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T.J. Hopkins

Tigers Notes: Maeda, Manning, Hopkins, Garko

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Kenta Maeda made his return to the Tigers rotation this evening. Detroit reinstated the veteran right-hander from the 15-day injured list, optioning Matt Manning to Triple-A Toledo in a corresponding move. Maeda took the ball against the Blue Jays, working five scoreless innings.

Maeda was down for the minimal two weeks after battling an illness. Signed to a two-year free agent deal last offseason, he has struggled to a 5.80 ERA over his first eight starts. His 15.8% strikeout rate is well down from the 27.3% mark he managed during his final season with the Twins. He has also surrendered nine homers over 35 2/3 innings, a lofty 2.27 longballs per nine. Most of the damage has been concentrated over three bad starts. Maeda has given up at least six runs in a trio of outings and no more than three runs in his other five starts.

Despite Maeda’s inconsistency, Detroit has gotten generally solid rotation work. Tarik Skubal, Reese Olson and Jack Flaherty have been anywhere from solid to excellent. Casey Mize has a more pedestrian 4.57 ERA through nine outings. Manning has been the clear #6 option on the depth chart, starting five games around a trio of stints in the minors. He has only managed a 4.88 ERA over five MLB appearances but has a 3.79 mark with a huge 31.6% strikeout rate in 19 Triple-A innings.

While Maeda’s return is the bigger injury news for the Tigers, they did lose a couple depth players this week. The team informed reporters (including Evan Woodbery of MLive) that minor league reliever Blair Calvo and outfielder TJ Hopkins are out for the season. Both players recently underwent surgery to repair labrum tears in their right shoulders.

Calvo and Hopkins each made their big league debuts in 2023, though both players have subsequently been outrighted from the 40-man roster. Calvo made one MLB appearance for the Rockies and had only pitched twice for Detroit’s Double-A affiliate. Hopkins, whom the Tigers claimed off waivers from the Giants in February, appeared in 25 big league contests for the Reds last year. He’d been hitting .190/.326/.329 in Double-A.

The Tigers also announced some off-field news this afternoon. Detroit promoted Ryan Garko from vice president of player development to assistant general manager. The former big league first baseman has worked with the Tigers’ farm system since he was hired in September 2021. He joins Sam Menzin, Jay Sartori and Rob Metzler as assistant GMs. They’re behind baseball operations president Scott Harris and first-year general manager Jeff Greenberg in the front office hierarchy.

Tigers Outright TJ Hopkins

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TODAY: Hopkins cleared waivers and was outrighted to Triple-A, the Tigers announced.

FEBRUARY 22: The Tigers announced that outfielder TJ Hopkins has been designated for assignment as the corresponding move for infielder Gio Urshela, who was signed to a one-year deal earlier today.

Hopkins, 27, was with the Reds last year but has been bouncing around the league in recent months. He was designated for assignment in December when Cincy signed Austin Wynns, later getting flipped to the Giants in a cash deal. He lasted a couple of months on the Giants’ roster but was designated assignment again in mid-February when that club acquired Otto López. The Tigers claimed him off waivers two days ago but he’s now received his third DFA of the offseason.

He made his major league debut last year but hit just .171/.227/.171 in 25 games. His 94-game showing in Triple-A was much more impressive as he drew walks at a 14% clip and hit 16 home runs, leading to a slash of .308/.411/.514 and a 134 wRC+. He’s mostly played left field but has experience at all three outfield slots.

He’s never really been a highly-touted prospect but it seems last year’s strong Triple-A showing is intriguing enough for several clubs to have acquired him. He still has two option years and could be a nice depth piece somewhere. The Tigers will now have one week to trade him or pass him through waivers. Based on the way his offseason has gone so far, it wouldn’t be a surprise if he landed on another roster. If he were to pass through waivers unclaimed, he would stick with the Tigers as non-roster depth.

