Reds Designate Wil Myers For Project

The Reds introduced at present that first baseman/outfielder Wil Myers has been reinstated from the injured record and designated for project.

Signed to a one-year, $7.5MM deal over the winter, Myers joined the Reds with the hope that he may rebound on the plate and develop right into a serviceable commerce chip at this yr’s deadline. Issues haven’t panned out as hoped, nevertheless. Previous to being positioned on the injured record as a consequence of a bout with kidney stones, Myers appeared in 37 video games and hit .189/.257/.283 with a jarring 34% strikeout price in 141 journeys to the plate. He managed to attach on three homers and added in a pair of steals, however Myers was nowhere near his peak ranges of efficiency.

Myers’ placement on the injured record was one among a number of accidents that paved the way in which for the Reds to go together with a youth motion within the infield — one which has up to now reaped immense dividends. Spencer Steer, Matt McLain and Elly De La Cruz have all impressed this season, and 2021 NL Rookie of the 12 months Jonathan India has loved a advantageous rebound season at second base.

With Cincinnati activating stalwart first baseman Joey Votto to affix that group simply yesterday — Votto homered in his return — Myers’ path again to a spot on the energetic roster was cloudy, at finest. The Reds may’ve tried to search out Myers some taking part in time within the outfield, however every of Will Benson, TJ Friedl, Jake Fraley and Nick Senzel have outperformed the veteran Myers. Given the group’s present nine-game successful streak, it’s comprehensible that the Reds didn’t wish to disrupt the lineup past Votto’s return.

The 2023 season has been the worst of Myers’ profession. The previous prime prospect and 2013 AL Rookie of the 12 months appeared destined for stardom a decade in the past, however he’s settled in additional as a steadily productive common with an offensive ceiling that’s properly shy of All-Star standing. His eight-year tenure with the Padres was a curler coaster when it comes to efficiency, however the finish outcome was a .254/.330/.451 batting line and 134 homers in 3415 plate appearances. Myers was one among MLB’s finest hitters within the shortened 2020 marketing campaign, hitting .288/.353/.606 with a whopping 15 dingers in simply 218 journeys to the plate, however that proved to be an outlier moderately than a breakout.

The Reds will now have per week to commerce Myers, cross him by means of outright waivers, or launch him. Myers remains to be owed $3.34MM of this yr’s $6MM wage, plus the complete $1.5MM buyout on subsequent yr’s mutual choice. Provided that $4.84MM left on his contract, there’s no probability one other group would declare him at this level. Within the possible occasion that the Reds can’t discover a commerce companion — which might absolutely require them both paying down the majority, if not the whole lot of the contract, or taking one other unhealthy contract again in return — Myers will cross by means of waivers unclaimed.

Myers has sufficient service time to reject an outright project with out forfeiting the rest of his wage, so the likeliest end result is that he’ll grow to be a free agent. Any new group that indicators him would solely be chargeable for paying Myers the prorated league minimal for any time spent on the MLB roster. That sum can be subtracted from what Cincinnati owes him, however both means the Reds will likely be on the hook for the overwhelming majority of his contract.