Reds option Rece Hinds to AAA Louisville

TL;DR

The Cincinnati Reds have optioned Rece Hinds to AAA Louisville as his playing time diminished due to JJ Bleday's performance. Blake Dunn has been recalled to fill the bench spot.

Key points

Rece Hinds was optioned to AAA Louisville
JJ Bleday's performance impacted Hinds' playing time
Blake Dunn recalled to fill the Reds' bench spot

Cincinnati RedsPittsburgh Pirates

CINCINNATI, OHIO - JULY 08: Rece Hinds #77 of the Cincinnati Reds walks off the field after warming up before his MLB Debut game against the Colorado Rockies at Great American Ball Park on July 08, 2024 in Cincinnati, Ohio. (Photo by Jason Mowry/Getty Images) | Getty Images

Two things have proven true so far for the Cincinnati Reds in this weekend’s series against the Pittsburgh Pirates. The first, of course, is that walks will haunt. Cincinnati pitchers walked *seven straight* batters in Saturday’s 17-7 drubbing by the Buccos, the strike zone simply as hard to find as ships in the Bermuda Triangle. The second, though, is that JJ Bleday looks like the JJ Bleday of old. Rather, he looks like the former Top 5 pick and guy who once socked 20 dingers in the big leagues for Oakland, a guy on whom the Reds can lean regularly in the outfield (at least against right-handed pitching). As a result, we’ve seen Rece Hinds slip to the bottom of the Reds roster. His strikeout proclivity returned immediately when he was recalled to the big leagues in April after ’s struggles, and they simply haven’t gone away. And with Bleday looking the part of the strong-side of potential platoon in the outfield, regular playing time for Hinds has completely evaporated. Given that playing every day was paramount for his development, according to Terry Francona earlier in the year, it simply stopped making sense for him to ride pine with the Reds at the big league level anymore. So, on Sunday they optioned Hinds back to AAA Louisville, recalling to be the last bench bat on the roster for his turn. Of note in those notes is that RHP was placed on the bereavement list, and the recently optioned was recalled to take his place in the bullpen. It’s a shuffle that hopefully will give the Reds the best options for Sunday’s series finale in Pittsburgh as the Reds look to salvage a game out of this otherwise dismal series.

Q&A

Why did the Cincinnati Reds option Rece Hinds to AAA Louisville?

Rece Hinds was optioned to AAA Louisville due to decreased playing time and ongoing struggles at the big league level.

Who was recalled to replace Rece Hinds on the Reds roster?

Blake Dunn was recalled to take Rece Hinds' spot as the last bench bat on the Reds roster.

What impact does JJ Bleday's performance have on Rece Hinds?

JJ Bleday's strong performance has limited Hinds' playing time, leading to his optioning to AAA for more consistent at-bats.