The Cincinnati Reds optioned Josh VanMeter back to Triple-A Louisville over the All-Star break on Wednesday.The team however, didn’t announce what move was going to be made to replace him on the 25-man roster at the time, instead saying they would do so on Friday. Well, it’s Friday and that move is that they are adding left-handed reliever Wandy Peralta. He’s coming back from the injured list.
It’s been nearly a month since Wandy Peralta last pitched for the Reds. He struggled against the Texas Rangers on June 14th, allowing 3 runs in 0.2 innings on 2 hits, 2 walks, and a homer. The next day he was placed on the injured list. He was then sent to Louisville for a rehab assignment in early July. The lefty only pitched in one game, though. On July 7th he threw a perfect inning with 11 pitches and 7 strikes. He struck out one batter along the way. The Triple-A All-Star break coincided with the Major League All-Star break, so there weren’t many games to get him into. But it’s surprising that he didn’t go to Chattanooga to get some work in beyond one game on his rehab.
The Reds will now have a left-handed reliever back in their bullpen. But Wandy Peralta isn’t exactly a lefty specialist. Like-handed hitters are hitting .256/.300/.488 against him this season. In 2018 they hit .298/.392/.417 against him. This season his strikeout rate against lefties is significantly higher, though. Last year he managed just 13 strikeouts (and 11 walks) against them in 97 plate appearances. This year he’s walked just 3 lefties and struck out 11 in 50 plate appearances.
The bullpen is back to eight pitchers with the addition of Peralta. Amir Garrett is eligible to come off of the injured list over the weekend, so the bullpen may see some more changes if he’s ready. For now, though, Wandy Peralta will be the only lefty in the bullpen for the Reds in their opener tonight against the Colorado Rockies.
Is the person(s) in charge of selecting Chris Okey instead of Pete Alonso still making these decisions or is there hope? How hard could it be to tell which one was better?
I dont know who in the organization was calling the shots, or what they were thinking, but……63 players were chosen ahead of Alonso. A lot of teams “missed” seeing his potential – TWICE. Alonso college line 316/407/517/924 at 1B, where the Reds had Mr Votto firmly holding his position. Okey college line was 301/392/504/896 at Catcher, a premium position, where the Reds have been thin in the minors. At the time it porbably a solid choice, and may still turn out to be. Time will tell.
The draft is a complete dart board. Reminder that 24 teams passed on Trout. (We took Leake who was one of the best player from that class)
To push this point, just from that Trout draft. Kuechel was a 7th round pick, Goldschmidt an 8th round pick, and JD Martinez a 20th round pick. But yeah, it’s obvious which player is going to better in the future.
Another secret weapon/breakout star?
Wandy’s back. Just what the Reds need to start the second half.
Totally unrelated, but I want to share this tidbit from MLB Rumors today. Especially, the “unmitigated disaster” phrase in the second paragraph:
“The Angels announced today that infielder Zack Cozart will undergo an “arthroscopic debridement of his left shoulder.” He has been shifted to the 60-day injured list, making roster space for today’s earlier transactions.
“It’s not clear at the moment just what the expectations are moving forward for Cozart, whose tenure in Los Angeles has been an unmitigated disaster. There is no indication at present whether he will attempt to return later this season, though there does not appear to be much cause for optimism at this point.
“Cozart had already been out for about a month when he revealed that his attempt to return without surgery had stalled out. After a few more weeks of waiting, he’ll now go under the knife. His three-year, $38MM contract expires at the end of the 2020 campaign.
“When they signed him, the Halos hoped that Cozart would team with Andrelton Simmons on the left side of the infield to form an outstanding defensive and solid offensive pairing. Instead, Cozart has struggled to stay on the field and performed miserably when he has been able to suit up. The 33-year-old owns a meager .190/.261/.296 batting line in his 360 plate appearances in Anaheim.”
Our guardian Angels, saving us from bad contracts since 2011:
Pujols
Cozy
Harvey
Was in Anaheim to see the Reds play there. We went to the game with a couple who were originally from Cincy. They had nothing good to say about is time in LA. The Reds got that decision right.