Reds Designate the newly acquired star outfielder was placed For Assignment after deal was officially sealed pending arrivals
The Reds announced that they have selected the contract of catcher Austin Wynns. In corresponding moves, they have optioned outfielder Jacob Hurtubise and designated outfielder Conner Capel for assignment.
It’s unclear why the Reds have added a third catcher to their roster, as they already have Tyler Stephenson and Luke Maile on the team. It’s possible that something is up with Stephenson, as he has only been in the starting lineup twice since Saturday, serving as the designated hitter in one of those two.
This is pure speculation but he has been hit on the hand by a pitch a few times this year, which could be part of the problem. Back on June 6, x-rays on his hand came back negative, per C. Trent Rosecrans on X. But he has hit .111/.250/.185 since that date, perhaps suggesting something is amiss.
Whatever the reason, the 33-year-old Wynns has been added to the roster. In the offseason, he was signed to a major league split deal that would pay him $950K for time spent on the major league roster and $300K in the minors. He was later designated for assignment and passed through waivers. As a player with between three and five years of service time, he could have elected free agency but doing so would have meant forfeiting that money.
He therefore reported to Louisville and gets back to the majors today. He has a pretty tepid batting line of .226/.273/.324 in his major league career and his work at Triple-A this year has only been slightly better at .252/.310/.408. But he has received solid grades for his defense in recent years, with Statcast being particularly fond of his work controlling the running game, as he comes in the top ten on their catcher throwing leaderboard since the start of 2021.
To get Wynns onto the roster, the Reds have bumped off Capel. The 27-year-old was selected to the roster in early May but only appeared in five games before being optioned back down. He has been in pretty good form in Louisville, having hit eight home runs and drawn walks in 16.7% of his 192 plate appearances. He is slashing .226/.361/.439 at that level for a 109 wRC+ despite a .248 batting average on balls in play.
The Reds will now have a week to trade Capel or pass him through waivers. He is in his final option year so perhaps he will garner interest from a club with a 40-man roster spot available and a need for outfield depth. If he were to pass through waivers unclaimed, he has a previous career outright and would therefore have the right to elect free agency.
