The Cincinnati Reds made six roster cuts today. Chase Petty, the clubs 2nd rated prospect, was one of five pitchers that were sent to the minor leagues along with outfielder Will Benson. Joining Petty in the minors are Zach Maxwell, Albert Abreu, Lenny Torres Jr., and Bryan Shaw. With the six roster moves there are now 39 players remaining in big league camp.
Chase Petty made two starts and two relief appearances this spring and threw 10.0 innings with a 1.80 ERA. Those were the good sides of his stats. But there was a not-so-great side, too. The #2 prospect in the Reds system battled some control issues in big league camp. He hit two batters and had six walks to go along with just seven strikeouts.
Zach Maxwell pitched in six games, all in relief, for Cincinnati. The big right-handed reliever allowed two runs in 6.0 innings. He allowed six hits, walked four of the 26 batters he faced, and he added in six strikeouts.
Lenny Torres Jr. signed with the Reds on a minor league deal this past offseason and got an invite to big league spring training. He had one of the better spring performances while he was in camp. The righty allowed one earned run in seven outings, covering 7.0 innings with a 1.29 ERA. He only walked two batters and had seven strikeouts.
Albert Abreu, like Torres Jr., is a guy who signed as a minor league free agent in the offseason. He allowed just one run in his six outings. That’s good for a 1.50 ERA. He gave up eight hits and walked two batters, while striking out just one of the 27 hitters he faced.
Bryan Shaw, the veteran among this group at 37-years-old and parts of 14 big league seasons, is also heading to Triple-A. Mark Sheldon of Reds.com reported that Shaw told manager Terry Francona that he would remain in the organization and head to Louisville. This spring he allowed three runs in 6.2 innings (4.05 ERA). But he did struggle with control as he walked nine batters.
Will Benson was the lone position player that was cut today. He was also the only member of the 40-man roster that was cut today, too. The outfielder only had five hits in 25 at-bats, giving him a .200 average. He made his hits count as he had a triple and two home runs (.520 slugging percentage). Benson did have 10 strikeouts and four walks in his 30 plate appearances.