The Cincinnati Reds have been lighting up the transaction board over the last few days. From the Austin Slater trade to Rece Hinds making his debut – and Graham Ashcraft down again! We’ll go over these moves and what they mean for the team moving forward.
The Cincinnati Reds trade LHP Alex Young for OF Austin Slater and cash considerations.
This is one of those “doesn’t move the needle” moves. However, it needed to happen. The Reds are clearly happy with LHPs Justin Wilson, Brent Suter, and Sam Moll. Alex Young was tearing it up in AAA, but he’s been injured more often than not this past season. Teams don’t typically carry more than three LHP in the bullpen, and Young is the odd man out – even if only by virtue of the fact that he’s been hurt.
That being said, I would have preferred a bit of a more lucrative return. To be fair, in 2022 and 2023, Slater would have ranked highly in BB%, Chase %, and Sweet Spot % – if he had enough plate appearances. Dude clearly has a good eye and good hand-eye coordination, but he just hasn’t been a regular feature in San Francisco. He has MASHED in AAA with Sacramento. Hopefully, he can make an impact with this Cincinnati Reds ball club, but I won’t hold my breath.
The Cincinnati Reds Promote Rece Hinds.
Rece Hinds is heading to Cincinnati for his long-awaited debut. Hinds brings a much needed power bat to the outfield that hits lefties much better than righties. He’s not having the best year, but honestly, sometimes something like a debut can get guys going.
Personally, I’m excited. No disrespect to the other guys that have debuted this season, but Hinds is no Blake Dunn or Jacob Hurtubise. He actually has several tools – including the power the Reds are searching for in the outfield. He’s slotting directly into the lineup tonight – no bench night(s) to acclimate to The Show. Look for him to make an instant impact.
The Cincinnati Reds Option Graham Ashcraft and Promote Yosver Zulueta.
What a vote of confidence in Carson Spiers. Nick Lodolo should be back in Cincinnati soon and could start on Thursday against the Rockies. The Reds are ready to roll with a rotation of Lodolo, Greene, Abbott, Montas, and Spiers. Personally, I am a big Spiers fan. The dude can shove. I’m sure none of us expected to see the day that Ashcraft was only good enough for our AAA club. Expect to see the Reds move Montas and put Ashcraft at the end of the rotation with Spiers, but Ashcraft really could be the odd man out and find himself in a new home at the end of the month.
I have been saying the name Zulueta ever since the Reds acquired him after the Blue Jays DFA’d him. I truly expect him to be a staple in the bullpen and ultimately believe if he stays for an extended period, Buck Farmer is the casualty of his success. He looked solid in his debut on 06/25. Knowing the Reds, he’ll go back down soon, but I’d love to see him stick around. I also said similar things about Reiver Sanmartin, so we’ll see.
The Cincinnati Reds Place Stuart Fairchild on the 10-Day IL (retro to 07/07).
Not Stu! We love Stu at Nati Sports. Sometimes we scratch our heads at his decisions throwing in to the infield, but Stu will always be a plus fielder that absolutely hammers LHP. Not many of us were surprised to see him hit the IL once we saw the Slater trade. Stu still has a place on this roster when he’s healthy – he’s the ultimate 26th man. We look forward to having him back in the fold when he recovers from his back injury. He’s eligble to return after the All-Star break, but it’s currently unclear what the timetable is – if there is one.
Note: The Cincinnati Reds have not currently made a move to activate Austin Slater. We could see many things happen such as optioning Dunn or sending Hinds back down after a quick debut, but more than likely, Rios or Soto will make the drive back down to Louisville.
