in January 2019.  Making his MLB debut in 2021 and then appearing for Cincinnati in each of the last three seasons, Sanmartin has a 5.77 ERA over 82 2/3 innings in the Show, working primarily as a reliever.  With underwhelming walk and strikeout rates, Sanmartin’s 53.5% groundball rate is a highlight, though batters have been fortunate with a .339 BABIP against Sanmartin’s grounder-heavy approach.  The 27-year-old southpaw has had better strikeout and control numbers down on the farm, en route to a 3.39 ERA over 446 career minor league innings.

Blandino is another former Red, as he was selected 29th overall by the team in the 2014 draft and then played all three of his MLB seasons (2018-21) in Cincinnati.  However, a torn ACL and other injuries hampered his time in the big leagues, as Blandino had a penchant for drawing walks but not much else over the course of a .226/.339/.291 slash line in 279 plate appearances.  After the Reds outrighted Blandino following the 2021 season, he spent some time in the minors with the Giants and Mariners, and his only pro experience in 2023 was playing with Team Nicaragua in the World Baseball Classic.

The 31-year-old Blandino has a lot of experience at both middle infield positions and at third base, plus a handful of appearances as a first baseman, corner outfielder, and even four mop-up pitching appearances in blowouts during the 2021 campaign.  This versatility makes him a useful depth option to have on hand in the minors, especially since the Reds’ influx of young star prospects coming to the majors has thinned out the position-player ranks in their farm system.

National League Non-Tenders: 11/17/23

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The deadline to tender a contract to arbitration-eligible players is tonight at 7:00pm CT. Here’s a rundown of fairly minor players on National League teams who have been non-tendered today. This post will be updated as more decisions are revealed. MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz projected salaries for all players eligible for arbitration last month.

All players who are non-tendered before this evening’s deadline go directly into free agency without being placed on waivers. They’ll be eligible to sign with any of the league’s 30 teams. It’s not uncommon to see non-tendered players almost immediately return to their previous organization on a minor league deal.

The transactions:

Latest Moves

Earlier

  • The Reds have non-tendered relievers Derek Law and Reiver Sanmartin. Cincinnati also confirmed the previously reported non-tender of Nick Senzel.
  • In addition to Rowdy Tellez and Brandon Woodruff, the Brewers have non-tendered right-hander J.C. Mejía. He failed a PED test in September, the second such result of his career, and was suspended for 162 games.
  • Former Rookie of the Year winner Kyle Lewis was non-tendered by the Diamondbacks. He played in only 16 games after being acquired from the Mariners last offseason.
  • The Cubs non-tendered relievers Ethan Roberts, Brandon Hughes and Codi Heuer. All three are recovering from surgeries.
  • Right-hander Tommy Doyle was non-tendered by the Rockies. Colorado designated him for assignment when acquiring Cal Quantrill this morning.
  • The Cardinals have non-tendered catcher Andrew Knizner, first baseman Juan Yepez and starting pitchers Jake Woodford and Dakota Hudson. St. Louis reportedly tried to deal Hudson this afternoon but evidently did not find a taker.
  • The Mets have non-tendered relievers Jeff Brigham, Sam Coonrod and Trevor Gott. New York also cut loose infielder Luis Guillorme and confirmed the reported non-tender of Dan Vogelbach.
  • Left-hander Josh Fleming was non-tendered by the Phillies, the team announced. Philadelphia just snagged the southpaw off waivers from the Rays a few weeks ago.
  • The Marlins have non-tendered catcher Jacob Stallings and infielder Garrett Hampson, per a club announcement. Stallings spent two seasons as the primary catcher after being acquired from the Pirates at the 2021-22 offseason. Hampson signed a minor league deal with the Fish last season.
  • The Pirates non-tendered Osvaldo Bido and Hunter Stratton, tweets Jason Mackey of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Neither had yet been eligible for arbitration. Both right-handers made their big league debuts in 2023; Mackey suggests the Bucs will try to bring them back on minor league pacts.
  • The Nationals announced they’ve non-tendered first baseman Dominic Smith and right-hander Cory Abbott. Both players were designated for assignment earlier in the week, making this an inevitability.

Reds’ Reiver Sanmartin Undergoes UCL Surgery

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Reds reliever Reiver Sanmartin underwent surgery to repair his UCL earlier this month, the team informed reporters (including C. Trent Rosecrans of the Athletic). It isn’t clear if he underwent a full Tommy John procedure or something like the modified internal brace surgery, but it appears as if his season is over.

