The Reds have claimed infielder Scooter Gennett off waivers from the Milwaukee Brewers.
Reds have claimed IF Scooter Gennett off of waivers from the Brewers
— C. Trent Rosecrans (@ctrent) March 28, 2017
Gennett can play 2B, 3B, LF. Left-handed bat off the bench
— C. Trent Rosecrans (@ctrent) March 28, 2017
Scooter Gennett hit a respectable .263/.317/.412 last year. Doesn't typically take a lot of walks & is mediocre defensively.
— Joel Luckhaupt (@jluckhaupt) March 28, 2017
Gennett could be a good bench guy, if he'll be happy in that role. He's only played 2B since 2011 (except 1 inning in RF).
— Joel Luckhaupt (@jluckhaupt) March 28, 2017
Scooter Gennett is under team control for two more years.
— Zach Buchanan (@ZachENQ) March 28, 2017
Scooter Gennett had a minor league option remaining so it is telling that #Brewers placed him on waivers. It opens spot on 40-man roster.
— Tom (@Haudricourt) March 28, 2017
1B/OF Christian Walker was claimed off waivers by D-backs. That clears spot for Gennett to go on #reds roster.
— Mark Sheldon (@m_sheldon) March 28, 2017
There’s a lot to unpack there, and we’ll be discussing it in more detail over the coming days. Gennett is a bench guy, but he could be a useful piece if, in fact, he can play multiple positions. He’ll be 27 years old next week. Then again, since Gennett still has a minor league option, he could be sent to AAA, too. Wait and see.
Christian Walker — so long, we barely knew ya’ — was claimed off waivers by the Diamondbacks, creating room on the 40-man roster for Gennett.
In addition, the Reds made a flurry of roster moves:
Reds moves pic.twitter.com/reWvkG1MJi
— C. Trent Rosecrans (@ctrent) March 28, 2017
Rob Brantly’s re-assignment to the minor leagues means that Rule 5 pick Stuart Turner will be the backup to Tucker Barnhart until Devin Mesoraco is ready. Given the way spring training had developed, no one is surprised that Tony Renda or Hernan Iribarren won’t be on the Opening Day roster, though we were holding out hope for Iribarren.
The pitching moves are interesting, in that the battle for a spot in the starting rotation has been clarified somewhat. With Tim Adleman and Sal Romano being sent to the minors, there are — by my count — five pitchers competing for the final three spots in the rotation: Bronson Arroyo, Cody Reed, Amir Garrett, Robert Stephenson, Rookie Davis. I’m putting my money on Reed, Stephenson, and Arroyo, for various reasons. Any or all of that group could end up in the bullpen, too.
More to come…