The Cincinnati Reds made an interesting roster move this morning. They recalled right handed pitcher Nick Travieso to the 25-man roster, then added him to the 60-day disabled list. Several readers have commented on this in another article, so I will try to explain how and why the team did this.
Players can only be added to the 60-day disabled list if they are Major Leaguers. Players in the minor leagues can’t be added to the 60-day disabled list. The Reds needed to create an additional 40-man roster spot. With Patrick Kivlehan making the team, he needed to be added. Rather than placing someone on waivers, the team recalled Nick Travieso to the big league club (he was optioned to the minors early in spring training before ever pitching) and then moved him to the 60-day disabled list.
Travieso hasn’t pitched this spring as he’s been dealing with shoulder inflammation. Where this gets interesting, and could be a smart move for the Reds, is how this could all play out. The move does two things for Nick Travieso. He gets big league pay while he’s on the 60-day disabled list, much like Yorman Rodriguez last year. He will also accrue service time while on the disabled list.
When it comes time to rehab, Nick Travieso will get 30 days of minor league rehab to work with. That could give the Reds additional time to decide on a 40-man roster move when he is healthy. The team apparently doesn’t want to risk losing anyone on their current roster. Having that extra time could be a big deal for them when it comes to evaluating everyone when decision time comes.
It’s a move that surprised me. I would have bet a whole lot of money that the team simply would have placed someone on waivers instead of making a 60-day disabled list move on a minor leaguer to create a roster spot. Between the financial situation (a player on a league minimum salary makes over $80,000 a month while on the big league roster) and the service time situation it doesn’t seem like a move the Reds would have made in the past (the Rodriguez move isn’t the same – he was still on the active roster at the end of spring when he got injured).