Capel cleared waivers Sunday and accepted his outright assignment to Triple-A Louisville, Charlie Goldsmith of The Cincinnati Enquirer reports.
Capel was booted off Cincinnati's 40-man roster Friday, and he will officially remain with the organization rather than deciding to test his luck in free agency. The 27-year-old outfielder is slashing .221/.365/.435 with 21 RBI through 192 plate appearances in Triple-A this season and may rejoin the Reds later in the summer if outfield depth becomes a problem for the big-league club.
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Reds' Noelvi Marte: Struggling on rehab assignment
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Marte is hitting .156/.156/.178 in 10 games at Triple-A Louisville, with no walks, no homers and 13 strikeouts. The Reds haven't yet committed to activating Marte when he's first eligible to return on June 27, Charlie Goldsmith of The Cincinnati Enquirer reports.
For his part, Reds manager David Bell professes not to be paying attention to Marte's numbers as he continues to ramp back up. "We get process grades on every at-bat he has," Bell said. "Everything has been right on track." If Marte can get back up to speed, the Reds could really use him both offensively and defensively at third base, where Jeimer Candelario really struggled on Saturday.
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Reds' Graham Ashcraft: Focus on changeup
Rotowire
Ashcraft has thrown 12 innings at Triple-A Louisville since his demotion, allowing four runs on 10 hits and two walks while striking out 12. He's been instructed to work on his changeup to improve his off speed offerings, Charlie Goldsmith of The Cincinnati Enquirer reports.
Ashcraft could be back in the majors soon. "It's a matter of time," Reds pitching coach Derek Johnson said. "If he has another good start or whatever, we have a decision to make."
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Reds' Austin Wynns: Pushed off 40-man
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The Reds designated Wynns for assignment Sunday.
Just two days after having his contract selected from Louisville, Wynns will once again lose his spot on the 40-man roster without appearing in a game for the Reds. With a .726 OPS in the minors, it's possible he receives some attention on the waiver wire, but his .597 career OPS in the majors makes it likely he gets sent outright to Louisville. Livan Soto was recalled from Triple-A in a corresponding move.
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Reds' Livan Soto: Recalled to majors
Rotowire
The Reds recalled Soto from Triple-A Louisville on Sunday.
Soto has remained at Louisville since he was claimed off waivers from Baltimore in April, slashing .299/.393/.372 with 19 RBI across 191 plate appearances. He doesn't have a clear path to playing time in Cincinnati's infield, so he'll likely occupy the bench as a depth piece. Austin Wynns was designated for assignment in order to clear a spot on the active roster.
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Reds' Nick Martini: Taking seat Sunday
Rotowire
Martini isn't in the Reds' lineup for Sunday's game against the Red Sox.
Martini went 0-for-4 and struck out twice Saturday during his first game back from a hand injury, and he'll now take a seat for Sunday's series finale. His absence will open up a spot for Stuart Fairchild to start in center field while batting ninth.
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Reds' Jake Fraley: Resting Sunday
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Fraley isn't in the Reds' lineup for Sunday's game against Boston.
Fraley will get a breather versus Zack Kelly and the Red Sox after going 3-for-8 across the first two games of the series. Spencer Steer, Stuart Fairchild and Will Benson will start across Cincinnati's outfield while Fraley rests.
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Reds' Tyler Stephenson: Back in lineup Sunday
Rotowire
Stephenson (undisclosed) is starting at catcher and batting fifth Sunday against the Red Sox.
Stephenson missed two consecutive starts due to an undisclosed injury, though he was able to appear as a pinch hitter during Saturday's loss. He'll now return to his usual place behind the dish and look to turn things around after recording just two hits in his last 10 games.
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Reds' TJ Friedl: Ends hitless skid
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Friedl went 2-for-5 in Saturday's 4-3 loss to Boston.
Friedl's fifth-inning single snapped an 0-for-16 run. Later in the same inning, Friedl was thrown out at home trying to score on an infield grounder -- one of three baserunning miscues in the game. After missing most of the first two months of the season due to injuries, Friedl is healthy and has started 19 of the 21 games since returning from a second stint on the injured list in late May.
Maile started at catcher and went 0-for-2 with a walk and a stolen base in Saturday's 4-3 loss to the Red Sox.
