Infielder Edwin Ríos just lately elected free company, per his transactions tracker at MLB.com. He had been designated for task by the Reds final week and was despatched outright to Triple-A Louisville after clearing waivers, however he as an alternative exercised his proper to return to the open market.
Ríos, 30, began the yr on a minor league take care of the Reds and had a pleasant run at Triple-A. He received into 50 video games for the Bats and hit 11 dwelling runs whereas drawing walks at an 11.8% clip. He additionally struck out in 28.6% of his plate appearances however his .243/.340/.486 batting line nonetheless translated to a stable wRC+ of 108.
He was referred to as up by Cincinnati a number of weeks in the past however didn’t get a lot taking part in time, which has been a theme of his profession. The Reds gave him simply ten plate appearances in 5 video games throughout his two weeks on the roster. The Reds acquired Austin Slater from the Giants and in addition welcomed gamers like Stuart Fairchild and Jake Fraley again from absences and Ríos received squeezed off.
Gamers with at the very least three years of service time or a earlier profession outright have the power to elect free company slightly than settle for one other outright task. Ríos qualifies on each of these counts and now used that proper to search for a brand new gig on the open market.
Ríos has all the time hit effectively within the minors and in addition had a pleasant begin to his main league profession with the Dodgers. In 2019 and 2020, he slashed .260/.338/.634 within the huge leagues with Los Angeles however was restricted to 139 plate appearances on a reasonably crowded roster. In 2021, he was restricted to simply 60 journeys to the plate and struggled to a line of .078/.217/.137 however then bounced again in 2022. Although he nonetheless solely received 92 plate appearances, he hit seven dwelling runs and slashed .244/.293/.500 in these.
By the tip of 2022, he had 20 homers in simply 291 journeys to the plate and a .219/.299/.492 batting line that translated to a 112 wRC+. However he certified for arbitration by crossing the three-year service mark and the Dodgers determined to not tender him a contract. He signed with the Cubs and continued hitting effectively within the minors however slashed simply .071/.235/.214 within the small pattern of 34 plate appearances he received on the main league stage. He exhausted his closing choice season final yr and was outrighted off the roster in the course of the marketing campaign.
For the reason that begin of 2018, Ríos has hit .272/.347/.511 and a produced a 110 wRC+ in nearly 1400 Triple-A plate appearances. Regardless of that constantly sturdy work and his encouraging exhibiting with the Dodgers within the majors a number of years in the past, he nonetheless hasn’t cracked 100 plate appearances in any particular person MLB season. Defensively, he offers a little bit of versatility since he has lined up on the 4 nook spots on the main league stage.
29 golf equipment handed on the prospect to seize Ríos from the Reds, so he’s possible taking a look at a minor league deal within the coming days or perhaps weeks. With the commerce deadline developing on July 30, it’s doable that some new alternatives would possibly open up for him. If he finds a task wherever, he’s out of choices however has lower than 4 years of service time and will theoretically be retained by way of arbitration past this season.
