Bubba

Thompson

Thompson passed through waivers unclaimed and will remain with Cincinnati as extra organizational depth. The 25-year-old speedster went 2-for-18 with five steals in 17 games this season for the Reds before being designated for assignment earlier this week.

Sadly, this is becoming a bit of a trend for the former first-round pick. Thompson has elite speed but can’t seem to hit enough to stick with an organization. He slashed just .111/.111/.167 with only two hits across his 18 plate appearances with the Reds this season and was demoted to Double-A at the beginning of May where he hit .200/.243/.314 with one home run and two steals across nine games. The 25-year-old will try to latch on with another team.

Thompson struggled while with Cincinnati this season slashing just .111/.111/.167 with only two hits across his 18 plate appearances. He’ll head down to the Double-A level for the first time since 2021 to try and get going offensively.

Fraley missed Sunday due to illness, and he’ll get another day of rest to open the series against the Phillies. Bubba Thompson is hitting seventh and playing center in Fraley’s absence.

Thompson gives the Reds some additional defensive flexibility in the outfield and a threat on the base paths with his tremendous speed.

The Reds have cut down their major league camp to 39 players. Phillips will start the 2024 campaign at Triple-A Louisville where he posted a 4.69 ERA, 1.56 WHIP and a 43/30 K/BB ratio across 40 1/3 innings. The 22-year-old was called up to the majors for a brief stint last September where he made five starts, but struggled with a 6.97 ERA and allowed 16 earned runs across 20 2/3 innings.

Thompson rejoins the Reds’ 40-man roster after previously being DFA’d by the club on December 28. The 25-year-old is known for his speed and stole 22 bases in 241 plate appearances over the past two seasons with the Rangers. He was claimed by the Twins and Yankees over the past two months but ultimately he enters camp back with the Reds.

The speedy Thompson was claimed off waivers from the Yankees last week. There’s a chance that he’ll soon be joining a fifth different organization since the Rangers dropped him from their 40-man in August.

The 25-year-old outfielder was claimed by the Yankees on January 4th and then designated for assignment on January 19th. The former first-round pick will get another chance since he’s one of the fastest players in baseball and remains a solid centerfielder. Offensively, Thompson batted just .242/.286/.305 with a 72/11 K/BB ratio in 241 plate appearances for the Rangers over the past two years. However, he’s hit much better against Double-A and Triple-A pitching, hitting .280/.338/.457 with 35 homers in 249 high-minors games. If he can make more contact and improve his overall plate discipline, Thompson has the raw skills to be a useful fantasy player. However, he’ll need to prove himself in the minors again to get a shot with the Twins.

The speedy 25-year-old was just claimed off of waivers from the Reds in early January, but he winds up designated for assignment before having the opportunity to put on pinstripes for the first time. There’s a chance that he piques another team’s interest on the waiver wire once again, but it also wouldn’t be surprising to wind up back with the Yankees as a non-roster invitee.