The Cincinnati Reds made some roster moves today:
#Reds transactions for Thursday. 40-man roster is now full, plus Alfredo Simon on the 60-day DL. pic.twitter.com/zG5HjrNAbJ
— Cincinnati Reds (@Reds) October 27, 2016
So John Lamb has been designated for assignment. Lamb is out of options, but with the lefty having undergone recent back surgery, I would think that there’s a pretty good chance that he won’t be claimed and will stick around in the Reds organization.
Ariel Hernandez is a 24-year old right-handed pitcher who was pitching in independent ball as recently as last year. He has some upside, though:
While Hernandez posted just a 6.04 ERA in 22 1/3 innings in the Arizona system in 2015, the Reds saw something they liked and picked him up in the minor league phase of the Rule 5 Draft and were rewarded for that show of faith. While Hernandez was old to be pitching in the Class-A Midwest League and Class-A Advanced Florida State League, the combined 2.18 ERA, 10.7 K/9 rate and 54.6 percent ground-ball rate he compiled are nonetheless impressive. Control appears to be an issue, as he did average 5.7 walks per nine innings. Scouting reports on the right-hander are scarce, though Baseball America did list him as a “rising†prospect in the Cincinnati system in July, noting that he’s still “way too wild†but possesses one of baseball’s best fastball/curveball combos and has drawn some 80 grades from scouts on both pitches (BA subscription required and recommended).
Doug Gray has more on Hernandez here.
Lots of roster moves and decisions yet to come. Stay tuned.