Tigers Claim TJ Hopkins, Designate Kolton Ingram

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The Tigers announced that they have claimed outfielder TJ Hopkins off waivers from the Giants. In a corresponding move, left-hander Kolton Ingram has been designated for assignment.

Hopkins, 27, had spent his entire career with the Reds until a few months ago but has been riding the roster carousel a bit lately. Cincy designated him for assignment in December and then flipped him to the Giants for cash. He stuck on the Giants’ roster for about two months before getting bumped off last week. After a week in DFA limbo, he’s now landed with the Tigers.

The right-handed hitter made his major league debut last year but it wasn’t especially strong. He hit just .171/.227/.171 for the year, though in a tiny sample of 44 plate appearances. His work in Triple-A was much more encouraging. He drew a walk in 14% of his 393 plate appearances and also launched 16 home runs. His .308/.411/.514 batting line translated to a wRC+ of 134, indicating he was 34% better than the league average.

Hopkins has mostly played left field in his career but has seen decent amounts of playing time at all three outfield spots. The Tigers have an outfield/designated hitter mix that skews left-handed, as each of Parker Meadows, Riley Greene, Kerry Carpenter and Akil Baddoo hit from that side. The club acquired Mark Canha to give them a bit of right-handed ballast but Hopkins will provide them with a depth option. He still has two option years and can be kept in Triple-A until he forces his way back to the big leagues or an opening appears.

As for Ingram, 27, he also made a small-sample debut in the majors last year, tossing 5 1/3 innings for the Angels. He allowed five earned runs in that time, striking out seven batters but also giving out five walks. He spent most of the year on the farm, splitting his time between Double-A and Triple-A. Between those two levels, he combined for 64 innings with a 2.81 ERA. His 31.1% strikeout rate is eye-catching but his 13.1% walk rate concerning.

The Halos designated him for assignment when they signed Aaron Hicks and the Tigers grabbed him off waivers in the first week of February, though he’s now been bumped off the roster a couple of weeks later. The Tigers will have one week to trade Ingram or pass him through waivers. Left-handed relief is always in demand and he still has a couple of option years, so he could be attractive to any club looking to bolster its bullen depth. If he were to pass through waivers unclaimed, he would stick with the Tigers in a non-roster capacity.

Giants Acquire Otto López, Designate TJ Hopkins

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9:48pm: López still has one minor league option remaining, reports Andrew Baggarly of the Athletic (on X). That affords San Francisco the freedom to send him to Triple-A without putting him on waivers.

2:07pm: The Giants have acquired infielder/outfielder Otto López from the Blue Jays, per announcements from both clubs. The Blue Jays, who designated López for assignment last week, receive cash considerations in return. In order to open a spot on their roster, the Giants designated outfielder TJ Hopkins for assignment.

López, 25, was designated for assignment by the Blue Jays when the team finalized its five-year deal with right-hander Yariel Rodriguez. The right-handed hitter has appeared in sparse MLB action over the past two seasons. He’s 6-for-10 during that time (all singles) but has spent the bulk of his 2022-23 seasons in Triple-A Buffalo. He had a big year at the plate with Buffalo in ’22, hitting .297/.378/.415 in 391 plate appearances, but López declined across the board this past season, slashing just .258/.313/.343 in a comparable amount of playing time.

While López has long rated among the Jays’ top 30 prospects due to a plus hit tool and above-average speed, he has bottom-of-the-scale power (seven homers in 931 Triple-A plate appearances). He’s punched out in just 15% of his Triple-A plate appearances but hasn’t walked at an especially high clip (8.3%). And for all the speed he possesses, López’s 70.8% success rate in 518 minor league games (90-for-127) is below average.

López brings some versatility to the Giants’ bench, but he also adds another right-handed bat to an infield mix that’s already crowded with such options. He’s played second base, shortstop, third base and all three outfield positions, though scouts question whether he has the arm to play on the left side of the diamond. He’ll be in the mix for playing time alongside J.D. Davis, Wilmer Flores and Thairo Estrada around the infield — if he sticks on the 40-man roster. It’s also possible the Giants simply try to pass López through waivers, which would allow them to keep him in the organization at Triple-A without dedicating a 40-man roster spot.