Sanmartin is already on the 60-day injured list. He landed on the shelf at the start of May with a stress reaction in his elbow. Apparently, there was also ligament damage that needed to be corrected. Assuming he’s done for the season, he’ll remain on the 60-day IL through year’s end.

The 27-year-old has pitched in parts of three seasons with Cincinnati. He owns a 5.77 ERA through 82 2/3 career frames. Sanmartin has induced grounders at a lofty 53.5% clip but posted worse than average strikeout and walk numbers. He’s controllable through 2028, but it wouldn’t be a surprise if Cincinnati waived him at the start of the offseason rather than carry him on the 40-man roster throughout the winter.

The Reds provided updates on a few other injured pitchers (via Rosecrans). Hunter Greene will begin a minor league rehab stint next weekend; the club hopes he’ll be ready for the majors by August 20. Nick Lodolo is targeting an MLB return at the end of next month, beginning a rehab stint at a similar time as Greene. Vladimir Gutierrez and Tejay Antone are each beginning rehab work of their own after missing the entire season to date.

Reds Place Nick Lodolo On 15-Day IL

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The Reds announced a flurry of roster moves this morning, as the club placed left-hander Nick Lodolo and right-hander Casey Legumina on the 15-day injured list and optioned right-hander Levi Stoudt to Triple-A Louisville. To replace the aforementioned trio on the roster, the club recalled right-hander Kevin Herget while selecting the contracts of right-handers Alan Busenitz and Silvino Bracho. To clear 40-man roster space for Busenitz and Bracho, the club has transferred right-hander Connor Overton and left-hander Reiver Sanmartin to the 60-day IL. As noted by Charlie Goldsmith of the Cincinnati Enquirer, Lodolo is expected to miss at least four weeks of action.

The most significant news here is that regarding Lodolo, as the 25-year-old lefty will now miss at least a month of the 2023 campaign. A long time top prospect for the Reds, Lodolo was as good as advertised in his first taste of big league action last year, pitching to a solid 3.66 ERA (123 ERA+) and a 3.90 FIP over 103 1/3 innings of work across 19 starts. Unfortunately for the Reds, Lodolo wasn’t able to carry that success over into the 2023 campaign, as the lefty has posted an ugly 6.29 ERA and 5.82 FIP in seven starts this season. Lodolo figures to rest his ailing calf and get healthy in order to try and get his season on track when he returns from the IL this summer.

With Lodolo out of action for the time being, the Reds have just three regular starters in their rotation: Hunter Greene, Graham Ashcraft, and Luke Weaver. With no announced starter for Tuesday’s game against Colorado, the club could look to add another starter to the roster in the coming days, though with ten relievers on the roster at the moment, a bullpen game is another option the club could explore.

Joining Lodolo in exiting the active roster is a pair of rookies: Legumina, 25, heads to the IL while Stoudt, 25, heads to Triple-A. Legumina has posted a decent 4.35 ERA in 10 1/3 innings of work out of the Reds bullpen this season, while Stoudt struggled to a 10.29 ERA in seven innings over two appearances, including one start.

Replacing the trio on the roster is a group of right-handers. Herget, 32, impressed earlier this season in 10 2/3 innings of work out of the Reds bullpen, posting a 1.69 ERA in five appearances. The 32-year-old Busenitz, meanwhile, has yet to make an appearance in a Reds uniform. The righty sports a 4.58 ERA in 57 innings of work in the big leagues, all of which came as a member of the Twins across the 2017 and 2018 campaigns. Since then, he’s spent four seasons pitching in Japan, with a 2.83 ERA in 155 2/3 innings of work. He landed a minor league deal with Cincinnati in December, and has impressed against Triple-A pitching so far, with a 1.80 ERA in 15 innings.

The 30-year-old Bracho, meanwhile, is now poised to make the first appearance of his seventh season in the major leagues. The righty reliever made his debut in 2015 with the Diamondbacks, and spent most of his career with Arizona before joining the Braves in 2022. Bracho was non-tendered by the club this past offseason and signed a minor league deal with the Reds during Spring Training. Overall, Bracho has a career 4.88 ERA in 94 innings at the big league level.

