The Cincinnati Reds made a series of moves yesterday, sending Wil Myers to the injured list, calling up Casey Legumina, and placing Graham Ashcraft on the bereavement list. That led to the active roster being at 25 players, meaning that one move was still coming. This afternoon we found out what it was. Cincinnati has called up Matt Reynolds from Triple-A Louisville and to create room for him on the 40-man roster they moved reliever Tony Santillan to the 60-day injured list.
There’s plenty to unravel here, but let’s start by looking at Matt Reynolds. The 32-year-old utility player has seen big league time in parts of five seasons dating back to 2016. Last year he played in 92 games with the Reds and hit .246/.320/.332 with 10 doubles, a triple, three home runs, five stolen bases, and he walked 26 times with 78 strikeouts in 272 plate appearances. He also played every position on the field with the exception of catcher. Most of his time came on the infield – seeing plenty of time at second and shortstop, but also getting over 60 innings at both first and third base.
This year Reynolds has been in Triple-A with the Louisville Bats. In his 16 games there he’s hit .263/.364/.544 with seven doubles, three home runs, nine walks, and 15 strikeouts in 66 plate appearances. Like his time in Cincinnati last season, his playing time has been on the infield. He’s started 10 games at second base, four at third base, and another two starts have come at shortstop.
Tony Santillan’s move to the 60-day injured list doesn’t change a whole lot. While on his last rehab assignment, Santillan experienced some knee discomfort and his assignment was recalled. He will not be eligible to return until May 29th. Given that he missed spring training and his rehab stint was cut short, he will likely need close to the full 30 days of rehab that pitchers are allowed to use.
The big question that’s probably running through the mind of many is why Matt Reynolds is being called up instead of Matt McLain or Christian Encarnacion-Strand, who are both crushing the ball in Triple-A right now. It’s probably a combination of things, but the biggest and most obvious answer is that this is a short term move for a player who isn’t going to play much. That’s a situation the team probably doesn’t want their prospects to be in.
Now, if you wanted to argue that they should call up one or both of those guys to play every day or close to it, have at it. But that’s not the role they are trying to fill currently. Toss in the fact that if and when they do send Matt Reynolds back to the minors or need a 40-man roster spot – it’s a lot easier to make that decision on 32-year-old Matt Reynolds.