Hopkins, 27, made his MLB debut this past season with the Reds and went 7-for-41 (all singles) with a pair of walks and 17 strikeouts in 44 plate appearances. It was hardly an eye-catching debut, but the 2019 ninth-rounder’s production in Triple-A Louisville was far more intriguing. In his first full season at the top minor league level, Hopkins delivered a robust .308/.411/.514 batting line with a 14% walk rate, 23.9% strikeout rate, 16 home runs, 18 doubles, a triple and a pair of steals. Cincinnati designated him for assignment in December, and the Giants acquired him in exchange for cash.

Hopkins has played primarily left field in his professional career but has plenty of experience in right field and center field as well. He’s been an average or better hitter at every minor league stop and steadily improved both his walk and strikeout rates as he’s climbed the minor league ladder. He still has a pair of minor league options remaining. That could make him an intriguing fit for clubs seeking low-cost right-handed-hitting options to add to the outfield mix. The Red Sox, Twins and Padres are among the teams in that boat. San Francisco will have a week to trade Hopkins or attempt to pass him through outright waivers.

Reds Outright Austin Wynns

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The Reds announced they’ve assigned catcher Austin Wynns outright to Triple-A Louisville after he cleared waivers. Cincinnati designated him for assignment on Tuesday as the corresponding move to sign Frankie Montas. The Reds also announced they received cash considerations from the Giants to complete the December 19 trade that sent outfielder TJ Hopkins to San Francisco.

Trading Hopkins was coincidentally necessitated by the signing of Wynns to a free agent deal. The Reds inked the 33-year-old backstop to a one-year pact. He held his spot on the 40-man roster for roughly three weeks. Tuesday’s DFA again leaves Cincinnati with Tyler Stephenson and Luke Maile as the only catchers on the 40-man.

While it’s not the outcome Wynns had wanted, it’s likely one he knew was a possibility. He signed a split contract that would pay him at a $900K rate for time spent in the majors and $300K for whatever work he logs in Triple-A. Wynns is out of minor league options, so the only way he’d have gotten to Triple-A is if Cincinnati ran him through outright waivers at some point.

With over three years of big league service time, Wynns technically has the right to reject the assignment and return to the free agent market. Doing so would require forfeiting the $300K sum he locked in on the split deal, however. He’ll likely accept the assignment and report to big league Spring Training as a non-roster invitee. If he doesn’t land an Opening Day spot, he can start the year in Louisville while earning a decent salary for a minor league player.

Wynns stands as the top non-roster option if the Reds decide to go back to a three-catcher group — as they did last season with Stephenson, Maile and Curt Casali. Wynns is coming off a poor offensive showing in which he hit .208/.268/.277 over 51 games between the Giants, Dodgers and Rockies. He has never been much of a threat at the plate, but he has parts of five seasons of big league experience and rated as a solid defender last season. He thwarted an excellent 30.8% of stolen base attempts with career-best marks as a pitch framer.

Reds Trade TJ Hopkins To Giants

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The Giants announced Tuesday that they’ve acquired outfielder TJ Hopkins from the Reds in exchange for cash or a player to be named later. Cincinnati designated Hopkins for assignment last week.

Hopkins, 27 next month, made his MLB debut this past season and went 7-for-41 (all singles) with a pair of walks and 17 strikeouts in 44 plate appearances. It was hardly an eye-catching debut, but the 2019 ninth-rounder’s production in Triple-A Louisville was far more intriguing. In his first full season at the top minor league level, Hopkins delivered a robust .308/.411/.514 batting line with a 14% walk rate, 23.9% strikeout rate, 16 home runs, 18 doubles, a triple and a pair of steals.

