The Reds have sent catcher P.J. Higgins outright to Triple-A Louisville, according to his transactions tracker at MLB.com. That indicates he cleared waivers after being designated for assignment earlier this week. He has the right to elect free agency but it isn’t stated whether or not he will do so.
Higgins, 33, signed a minor league deal with the Reds in the offseason. He was added to the roster in April when Jose Trevino hit the injured list due to a thoracic spine strain. Higgins was optioned to Triple-A later that month when Trevino came off the IL. During few weeks on the active roster, he appeared in six games and stepped to the plate 12 times. He struck out four times, drew one walk and picked up two hits, both singles.
That was the third time he had played in a major league season, though the other two were with the Cubs back in 2021 and 2022. He has a .209/.289/.342 line in 266 big league plate appearances on the whole. He’s generally been considered a decent defender in the minors. At the plate, he has done some good work, with a .273/.346/.405 line at Triple-A dating back to the start of 2021. His Triple-A line is just .133/.364/.133 this year, though in a small sample of 44 plate appearances.
Since Higgins has been outrighted in the past, he has the right to reject this assignment and elect free agency. The Reds probably hope that he sticks around or can be re-signed to a new minor league deal. Tyler Stephenson and Trevino are the only two backstops on the 40-man right now, so they’re a bit light on depth to cover for a potential injury to one of those two guys. Will Banfield is in the system on a minor league deal but he has only seven games of big league experience. If Higgins departs, the Reds could look to add depth in other ways. For instance, old friend Austin Wynns was just released by the Athletics.
Photo courtesy of Sam Greene, Imagn Images.
