The Cincinnati Reds made a pair of quiet but intriguing moves this week, adding some depth to both their pitching and outfield corps. First came the signing of left-handed reliever Anthony Misiewicz to a minor league deal with an invite to big league spring training.
But that wasn’t the only addition. Outfielder Shane Sasaki is also joining the Reds organization on a minor league contract, though he won’t be heading to major league camp-at least not yet.
Sasaki, 25, brings one elite tool to the table: speed. Drafted out of high school in Hawaii by the Tampa Bay Rays back in 2019, Sasaki has spent six seasons grinding through the minors, most recently with the Miami Marlins system after being dealt in a three-team trade at the end of spring training in 2024. That deal also included Reds catcher Ben Rortvedt, among others.
While Sasaki hasn’t yet cracked the majors, his wheels are impossible to ignore. In just 374 minor league games-he’s never reached the 100-game mark in a single season-Sasaki has swiped 140 bases in 157 attempts.
That’s a success rate of nearly 89%, which is elite by any standard. In 2025 alone, he went 30-for-33 on stolen base attempts across Double-A Pensacola and Triple-A Jacksonville.
And that speed isn’t just anecdotal-it’s backed up by the data. Thanks to Statcast tracking in Triple-A, we know Sasaki’s fastest sprint speed clocked in at 30.6 feet per second.
For context, 30.0 is the threshold for elite speed at the MLB level. Sasaki hit or surpassed that mark 16 times in just 23 games.
The sample size is small, but the explosiveness is real. That kind of quickness doesn’t just show up on the basepaths-it plays in the outfield, too, where he’s shown above-average range in center field.
But speed alone doesn’t get you to the show. The reason Sasaki was available as a free agent after his age-24 season comes down to the bat.
His offensive production has tailed off as he’s climbed the ladder. After strong showings in the lower minors-a .904 OPS in Single-A and .840 in High-A-his numbers dipped significantly at the upper levels.
In 139 games at Double-A, his OPS dropped to .629, and in a limited 23-game stint at Triple-A, it fell further to .558.
Power has been especially hard to come by. In 2025, across both Double-A and Triple-A, Sasaki managed just one home run in 350 plate appearances. He added 14 doubles and a pair of triples, but the lack of extra-base pop is a concern for a player hoping to break into a crowded outfield picture.
Still, there’s value here-especially for a team like the Reds that has shown a willingness to take chances on toolsy players with upside. Sasaki’s speed gives him a clear role as a potential late-inning weapon or defensive replacement. If he can find a way to get on base more consistently, even in a limited role, there’s a path for him to contribute.
For now, he’ll report to minor league camp and look to prove he can do just that.