Hopkins has played primarily left field in his professional career but has plenty of experience in right field and center field as well. He’s been an average or better hitter at every minor league stop and steadily improved both his walk and strikeout rates as he’s climbed the minor league ladder. Hopkins was in the first of three minor league option years this past season, so he has two more remaining. He’ll give the Giants a right-handed depth bat to add to a heavily left-handed outfield mix.

Presently, the Giants project to have lefties Michael Conforto and Mike Yastrzemski in the outfield corners, where they’ll flank newly signed center fielder Jung Hoo Lee. The KBO star — another lefty bat — signed a six-year deal that’ll pay him $113MM just last week. Also in the outfield mix in San Francisco are righties Mitch Haniger, Austin Slater, Luis Matos, Heliot Ramos and lefties Blake Sabol and Wade Meckler. Haniger, who’s entering the second season of a three-year contract, could see a fair bit of time at designated hitter. Sabol could see big league time as a reserve catcher and outfielder.

Reds Sign Austin Wynns To Major League Deal

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The Reds announced the signing of Austin Wynns to a major league contract. The Ball Players Agency client reportedly inked a split deal that pays $950K for time spent on the MLB roster and a $300K rate in the minors. To clear space on the 40-man roster, Cincinnati designated outfielder TJ Hopkins for assignment.

As was the case a season ago, the Reds are likely to carry three catchers on the MLB roster. Wynns joins Luke Maile as glove-first veterans to work alongside Tyler Stephenson, who seems set to log the majority of his time at designated hitter.

Wynns, 33, has appeared in the majors in five straight seasons. He spent his first few seasons with the Orioles before bouncing around over the last two years. Wynns played for a trio of NL West clubs in 2023, following brief stints in San Francisco and Los Angeles with a more extended run in Colorado.

The Rockies carried Wynns on the MLB roster from early May onwards. Originally claimed off waivers from the Dodgers, he operated as the backup to Elias Díaz. Wynns didn’t offer anything at the plate despite the hitter-friendly home park, turning in a .214/.273/.282 slash. He owns a .226/.273/.324 line across 653 big league plate appearances overall.

Wynns posted stronger results on the other side of the ball. Statcast graded him slightly positively as a pitch framer for the first time in his career. He cut down nearly 31% of opposing basestealers, well above last year’s 19.8% league average in a much more favorable environment for baserunners.

The Rockies nevertheless cut him loose at the end of the season as a result of his lack of offensive production. Wynns secures a 40-man roster spot in the short term, although the split contract suggests there’s a chance the Reds waive him at some point. Wynns is out of options, meaning Cincinnati can’t send him to Triple-A unless he first clears waivers.

As a player with between three and five years of MLB service, Wynns would have the ability to decline a minor league assignment but would forfeit any guaranteed money to do so. By guaranteeing a $300K salary for whatever time he spends on a minor league roster, the deal could incentivize Wynns to accept a stint in Triple-A if the Reds do run him through waivers at any point. If he remains in the majors all year, he’d be eligible for arbitration again next offseason.

For now, Wynns is on the roster. That necessitated a move which makes Hopkins available to other clubs. A ninth-round pick in 2019, Hopkins reached the big leagues in June. The South Carolina product didn’t see much action in his first MLB stint, tallying 44 plate appearances through 25 games. He hit .171/.227/.171 with 17 strikeouts and two walks.

The 26-year-old (27 next month) had a much better performance in Triple-A. Hopkins posted an excellent .308/.411/.514 slash with 16 homers over 393 trips to the plate in the International League. He walked a massive 14% clip against a slightly elevated 23.9% strikeout rate. Hopkins spent the majority of his time in the corner outfield after seeing scattered center field work early in his professional career.

Cincinnati has a week to trade him or place him on waivers. Between the strong upper minors production and pair of remaining option seasons, there’s a decent chance he changes organizations for the first time in his career.

