The Cincinnati Reds have lost outfielder Jake Fraley to the Atlanta Braves. Cincinnati designated the outfielder for assignment on August 17th and he was claimed by Atlanta, thus ending his time with the Reds organization.
Cincinnati said publicly that they had designated him in order to try and give him the opportunity to find more playing time somewhere else. His time with the Reds had been dwindling since the team moved Noelvi Marte to right field.
Originally acquired by Cincinnati in spring training of 2022 in a trade with Seattle that sent out Jesse Winker and Eugenio Suarez and brought back Fraley, Justin Dunn, Brandon Williamson, and Connor Phillips. In his first two seasons with the Reds he hit fairly well, posting a .257/.341/.453 line with 54 extra-base hits and 25 stolen bases in 179 games. In 2024 he hit for a .277 average, but his power disappeared and his walk rate took a dip. This season he has hit .232 and slugged just .387, but did have a .332 on-base percentage thanks to an above-average walk rate.
The left-handed hitter had been used mostly as a platoon player, but would also sometimes enter the game late as a defensive replacement for the Reds. Where and how he fits in with Atlanta is a bit unknown. The Braves can keep him around through the 2026 season, though, if they see a good fit for him on their big league team.
With Fraley off of the Cincinnati 40-man roster, a spot is now opened up for someone if and when the Reds want to use it. Maybe they won’t fill it, but with the rosters expanding by two spots for September they could certainly take advantage of someone in Triple-A that isn’t currently on the 40-man roster filling that spot and bringing them in to give the team a boost as they try to make the playoffs.
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