Reds Designate Luis Cessa, Select Ben Lively

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The Reds announced a series of roster moves today, selecting right-hander Ben Lively and recalling fellow righty Kevin Herget. In corresponding moves, righty Luis Cessa was designated for assignment and left-hander Reiver Sanmartin was placed on the 15-day injured list with a left elbow stress reaction, retroactive to Monday. Additionally, infielder Matt Reynolds, who was designated for assignment on the weekend, cleared waivers and was outrighted to Triple-A Louisville. The club also released righty Hunter Strickland, per C. Trent Rosecrans of The Athletic.

Cessa, 31, spent many years working out of the bullpen for the Yankees before coming to the Reds at the deadline in 2021. He continued working as a reliever for the Reds initially but they converted him to the rotation late last year. They had a few vacancies after they traded away Luis Castillo, Tyler Mahle and Sonny Gray as part of their roster teardown. Cessa was able to hold his own in that new role last year, posting a 3.77 ERA over nine starts as the season was winding down.

He held a rotation job going into 2023 but couldn’t carry those results forward, as he’s been lit up for an ERA of 9.00 through 26 innings so far this year. There’s probably a bit of bad luck in there when considering his .410 batting average on balls in play and 60.2% strand rate but he’s also striking out a paltry 8.3% of batters faced, a significant drop from the 17.8% rate he managed in his nine starts at the end of last year.

The Reds will now have a week to trade Cessa or pass him through waivers. He’s making a salary of $2.65MM this year, which could deter other teams, considering his struggles on the season. Since he has more than five years of service time, in the event he clears waivers, he would have the right to reject an outright assignment and elect free agency while retaining that salary. If that comes to pass, any of the other 29 teams could sign Cessa for the prorated league minimum with the Reds on the hook for the remainder.

As for Lively, 31, he pitched in the big leagues in three straight years beginning in 2017, posting a 4.80 ERA in 120 innings. He signed with the Samsung Lions of the KBO League in August of 2019 and stayed with them through the 2021 campaign, registering a 4.14 ERA in his time there.

He returned to North America after that and has signed minor league deals with the Reds in each of the past two offseasons. Last year, he had a 4.09 ERA in 77 innings over 18 Triple-A starts but didn’t get called to the majors. He’s off to an even better start this year in terms of results, currently sporting a 2.33 ERA over 27 innings. There are some caveats to note, as he has just a 15.2% strikeout rate and is being helped by a .224 BABIP and 84.6% strand rate, but he will nonetheless get a chance to replicate those results in the big leagues, returning to the show for the first time since 2019.

Sanmartin is facing a significant absence as he won’t throw at all for the next four to six weeks, manager David Bell tells Bobby Nightengale of the Cincinnati Enquirer. That leaves Alex Young as the club’s only left-handed reliever for the time being.

As for Reynolds, he has the right to reject this assignment and elect free agency due to having a previous career outright, though it’s not yet clear if he’s chosen to do so. He only spent about a week on the club’s roster and got just five plate appearances in that time.

Strickland, 34, is a veteran who was with the Reds last year, making 66 appearances with a 4.91 ERA. He returned on a minor league deal in the winter, was released when he didn’t make the Opening Day roster but re-signed on another minors deal. Unfortunately, he has an 11.45 ERA through 12 Triple-A appearances and the Reds have released him yet again.

Pitching Notes: Suarez, Sanmartin, Wood, Fried

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Jose Suarez will receive an MRI after leaving today’s game in the third inning due to discomfort in his left shoulder.  The Angels starter was rocked for seven runs over 2 2/3 innings, with Suarez telling reporters (including MLB.com’s Brian Wright) that he first started feeling the shoulder soreness during the second inning but he tried to keep going.

Between the Angels’ six-man rotation and an off-day on May 11, Suarez could get over a week of recuperation time before he is next needed to pitch, so it’s possible he might avoid the injured list if the MRI comes back clean.  However, it seems more likely that the IL might be in order to get Suarez feeling better, and to perhaps act as a reset button on the left-hander’s season.  After posting decent results as a swingman for Anaheim in 2021-22, Suarez has a 9.62 ERA over 24 1/3 innings in 2023.