Mark Sheldon of MLB.com first reported the contract terms.

Image courtesy of USA Today Sports.

Reds Designate Alan Busenitz For Assignment, Reinstate Tejay Antone

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The Reds announced a batch of moves between games of today’s double-header. Right-hander Tejay Antone was reinstated from the 60-day injured list, righty Lyon Richardson was recalled and righty Carson Spiers has been added as a substitute player. Righties Fernando Cruz, Hunter Greene and Ben Lively were placed on the COVID-19 injured list, while outfielder TJ Hopkins was optioned to Triple-A Louisville. Right-hander Alan Busenitz was designated for assignment and righty Tony Santillan cleared waivers and was outrighted to Triple-A Louisville.

Antone is back on the MLB roster for the first time in over two years. The reliever was amidst a breakout 2021 showing, emerging as Cincinnati’s closer late in the season after throwing 33 2/3 innings of 2.14 ERA ball, before his UCL gave out. He underwent Tommy John surgery — the second of his career — and spent all of 2022 rehabbing.

The Reds expressed hope Antone would return by the start of the ’23 campaign. He suffered a setback over the offseason, announcing in February that he’d been diagnosed with a flexor strain. It didn’t require surgery but has cost him the first five months of the season.

Antone has been on a rehab stint since late July. He pitched twice at the club’s complex before heading to Triple-A Louisville for 12 appearances. He was solid if unexceptional for the Bats, turning in 12 innings of four-run ball while striking out 11 and walking five.

It’d be a lot to ask of Antone to immediately rediscover his 2021 form. Yet even average output would be welcome for a Cincinnati relief corps that ranks 15th with a 3.96 ERA and 25th with a 22.5% strikeout rate. The bullpen hasn’t been as catastrophic as it had been for the past two seasons, but it’s still a relative weak point on an offense-first Reds’ roster.

Spiers, 25, also steps into the relief corps, in his case for the first time. The Clemson product is in position to make his major league debut after turning in a 3.69 ERA through 83 innings as a swing option for Double-A Chattanooga. He’s striking out nearly 30% of opposing hitters against an elevated 11.3% walk rate.

Players designated as COVID substitutes are temporarily added to the roster. Spiers won’t assume a permanent spot on the 40-man roster and can be sent back to the minors without first clearing waivers. He’ll help cover for the trio of pitchers affected by an apparent virus spread in the clubhouse.

Busenitz will hit waivers in the next few days. The right-hander has been on and off the big league roster a few times since his contract was selected in mid-May. Busenitz has pitched just five times at the MLB level, allowing two runs in five innings during his first big league work since 2018. Over 43 frames with Louisville, he owns a 4.53 ERA with slightly worse than average strikeout and walk numbers.

Santillan clears waivers after being designated for assignment a few days ago. It’s his first career outright and he has less than three years of MLB service, so he’ll stick in the organization at Triple-A. If the Reds don’t add him back to the 40-man roster by the end of the season, he’d reach minor league free agency.

Reds Place Jake Fraley On 10-Day Injured List

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2:58PM: Reds manager David Bell spoke with The Cincinnati Enquirer’s Charlie Goldsmith and other reporters about Fraley’s injury, saying a play in Thursday’s game “re-aggravated” the issue and “pushed him to a point where it’s a different type of pain.”  In terms of when the outfielder might be back, “we still haven’t pinpointed a time frame, which is actually good.  He’s still trying to get all the information.  In [Fraley’s] mind, he’s trying to get back in a few weeks, which is great.  That’s how I’m going to think about it.”

10:10AM: The Reds placed outfielder Jake Fraley on the 10-day injured list due to a stress fracture in his left fourth toe.  The club also announced that outfielder TJ Hopkins was called up from Triple-A, and that right-hander Lyon Richardson was added to the taxi squad in advance of his planned start on Sunday.

