Mark Reynolds insists that he needs playing time to work himself out of his current slump. Unfortunately for him, he likely will no longer be getting that opportunity with the Cleveland Indians.
The Tribe designated Reynolds for assignment on Thursday and called up pitcher Preston Guilmet from Triple-A Columbus to replace him on its roster. The 30-year-old infielder hit .215 with a .680 OPS in 384 plate appearances with Cleveland this season. More of a concern had to be Reynolds' .373 slugging percentage, hardly what you want from someone asked to supply some home run power.
Reynolds was one of several players the Indians signed this offseason in an effort to provide power and add run production. He signed a one-year, $6 million contract.
Signing Reynolds looked like a great move in April. In 95 plate appearances, he batted .301 with a 1.019 OPS, five doubles, eight home runs and 22 RBI. But that production dropped significantly in subsequent months and strikeouts began to pile up. In May and June, Reynolds had 74 strikeouts in 220 plate appearances.
With the emergence of Lonnie Chisenhall at third base, Yan Gomes at catcher (allowing Carlos Santana to play some games at designated hitter), Ryan Raburn in the outfield (and DH) and Jason Giambi striking out far less often, there was no longer a place for Reynolds in the Indians lineup.
Reynolds sounds like a guy who knows what's wrong, but hasn't gotten the necessary at-bats to fix himself at the plate.
"I think the difference now is, I'm taking the pitches away for strikes and swinging at pitches on the inner half that are balls," he told the Cleveland Plain Dealer. "I see a pitch on the inside corner, I light up and swing at it. I need to get back to using the whole field and not being so pull-happy."
If Reynolds accepts an assignment to the minors, perhaps he can work on those improvements there. However, a player with his kind of power might draw some pursuit on the open market.
Cleveland has 10 days to trade Reynolds, release him or place him on waivers. Given his salary, any teams interested in Reynolds will probably wait until he clears waivers before making a move. But given the demand for right-handed hitting among many playoff contenders, perhaps a potential suitor will try to work out a trade to ensure getting their man.
Among the teams that could show interest are the New York Yankees, Texas Rangers and Boston Red Sox. Reynolds could possibly be a fit with the Pittsburgh Pirates, Tampa Bay Rays, Los Angeles Dodgers and Philadelphia Phillies as well.
UPDATE: According to Nick Camino of WTAM 1100, Reynolds has told manager Terry Francona and GM Chris Antonetti that he does not want to go to Triple-A if he clears waivers.
