Orlando Arcia’s latest stop is Cincinnati, where the Reds have brought in the recently released infielder on a minor-league deal and sent him to Triple-A Louisville.
Arcia had been one of the more obvious candidates to grab the Twins’ backup shortstop job when spring training opened. He brought nine years of major league experience and the ability to cover all four infield spots, which made him look like a natural fit.
Instead, Tristan Gray won that role, and Arcia started the year with Triple-A St. Paul.
The Twins eventually needed him anyway. On May 19, Minnesota selected Arcia’s contract from the Saints as the corresponding move after optioning Royce Lewis to Triple-A. Arcia got into 19 games for the Twins and hit .271/.300/.354 in 50 plate appearances before being designated for assignment on June 15.
He cleared waivers, accepted an outright assignment back to Triple-A, and was released about a month later. In St. Paul, Arcia put together a strong run, batting .282/.336/.498 with 12 home runs and 39 RBI in 63 games.
After three games in the Mexican league, Arcia landed with the Reds this past Tuesday. So far, he’s 0-for-5 in two games with Louisville.
For Cincinnati, the move fits the moment. The Reds are 6 1/2 games out of the final National League Wild Card spot and 20 games behind the Milwaukee Brewers in the National League Central, so a postseason run is a long shot.
Even so, Arcia gives them another option while shortstop Elly De La Cruz deals with a quad tweak. De La Cruz has still been in the lineup lately as the designated hitter, but the Reds could decide to shut him down if they think there’s any danger of the injury getting worse.
Arcia, a former All-Star and World Series champion with the Atlanta Braves, is also at a point in his career where overseas opportunities could become more attractive. At 32, he has shown he can still hit at a professional level, even if consistent success at the highest level has been harder to come by. The article notes he could make significantly more money in Korea or Japan than he would in the minors with an MLB organization.
His big-league path started with the Milwaukee Brewers in 2016. Milwaukee traded him to Atlanta during the 2021 season, and he worked as a reserve for the Braves in 2021 and 2022 before moving into the starting shortstop job in 2023 after Dansby Swanson left.
That season earned him an All-Star nod. The Braves moved on from Arcia during the 2025 season, he finished that year with the Colorado Rockies, and then he signed with the Twins before spring training.
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