Analysis: Reds activate Robert Stephenson, DFA Cody Reed

by — August 24, 2020 in Transactions

Robert Stephenson made only one appearance for the Reds, in the second game of the season, before landing on the Injury List on July 28 with a mid-back strain. Stephenson had a breakthrough season in the Reds bullpen in 2019, with a strikeout rate of 31%. He ranked at the top of league leaderboards in xwOBA, Whiff% and Hard-Hit%:

In March, our Matt Korte rated Stephenson’s slider as the best pitch on the Reds staff. Here’s what Matt wrote in February about Stephenson: 

“The most pleasant surprise of 2019 was the development of Robert Stephenson. His Whiff% alone speaks volumes to just how far the starter turned reliever has come. Prior to last season, Stephenson was seen as yet another first round pick of the Reds that never amounted to anything. That all changed in 2019, his last chance to make it with the club as he was out of options. Similar to Garrett, he utilized his slider more and flipped the script in 2019, excelling in a myriad of metrics. So much so that it’s difficult for me to pick and choose which ones to discuss. In terms of Whiff%, Stephenson was fifth in the league with his 39.3%. His strikeout rate was towards the top of the MLB as well at 30.9%. When he did allow contact, it wasn’t hard as his Hard Hit % of 26.8 was in the top two percent of the majors. Finally, Stephenson’s xwOBA also registered in the top two percent of the league at .250. Stephenson righted the ship last season, and if he continues to make bats miss with the best in the league, he will stay on course.”

If Stephenson is healthy and sharp, he’ll join a Reds bullpen that is rounding into shape. 

Cody Reed came to the Reds as one of the three left-handed pitchers in the 2015 deadline deal with the Royals for Johnny Cueto. Of the three, Reed was regarded as the one with the most upside. But during the 90-loss seasons, the Reds didn’t give him much of a shot, with only 18 starts. There has never been doubt that Reed has the pitches to get batters out. But he’s struggled repeating a delivery and that has produced wildness and a high walk rate. 

Will Reed make it through waivers and return to the Reds as a non-roster player: Doubtful. Left-handed relievers are usually in high demand, although maybe less so with the new 3-batter rule. 

The Reds are left with Amir Garrett as the sole left-hander in the bullpen. One option would be moving Wade Miley to the bullpen and installing Tyler Mahle as the #5 starter. That makes sense given Miley’s start to the 2020 season. His limited pitch portfolio might work better seeing hitters just one time through. But the Reds are unlikely to do that with Miley given his 2-year, $15 million free agent contract and relationship with Derek Johnson. 

Featured image: https://twitter.com/Reds/status/1026899197063294976/photo/1

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Steve Mancuso

Steve Mancuso is a lifelong Reds fan who grew up during the Big Red Machine era. He’s been writing about the Reds for more than ten years. Steve’s fondest memories about the Reds include attending a couple 1975 World Series games, being at Homer Bailey’s second no-hitter and going nuts for Jay Bruce at Clinchmas. Steve was also at all three games of the 2012 NLDS, but it’s too soon to talk about that.

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