Sebastian Elizalde has been loaned to the Monterrey Sultans of the Mexican League by the Cincinnati Reds. He had been playing with the Triple-A Louisville Bats this season. In 21 games he hit .254/.312/.423 for the Bats with four walks and nine strikeouts.
In the winter for the last eight years Sebastian Elizalde has played in Mexico’s Winter League. That’s come for two different teams in the league. He also played in the regular season Mexican League prior to signing with the Reds. In 2010-2012 he played for Monterrey. The Reds signed him in May of 2012, though he didn’t play until 2013 as he recovered from Tommy John surgery.
Now, what this means for Sebastian Elizalde is that he gets to go play in his home country. The Mexican League is considered “Triple-A”, but it’s technically not affiliated with the Major Leagues like the International or Pacific Coast Leagues are. It’s an insanely hitter friendly league with many of the parks being at high elevations where the ball can absolutely fly. The league is generally an older crop of players than the stateside Triple-A Leagues are, too.
What this means for the Cincinnati Reds is that it will open up a spot in Louisville. The Reds can, if they decide, to bring Sebastian Elizalde back when they choose to. However, his time spent playing in Mexico does count towards his service time in terms of reaching Minor League free agency. It’s treated the same was as if he were still playing in Louisville.