The Reds’ trade deadline strategy drew plenty of head-scratching, and the aftershocks are still playing out. Cincinnati dealt only two players before August 3, sending former Silver Slugger Award-winner Nathaniel Lowe to the Cleveland Guardians and moving left-handed reliever Caleb Ferguson to the St. Louis Cardinals for a 19-year-old pitching prospect and $250,000 in international bonus pool money.
Lowe has given Cleveland a modest spark, appearing in 21 games with seven extra-base hits and a .670 OPS. Ferguson’s time with the Cardinals went in the opposite direction. The left-hander has now been released after a rough stretch that never got off the ground.
Ferguson made only nine appearances for St. Louis and faced just 41 batters.
In 8⅓ innings, he allowed eight runs on 11 hits and finished with an 8.64 ERA. He did manage nine strikeouts, but he also issued eight walks, and the Cardinals decided to move on.
It’s a sharp fall for a pitcher who had been useful in Cincinnati. Ferguson signed a one-year deal with his hometown Reds last offseason, then got delayed by an oblique injury to start the year. Once he returned, he worked in 26 games out of the bullpen and posted a solid 4.01 ERA with 22 strikeouts.
Now he’s back on the market, trying to catch on with another club before the season ends. If he lands somewhere after September 1, he won’t be eligible for a postseason roster.
There was better news on the pitching side for the Reds with Carson Spiers taking another step in his comeback. Spiers started a rehab assignment last week and threw 3⅔ innings for the Dayton Dragons, giving up two runs on three hits while striking out four before coming out after 66 pitches.
Spiers was recently activated off the Louisville Bats injured list and made his first Triple-A start since July of last season. That outing lasted 4⅓ innings, but he was tagged for six runs on six hits, including two home runs.
His road back has been a long one. Spiers missed nearly all of last season after a shoulder injury and Tommy John surgery, then was taken off the Reds’ 40-man roster this past offseason before quickly being brought back on a minor-league deal. The Reds will likely try to keep the 28-year-old in the organization this winter.
And late last week, former third-round pick Hunter Hollan was released by the Reds organization, according to the Daytona Tortugas transaction log. Hollan had been activated from the 60-day IL last month and made 13 appearances in the Reds’ minor leagues this season.
In all, Hollan logged just 25 appearances since being drafted more than three years ago. Injuries have defined his career, and despite his draft status, Cincinnati’s leadership apparently no longer saw a path forward for the 24-year-old right-hander.
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Reds Seem Ready To Add A Speed Threat But One Hurdle Remains
Carlos Jorge appears to be on the cusp of joining the Reds, with a broadcaster reporting the defensive-minded outfielder has been called up even though the move has not been made official. A player valued for his speed and glove, Jorge has built a reputation in the minors as a threat once he gets on base, giving Cincinnati the kind of athletic depth teams often chase as the season wears on.
The fit is easy to understand for a Reds club that can use another rangy outfielder and a little more pop in the running game. The only thing standing between Jorge and an actual debut with the big-league club is the paperwork of roster management, since Cincinnati would need to clear space on both the 40-man and 26-man rosters before the move can become official. [Read more 🡒]
Reds May Already Have A New Infielder Fans Need To Watch
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Lebrons offensive production has been encouraging enough to put him on the radar as one of the systems better young infield options, even if the evaluation is not perfectly clean yet. The swing still draws some questions, and the strikeout rate is part of the conversation, but the raw appeal is obvious enough that the Reds are watching closely. For a club trying to build depth around its young core, a developing shortstop with this kind of upside is exactly the sort of player that can become a bigger part of the picture faster than expected. [Read more 🡒]
Reds Suddenly Have A September Audition Worth Watching Closely
September has already given the Reds a couple of fresh looks, and both Brandon Williamson and Juan Brito have made the most of the opportunity in different ways. Williamson returned to the rotation for his first start since April and gave Cincinnati a much-needed stretch of stability, working 5 innings while allowing three runs and striking out seven against the Padres. Brito, meanwhile, has been getting in-game reps at second base because of other absences, which has opened a cleaner path to evaluate what he might bring beyond a brief cameo.
Britos week stood out even more when he launched his first major league home run and added a stolen base in the same series, the kind of all-around flash that can make a late-season look matter more than the calendar suggests. For a club thinking ahead as much as it is trying to finish strong, these are the auditions worth monitoring, especially with Brito potentially in the conversation for the offseason roster and Williamson trying to show he can still be part of the pitching picture. [Read more 🡒]