The IL placement is retroactive to August 4, as Fraley didn’t play in Cincinnati’s 6-3 loss to Washington yesterday.  The nature and severity of the injury isn’t yet known, but it would certainly seem like Fraley will miss well beyond 10 days, leaving a notable hole in the Reds lineup.  This is the second straight year that Fraley has been sidelined by a toe injury, as while rehabbing a knee injury in 2022, his time on the IL was extended due to a toe issue suffered during rehab.

Between the injuries and the fact that the Reds use Fraley almost exclusively against right-handed pitching, he has played in only 160 games since Cincinnati acquired the outfielder as part of the Eugenio Suarez/Jesse Winker trade with the Mariners in March 2022.  When he has been able to play, however, Fraley has been a productive bat, hitting .261/.345/.467 with 27 homers over 574 plate appearances — that works out to a 116 wRC+ over essentially the equivalent of one full season.  Playing both corner outfield positions, Fraley has been a very useful platoon option for the Reds to mix and match in their outfield.

Hopkins has a .367 OPS over 25 PA in his rookie season, plus as a right-handed bat, he’s an imperfect fill-in option for Fraley’s specific role.  Nick Senzel and Stuart Fairchild (also right-handed hitters) figure to get more playing time in Fraley’s absence, or the Reds could continue to give Spencer Steer regular looks in left field.

As much as the Reds’ influx of young talent was seemingly going to create a crunch for playing time, injuries have now provided an unfortunate solution to that issue.  Fraley joins Jonathan India on the 10-day IL, and while India was at least hopeful of a quick return, Cincinnati is now missing two experienced bats in the midst of a playoff race.  The Reds are on a four-game losing streak, and are 9-12 since the All-Star break.

Reds Select T.J. Hopkins

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The Reds announced this afternoon that they have selected the contract of outfielder T.J. Hopkins. In corresponding moves, outfielder TJ Friedl was placed on the 10-day injured list with a left hamstring strain, while left-hander Nick Lodolo was transferred to the 60-day IL.

Hopkins, 26, was a ninth round pick by the Reds in the 2019 draft. Hopkins has largely hit well since getting his start in full-season ball at Double-A in 2021, with a .264/.339/.452 slash line in 717 plate appearances at the level. That production earned him a promotion to Triple-A late last season, where he posted a .255/.320/.436 slash line good for a league-average wRC+ of exactly 100 in 25 games, with a somewhat concerning 28.2% strikeout rate, the highest of his career at any level.

Returning to the Triple-A level this season, Hopkins has broken out in a big way as the outfielder has obliterated Triple-A pitching to the tune of a .341/.437/.540 slash line in 50 games, good for a wRC+ of 150 while his strikeout rate has dropped to a more palatable 24.6%. That fantastic performance has earned Hopkins his first chance in the big leagues, where he’s the next youngster promoted in a Reds youth movement that already included the likes of Matt McLain and Spencer Steer.

While most of his experience is in the outfield corners, Hopkins figures to replace the club’s center fielder in the lineup as Friedl heads to the IL with a hamstring strain. After two partial seasons as a roughly league average bat with the Reds in 2021 and 2022, Friedl has broken out in a big way so far this year, with a .246/.320/.434 slash line and strong defense in center field. That breakout will be put on hold now, however, at least for the time being. In the meantime, Hopkins figures to mix and match in the outfield alongside Jake Fraley, Stuart Fairchild, Jose Barrero, and Will Benson.

Lodolo’s placement on the 60-day IL hardly comes as a surprise after an MRI revealed a stress reaction in his left tibia last month. While Lodolo’s initial timetable for return was around a month after his mid-May injury, the stress reaction seemed likely to extend his timeline fro return, and his placement on the 60-day IL confirms that much, as he will now be out through the All Star break at minimum. After a fantastic rookie season where he posted a 3.66 ERA in 103 1/3 innings, Lodolo struggled early in his sophomore campaign, with a 6.29 ERA across seven starts prior to his placement on the injured list.

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