The Cincinnati Reds made several more roster moves this afternoon as they continued their spring training roster trim. After trading away Neftali Soto earlier in the day for cash from the White Sox, the Reds also announced that they have released left handed reliever Jose Mijares.
Mijares last pitched in 2013 when he was with the San Francisco Giants. He did not play in 2014 after opting out of his contract during spring training with the Red Sox. The Reds brought him on with a minor league deal. He pitched in five games, all in relief, while posting a 5.06 ERA in 5.1 innings with a walk, two home runs allowed and four strikeouts.
The team optioned catcher Tucker Barnhart, shortstop Eugenio Suarez and outfielder Donald Lutz to Triple-A Louisville. Barnhart was hitting .150/.227/.200 on the spring with a walk and a strikeout in 20 at-bats. Suarez was kept around for a while despite Bryan Price essentially saying he was heading to the minor leagues weeks ago. The shortstop was hitting .276/.300/.517 with a walk and seven strikeouts in 29 at-bats. Lutz may have been battling for a spot on the bench to back up the corner outfield spots and first base, but his slow start saw him hit just .222/.250/.407 this spring with a walk and eight strikeouts in 27 at-bats.
On top of the players optioned the Reds also reassigned infielder Josh Satin and catcher Chad Wallach to the minor leagues. Satin never saw his bat get going as he hit .192/.250/.346 in 26 at-bats with two walks and six strikeouts. Wallach had been getting some backup time behind the plate and at first base with the Reds. He was hitting .286/.353/.286 with a walk and no strikeouts in 14 at-bats.