More on other pitchers around baseball…

  • Reds southpaw Reiver Sanmartin left today’s game due to elbow soreness, and he told reporters (including Bobby Nightengale of the Cincinnati Enquirer) that a trip to the 15-day injured list is likely in order.  Sanmartin said his elbow issue has been bothering him “for a couple of weeks now.  I’ve tried to pitch through it….I don’t feel like I have full control of where I want to put it in the zone.”  The lingering injury probably explains Sanmartin’s lack of results, as he has an ungainly 7.07 ERA over 14 appearances and 14 innings for the Reds this season.  Sanmartin is in his third MLB season, and had very strong numbers as a reliever in 2022 (despite a 6.35 ERA over 57 innings that was inflated by four disastrous starts).  Assuming Sanmartin hits the IL, Alex Young will be the only left-hander in the Reds’ bullpen.
  • Alex Wood began a Triple-A rehab assignment today, allowing two runs (one earned) over 3 2/3 innings of work.  It’s probably safe to assume that Wood will make one more rehab outing before returning to the Giants’ rotation, unless the club wanted to bring him back in a limited capacity or perhaps in piggyback situation with Ross Stripling.  Either Stripling or Sean Manaea seems like the odd man out when Wood does return at full health, and it already seems like Wood will beat the much longer initial timeline given when he first went on the IL with a hamstring strain on April 18.  Wood was off to a nice start, posting a 1.80 ERA of his first three games and 10 innings this season.
  • While not exactly an injury update, Braves manager Brian Snitker told reporters (including MLB.com’s Mark Bowman) that “we’re just going through some things right now” in regards to when staff ace Max Fried might make his next start.  Fried won’t pitch against the Red Sox as initially scheduled on Wednesday, and Snitker also didn’t say whether or not Fried might be available to face the Blue Jays on Friday.  Since Atlanta has off-days on both Monday and Thursday this week, it’s possible the Braves are figuring out how to align its rotation, especially since Kyle Wright’s injury has left the club with just four starters.  That said, Snitker’s rather vague comment created some doubt about Fried’s status.  While nothing was reported health-wise following Fried’s last start on Friday, he did have a rough outing in allowing seven runs (five earned) over six-plus innings against the Orioles.

NL Central Notes: Helsley, Reds, Stephenson

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Ahead of their victory over Ryan Helsley in an arbitration hearing, the Cardinals reportedly discussed a multi-year deal with the right-hander, according to The Athletic’s Katie Woo. Woo notes that the sides were far apart, with the biggest issue being Helsley’s durability. As Woo notes, the Cardinals were concerned with Helsley’s rarely pitching on back-to-back days last year, while Helsley’s camp pointed out that he frequently went multiple innings during appearances as an explanation for that.

Helsley pitched on back-to-back days eight times in 2022, with eighteen of his 54 appearances lasting longer than 1.0 IP, though just nine of his appearances involved pitch counts greater than 25. Whatever one makes of his durability, however, Helsley certainly turned in a dominant 2022 season as he pitched to a sterling 1.25 ERA good for a 306 ERA+, meaning he was more than three times more effective than the league average pitcher in 2022. That performance was backed by a strong 2.34 FIP thanks to Helsley’s fantastic 39.3% strikeout rate and solid 8.4% walk rate. His K-BB% of 31 ranked fourth best in the majors last year among those with at least 60 innings of work.

For his part, Helsley told reporters that there were “no hard feelings” between himself and the organization, though he noted that the arbitration process was a tough one and that he and other players “wish it was a little different.”

Elsewhere in the NL Central…

  • Reds catcher Tyler Stephenson will likely see more time off from his duties behind the plate this year, manager David Bell tells reporters, including Bobby Nightengale of the Cincinnati Enquirer. Bell plans for Stephenson to catch around 65 games this season, with about 80 games split between the DH slot and first base, allowing him to play around 140-50 games this season. Stephenson was limited to just 50 games and 183 plate appearances in 2022 due to injuries, but he hit well in those appearances, slashing .319/.372/.484, good for a wRC+ of 134. That overall line was likely helped by an inflated .409 BABIP, but as a career 119 wRC+ hitter, Stephenson still figures to be a key cog in the Reds lineup in 2023 as long as he can stay healthy. The Reds are no doubt hoping that less time behind the plate will help Stephenson stay on the field this year, while still allowing him to primarily be a catcher. The Reds expect to roster three catchers headed into Opening Day, with Curt Casali and Luke Maile both signed to big league deals.
  • Sticking with the Reds, Bell tells reporters, including Mark Sheldon of MLB.com, that his hope is to have more than one left-handed reliever in his bullpen this year. Reiver Sanmartin is the only lefty currently expected to be part of Cincinnati’s Opening Day bullpen, coming off a difficult season where he posted a 6.32 ERA (71 ERA+) in 57 innings with the big league club. Two potential options to join Sanmartin in the bullpen this year are Daniel Norris and Alex Young, both of whom are in camp on non-roster invitations. Norris struggled in 2022, posting a 5.22 ERA (76 ERA+) in 58 2/3 innings split between the Cubs and the Tigers last year. Young, however, found success in 2022 pitching for the Guardians and Giants. The lefty posted a 2.36 ERA (175 ERA+) with a 2.89 FIP in 26 2/3 innings, almost all of which came in San Francisco.