Maile, who has eight steals over 414 career games in MLB, has showed off his "wheels" of late. He's stolen two bases over his last three starts. In between, he scored from second base on a sacrifice-suicide squeeze bunt Friday night. Maile started a second straight game behind the dish while Tyler Stephenson copes with an undisclosed injury. Stephenson eventually entered Saturday's game as a pinch hitter in the ninth inning, which suggests Maile's run as the primary backstop could end in the coming days.
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Reds' Spencer Steer: Belts two-run blast
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Steer went 1-for-4 with a two-run home run in a loss to Boston on Saturday.
Steer gave the Reds an early lead with his two-run shot to left field in the first inning. It was his ninth long ball of the season and his third through 19 contests in June. Steer is slashing .234/.326/.401 with 45 RBI, 33 runs and 12 stolen bases on the campaign.
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Reds' Elly De La Cruz: Launches 13th homer
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De La Cruz went 3-for-5 with a solo home run in a loss to the Red Sox on Saturday.
De La Cruz gave Cincinnati a 3-0 lead with his third-inning solo shot, but that turned out to be the final run the Reds scored in the game. The star shortstop came into the contest 0-for-10 with five strikeouts over his previous three contests, so the three-hit effort was a nice way to get back on track. De La Cruz now has 13 long balls on the campaign, and he's added 32 RBI, 48 runs, a league-leading 37 steals and a .240/.338/.444 slash line.
Montas allowed two runs on five hits and one walk while striking out four batters over six innings in a no-decision against Boston on Saturday.
Montas held the Red Sox scoreless through four frames before giving up one run in each of the fifth and sixth innings. He still departed in line for the win but settled for a no-decision due to an eighth-inning Boston rally. Montas recorded his fifth quality start of the campaign and his third over his past five outings. He's registered a 4.48 ERA, 1.36 WHIP and 53:27 K:BB through 66.1 innings on the season.
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Reds' Tyler Stephenson: Enters as pinch hitter
Rotowire
Stephenson (undisclosed) fouled out in his only plate appearance during Saturday's 4-3 loss to the Red Sox.
Stephenson has been dealing with an undisclosed injury, but he was called upon to pinch hit for Luke Maile on Saturday. While Stephenson wasn't well enough to start the contest, it's certainly encouraging that he was able to take an at-bat.
Martini (hand) is starting as Cincinnati's designated hitter and batting seventh Saturday versus Boston.
Martini missed three games after getting hit in the hand by a pitch Monday, but the soreness has seemingly subsided ahead of Saturday's contest. The 33-year-old is slashing just .210/.260/.353 through 131 big-league plate appearances this season, though he has tallied a hit in all three of the games he's played in since returning from Triple-A Louisville last week.
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Reds' Tyler Stephenson: Still out Saturday
Rotowire
Stephenson (undisclosed) isn't in the Reds' lineup Saturday against the Red Sox.
Manager David Bell said Friday that Stephenson is day-to-day with an undisclosed injury. It's still unclear what the 27-year-old backstop is dealing with, but it's enough to sideline him for a second consecutive game Saturday. While he recovers, Luke Maile will pick up another start behind the plate and bat eighth.
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Reds' Carson Spiers: Making second start Monday
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Spiers is slated to start Monday's game against the Pirates in Cincinnati.
He'll be rewarded with a second turn through the rotation and a second straight matchup with the Pirates after he held the Bucs to four runs while striking out five over six innings during his start this past Monday in Pittsburgh. Across his one start and five extended relief appearances this season, Spiers owns a 3.20 ERA, 1.22 WHIP and 20:5 K:BB over 25.1 innings.
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Reds' Alexis Diaz: Notches 17th save
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Diaz gave up a hit and struck out one in a scoreless ninth inning Friday to record his 17th save of the season in a 5-2 win over the Red Sox.
The right-hander has mostly put his rough start to the season behind him. Diaz has converted 10 straight save chances over his last 12 appearances, posting a 2.31 ERA, 1.20 WHIP and 12:6 K:BB through 11.2 innings during that stretch. Despite his 5.08 ERA and 1.48 WHIP on the season, he has a firm grip on Cincinnati's closer job.
