The Cincinnati Reds made a few notable transactions on the farm on Thursday afternoon. Daytona is getting some reinforcements from Arizona who were both drafted last month and will be making their debut whenever they take the mound. 3rd round pick Mason Morris and 13th round pick Brady Afthim are both now on the Tortugas pitching staff. Cincinnati released pitcher Zach Murray, who had been with Daytona, and they moved catcher Dayne Leonard back to the development list.
Cincinnati took Mason Morris out of Ole Miss with their 3rd round pick last month. The right-hander pitched out of the bullpen in college, but in 2025 he was a multi-inning guy and the Reds have stated that they are going to give him a chance to start. With that said, they may or may not thrust him into that role this season – we will have to wait and see how that plays out after he didn’t pitch for a while after the draft.
A 4-pitch guy who posted a 3.29 ERA and had 78 strikeouts in 54.2 innings as a junior this past season, Morris has above-average or better stuff across the board. His fastball has touched 99 and his cutter that works in the low 90’s is a plus pitch. He also brings two above-average breaking balls with a slider and a curve. You can read more about him from draft day here and you can see his college stats here.
Brady Afthim spent four years in the bullpen for Connecticut. His senior year was his breakout season as his strikeout rate took a big jump from where it had been in his previous three seasons. In 2025 he threw 36.2 innings with a 2.70 ERA, 18 walks, and he had 53 strikeouts. Control had always been a bit of an issue for him while in college. His fastball works in the low-to-mid 90’s and he’s been up to 97 while also mixing in a change up and a slider. You can see his college stats here.