Each MLB Team’s Players On WBC Rosters

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The World Baseball Classic is returning this year, the first time since 2017. The quadrennial event was supposed to take place in 2021 but was scuttled by the pandemic, now returning after a six-year absence. Rosters for the tournament were announced today and those can be found at this link. Here is a breakdown of which players from each MLB team are set to take participate. Quick caveat that this list is fluid and might be changed as more information becomes available.

Without further ado…

Angels

Astros

Athletics

Blue Jays

Braves

Brewers

Cardinals

Cubs

Diamondbacks

Dodgers

Giants

Guardians

Marlins

Mariners

Mets

Nationals

Orioles

Padres

Phillies

Pirates

Rangers

Rays

Red Sox

Reds

Rockies

Royals

Tigers

Twins

White Sox

Yankees

This Date In Transactions History: Three-Team Sonny Gray Trade

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On this date three years ago, the Reds, Mariners and Yankees reached agreement on a complex deal. Not only was it a fairly uncommon three-team trade, the deal pushed across the finish line only when the most notable player involved agreed to a three-year contract extension with his new club.

As part of that January 21, 2019 agreement, the Reds landed Sonny Gray. Cincinnati agreed to take on the right-hander’s $7.5MM salary for that season and promised him an additional $30.5MM through 2022. (The deal also included a $12.5MM club option for 2023). The Reds also landed left-handed pitching prospect Reiver Sanmartín from New York. In exchange, they sent infielder Shed Long Jr. to Seattle, who flipped their recent second-round draftee, Josh Stowers, to the Yankees.

Gray, an All-Star and AL Cy Young award finalist in 2015, was the obvious headliner of the deal. After a generally strong run in Oakland, he was sent to the Yankees at the 2017 trade deadline. Yet Gray didn’t fare as well during his year-plus in the Bronx, posting a mediocre 4.51 ERA/4.40 FIP across 195 2/3 innings. He dealt with particular struggles in the hitter-friendly confines of Yankee Stadium, managing a 6.55 ERA in home contests during his time in pinstripes.

The Reds identified Gray as a target as they neared the end of a rebuild that had landed them in the basement in the NL Central for four straight seasons. They were rewarded for that decision, as Gray immediately turned things around in his new environs. He twirled 175 1/3 frames with a 2.87 ERA during his first season with the Reds, earning his second All-Star nod and some down ballot Cy Young votes in the process. Both FanGraphs and Baseball Reference pegged Gray as the most valuable player on the team that year by Wins Above Replacement.

Gray’s excellent debut season wasn’t enough to get the Reds to the postseason, but Cincinnati did qualify for an expanded playoff the next year. His 56 innings of 3.70 ERA ball in the shortened season weren’t quite as impressive as his first-year numbers, but it was still solidly above-average output that contributed to a decent 31-29 team showing. The Reds didn’t make the playoffs over a full schedule last year, but Gray had another nice showing. The 32-year-old’s 4.19 ERA marked a bit of a step back, but a 27% strikeout rate, 47.2% ground-ball percentage and 3.85 SIERA suggest he may have been adversely affected by a poor defense behind him.

Cincinnati hasn’t had the team success they’d no doubt hoped to achieve over the past three seasons. That’s not any fault of Gray’s, though. Over 366 2/3 innings with the Reds, the Vanderbilt product has posted a 3.49 ERA/3.57 FIP, holding opposing hitters to a meager .208/.292/.345 line. Buying low after his struggles with the Yankees proved a shrewd move for former president Dick Williams, general manager Nick Krall, and the rest of the Cincinnati front office.

