CHICAGO –– Whether the Cincinnati Reds are looking for a catcher in free agency, on the waiver wire or in the draft, there’s a consistent set of priorities that the Reds’ front office has.
When the Reds acquire a catcher, they value leadership, game calling and relationship-building with pitchers. This week, the Reds claimed catcher Michael Papierski from the San Francisco Giants and activated him to the MLB roster because of what Papierski offers in those three areas.
“What gave us confidence bringing him in was his ability to at least initially be able to handle the pitching staff,” Reds manager David Bell said. “With our young pitchers, that’s really important to us. He has a really strong reputation in that area, so it will be great to have him.”
Brandon Williamson:Reds pitching prospect promoted to Triple-A
Albert Almora Jr.:From minor league free agent to Reds' starting right fielder
On Tuesday, the Reds activated Papierski and optioned Chris Okey to Triple-A. Papierski was a ninth-round pick by the Houston Astros out of LSU in the 2017 MLB Draft. He was a career .219 hitter in 1,268 minor league at-bats and made his MLB debut with the Giants in May.
Papierski was designated for assignment in June and claimed by the Reds. He only has 10 plate appearances in MLB, but the Reds were impressed with what they saw behind the plate when Papierski faced the Reds during his brief time with the Giants.
“That’s the No. 1 thing as a catcher, you’ve got to take care of the pitchers and control that side of the game,” Papierski said. “You’ve got to split the game, hitting and catching. You might not be hitting well, but you can still impact the game as a catcher.”
Papierski had spent his entire professional career before this season in the Astros organization, but Houston traded him to the Giants on May 14. Papierski was called up by the Giants one week later and had to learn about an entirely new pitching staff.
Papierski was only in MLB with the Giants for a week, and now he has to learn another new pitching staff again with the Reds.
“I’m just trying to get to know them as fast as I can,” Papierski said. “Learn them, learn what they do. It’s not easy, not knowing what the pitcher’s going to do, what the miss is going to be, what their attack plan is, what they like to do with two strikes. It’s all about learning them. It’s exciting.”
Colin Moran designated for assignment
The Reds designated for assignment infielder Colin Moran. He cleared waivers and accepted an assignment to Triple-A.
Moran was on the Reds’ Opening Day roster and was a regular starter in April and May as the Reds’ depth was tested. He provided some power near the bottom of the Reds order and carried the offense in a couple of games, but only hit .210 with a .659 OPS.
The Reds also traded minor league catcher Sandy Leon to the Cleveland Guardians for cash. Leon, who has 11 years of MLB experience, had been the backup catcher for the Reds’ Triple-A affiliate.
Justin Dunn rehab update
Reds starting pitcher Justin Dunn made his organizational debut on Sunday in a rehab start for the Dayton Dragons in High-A. Dunn has missed the start of the season with a right shoulder injury, and the Reds are building him up to be a starting pitcher.
Dunn allowed one run in two innings in Dayton. He had success using a backdoor slider late in counts, and Dunn’s fastball hit 94 mph.
Source link
