Jose Garcia

[RedlegJake]

I am usually patient with players - let them play out of a funk. This is a 60 game season - only established players and star prospects get that leash this year. Casali, Colon, Ervin and Jankowski and Davidson (who has played well all told) are all fungible assets in any season but especially in a severely shortened one. Using Garcia, Aquino and Stephenson seems very reasonable - any one of them is likely to better an .083 BA. I'd even hve Lodolo and posssibly Greene up for the bullpen as well. If the guys they would repace were pulling their weight I'd say wait but they aren't. Might as well see what the kids can do and get them some valuable playing time from the bench. Even if they aren't great shakes at first the lessons from being on the big league squad would be invaluable, certainly better than Prasco for their long term development.

[JFLegal]

I doubt Reds want to put Garcia on the forty man roster yet. Once they do the whole process of minor league options begins. So if he isn’t ready and they send him down, an option is burned. Same thing next year, etc.

Not typical to put someone on the forty until it’s required. It happens, sure, but I would be surprised.

He hasn’t even played AA as yet, I expect Reds to have Garcia play Arizona Fall League or some similar level of ball later this year. Then they will evaluate for next season.

agreed. my response was to the gentleman who thought the reds would be burning a year of service time if they called garcia up now.

[RedTeamGo!]

Can’t tell me Garcia wouldn’t have been better than Colon tonight.

[Coopdaddy67]

You're right, we couldn't because he's never played at a higher level than A ball.

[RedlegJake]

You're right, we couldn't because he's never played at a higher level than A ball.

Every prospect doesnt climb up one rung at a time you know. Really good ones can make the leap

[Old school 1983]

At this point, especially with Moose out, Garcia should be up. His ceiling is higher than anyone the Reds are running out there. Garcia at SS, Galvis at 2b. If Garcia plays well, when Moose comes back, flip Galvis for pen help. Same with catcher. The team is playing essentially two backups at this point. Stephensons ceiling is higher than either. Bring him up. Play him. Trade Casali or Barnhart for pen help. If the Reds has a pen, this team could make a deep playoff run IMO.

Next year you may not have Bauer, Disco, or Castellanos back. Just like I said in 2013, The talent is there. Make the moves to go for it. When you have the talent, it’s not time to be shy.

[Bruce Berenyi]

I am so sorry I have the audacity to bring up aquino thousands of times,, because no one else seems to be aware of the obvious

lets bat colon and vanmeter and leave aquino in the minors
also cody reed should be given thousands of chances like gerry arrigo

[Mitri]

At this point, especially with Moose out, Garcia should be up. His ceiling is higher than anyone the Reds are running out there. Garcia at SS, Galvis at 2b. If Garcia plays well, when Moose comes back, flip Galvis for pen help. Same with catcher. The team is playing essentially two backups at this point. Stephensons ceiling is higher than either. Bring him up. Play him. Trade Casali or Barnhart for pen help. If the Reds has a pen, this team could make a deep playoff run IMO.

Next year you may not have Bauer, Disco, or Castellanos back. Just like I said in 2013, The talent is there. Make the moves to go for it. When you have the talent, it’s not time to be shy.

Reds have a plan. Sit on hands until it’s too late. They already did all their work for 2020: Bauer, Llanos, Moose and Shogo.

Once they tear that mini-core back down they can rebuild with Garcia, Lodolo and Ty Steve in 2023

[Old school 1983]

I am so sorry I have the audacity to bring up aquino thousands of times,, because no one else seems to be aware of the obvious

lets bat colon and vanmeter and leave aquino in the minors
also cody reed should be given thousands of chances like gerry arrigo

At this point, I have no idea why Aquino isn’t up. Colon doesn’t offer more than a warm body to play infield imo. Farmer and Van Meter can cover that. Free the Punisher. If he comes up and it turns out his huge month was a mirage, he’s still better than some guys on the roster.

[OGB]

The last 11 games of 2019, Aquino put up a .874 OPS. If they found some holes, it seems he adjusted to them.

His entire career is a tiny sample size, but if we are to draw conclusions from his last month, then we can draw conclusions from his last two weeks.

He hit .255 with 16 strikeouts his last 11 games. He was striking out at a higher rate than his previous 45 games.

That said, I'd prefer him to Christian Colon or Travis Jankowski at this point.
I didn't think Aquino should have made the 25 man in spring training, if for no other reason than he'd benefit from playing every day in AAA.
I think there were at least arguments to be made for leaving him off the initial 30man, especially with Farmer starting out as backup catcher.
With the current struggles of the offense, the Punisher should be here.

[Bruce Berenyi]

he is punishing me for caring about this team

[paulrichjr]

At this point, I have no idea why Aquino isn’t up. Colon doesn’t offer more than a warm body to play infield imo. Farmer and Van Meter can cover that. Free the Punisher. If he comes up and it turns out his huge month was a mirage, he’s still better than some guys on the roster.

I would assume the Reds know that Aquino has a huge hole in his swing and sitting on the bench at the MLB level isn't going to help him fix it. If they had brought him up at the beginning of the season so that next year they could have sent him down I would agree with what everyone is saying but the Reds obviously can see the hole. I watched him play a couple of years ago and sat right behind home plate and the dude had the exact same hole then as he does now. He was missing the low and outside breaking pitch by 2 foot when he would swing and he would swing every stinking time. My son worked in the minors that year and watched him play a lot and he commented about the hole to me way back then. It was bad then and its not completely fixed yet based on what we saw in Sept last year. I have no idea why major league teams didn't pound that area last year because their minor league scouts obviously knew about it then. He has loads of talents but sitting on the bench for the rest of this year instead of getting instructional training for his last year in the minors seems not real wise to me.

[Old school 1983]

I would assume the Reds know that Aquino has a huge hole in his swing and sitting on the bench at the MLB level isn't going to help him fix it. If they had brought him up at the beginning of the season so that next year they could have sent him down I would agree with what everyone is saying but the Reds obviously can see the hole. I watched him play a couple of years ago and sat right behind home plate and the dude had the exact same hole then as he does now. He was missing the low and outside breaking pitch by 2 foot when he would swing and he would swing every stinking time. My son worked in the minors that year and watched him play a lot and he commented about the hole to me way back then. It was bad then and its not completely fixed yet based on what we saw in Sept last year. I have no idea why major league teams didn't pound that area last year because their minor league scouts obviously knew about it then. He has loads of talents but sitting on the bench for the rest of this year instead of getting instructional training for his last year in the minors seems not real wise to me.

What’s stopping from both occurring?

[paulrichjr]

What’s stopping from both occurring?

I would assume he is facing live pitching in the extra 30 complex. He wouldn't be at the MLB level.

[Kingspoint]

I am usually patient with players - let them play out of a funk. This is a 60 game season - only established players and star prospects get that leash this year. Casali, Colon, Ervin and Jankowski and Davidson (who has played well all told) are all fungible assets in any season but especially in a severely shortened one. Using Garcia, Aquino and Stephenson seems very reasonable - any one of them is likely to better an .083 BA. I'd even hve Lodolo and posssibly Greene up for the bullpen as well. If the guys they would repace were pulling their weight I'd say wait but they aren't. Might as well see what the kids can do and get them some valuable playing time from the bench. Even if they aren't great shakes at first the lessons from being on the big league squad would be invaluable, certainly better than Prasco for their long term development.

If you aren't going forwards, you're going backwards (because time is passing you by). These kids are regressing.