It remains to be seen whether Gray’s tenure with the Reds is finished. He’s still controllable for two seasons under the terms of the extension he signed at the time of the trade. The organization may be looking to cut payroll after the lockout, and Gray perhaps offers the best blend of recent productivity, availability in trade and 2022 salary (around $10.167MM) of anyone on the roster.

Whether Gray winds up dealt for a third time or opens next season in Cincinnati, the deal counts as a win for the Reds in retrospect. In fact, of the three prospects involved in the trade, Sanmartín is the only one who remains with the club that acquired him. He made his first two MLB starts during the final week of last season and could be a depth starter or long reliever for Cincinnati this year.

The other two prospects — Long and Stowers — were more well-regarded than Sanmartín at the time of the trade. Neither emerged as a long-term option in their new organizations, though. Long tallied 412 plate appearances over three years with Seattle. He hit well as a rookie but struggled between 2020-21, dealing with recurring injury issues around his right shin. Outrighted off the Mariners 40-man roster at the end of last season, the 26-year-old elected minor league free agency and has yet to sign elsewhere. Long figures to get another opportunity — even if just via minors pact — and he’s young enough to have a real chance at turning things around, but he didn’t make the kind of impact in Seattle their front office no doubt hoped he would.

Stowers, meanwhile, has yet to crack the majors. He spent two years in the New York farm system, then was traded to the Rangers last April as part of the deal that sent Rougned Odor to the Bronx. The 24-year-old outfielder (25 next month) then hit .220/.311/.466 across 351 plate appearances in Double-A. Not added to the Texas 40-man roster after the season, he’ll be eligible for selection in the Rule 5 draft once the lockout wraps up. As with Long, it’s far too early to close the books on Stowers’ career, but he’ll be available to the rest of the league for little more than an active roster spot in the coming months.

The deal also netted the Yankees the Reds’ Competitive Balance pick in the upcoming draft. New York used that selection (#38 overall) to nab left-hander T.J. Sikkema from the University of Missouri. Sikkema, who missed the entire 2021 campaign due to injury, was ranked by Baseball America as the #23 prospect in the Yankees’ system midseason. Between the lost minor league season in 2020 and last year’s injury-wrecked campaign, he’s still yet to advance to full season ball. Sikkema will be eligible for next offseason’s Rule 5 draft if not added to the New York 40-man roster, making the 2022 campaign a particularly important one for his future in the organization.

Note: This article was updated to reflect that the Yankees also acquired a Competitive Balance Selection from the Reds.

Reds To Promote Reiver Sanmartin For Monday Start

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The Reds announced that left-handed pitching prospect Reiver Sanmartin’s contract will be selected tomorrow, so the 25-year-old can start Cincinnati’s game against the Pirates.  A corresponding move is forthcoming to open a 40-man roster spot.

Sanmartin will make his MLB debut following a minor league season that saw the lefty post a 3.32 ERA over 100 1/3 combined innings for the Reds’ top two farm affiliates (18 IP at Double-A, 82 1/3 IP at Triple-A).  Starting 17 of 25 appearances, Sanmartin had a strong 27.4% strikeout rate and 6.8% walk rate.

Sanmartin has consistently done a good job of limiting walks over his pro career, though his strikeouts have been on the rise over his two seasons in the Reds’ farm system (sandwiched around the lost 2020 minor league season).  The increase in missed bats hasn’t come at the expense of Sanmartin’s quality groundball rates, as he has continued to generate grounders well over half the time.

For all of the positives of Sanmartin’s 2021 season, he also had a rather ignominious distinction as the first player in either the minor or major leagues to be suspended for use of an illegal substance after MLB’s “sticky stuff” crackdown in June.  Sanmartin was suspended for 10 games after umpires found a foreign substance under the brim of his cap while conducting a post-inning check.

Neither MLB Pipeline or Baseball America rank Sanmartin among the Reds’ top 30 prospects, but he will nonetheless get his first taste of The Show as the replacement for the injured Wade Miley, who was originally slated to start Monday.  Sanmartin was originally signed by the Rangers as an international free agent in 2015, and he and Sonny Gray came to the Reds from the Yankees as part of a notable three-team swap (also involving the Mariners) in January 2019.

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