The Cincinnati Reds are in the midst of a frustrating season that will likely result in the team missing the playoffs for the 10th time in 11 years. The primary reason for keeping an eye on the Reds is the electric play of star shortstop Elly De La Cruz who set another franchise record this week.
Cincinnati’s offense overall has been lacking as the team is 18th in OPS and 24th in fWAR. But the Reds are getting better production from the catcher position as the team’s backstops are 13th in OPS and 19th in fWAR. However, Cincinnati lost catcher Austin Wynns to the injured list at the end of July with a right shoulder tear. The Reds responded by signing Tucker Barnhart to a minor league deal, per the New York Post’s Jon Heyman on X.
The move is all about depth as the Reds were down to just two healthy catchers – Tyler Stephenson and Luke Maile. Barnhart will head to Cincinnati’s Triple-A affiliate in Louisville to get up to speed as he could be called upon to fill in if either Stephenson or Maile get hurt.
Barnhart was actually drafted by the Reds. He was the 299th overall pick in the 2009 draft. Barnhart played eight seasons in Cincinnati and won two Gold Gloves with the team. He was traded to the Detroit Tigers in 2022 and then signed a two-year, $6.5 million deal with the Chicago Cubs prior to the 2023 season.
The Reds welcome back catcher Tucker Barnhart
Despite the contract, Barnhart only lasted 43 games with the Cubs as he was unable to contribute offensively. Last year he slashed .202/.285/.257 with an OPS+ of 50. The Cubs released him in August and he briefly landed with the Los Angeles Dodgers but failed to make the major league roster with the team. Barnhart signed with the Arizona Diamondbacks for the 2024 season. However, he was even worse at the plate in his time with Arizona, producing a .497 OPS and an OPS+ of just 45 in 31 games.
Although Barnhart hasn’t had much offensive success since leaving Cincinnati, he’s still considered to be a very good defensive catcher. And depth at that position is something all MLB teams need. It’s unlikely that Barnhart sees much, if any, major league action this season with the Reds. However, the move makes sense as Cincinnati’s financial commitment is minimal.
The Cubs are still paying Barnhart’s salary as the deal he signed with Chicago included the 2024 season. Should the Reds’ rostered catchers land on the injured list at some point and Barnhart is called on to join the team, Cincinnati would only need to pay the league minimum salary for his services.
The Reds are playing out another lost season as the team is 7-8 since returning from the All-Star break and now 8.5 games behind the first-place Milwaukee Brewers in the NL Central entering play on Tuesday. Cincinnati is 6.5 games back in the National League Wild Card race and would need to leapfrog five teams to land a playoff berth.
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