The Cincinnati Reds have almost nothing settled when it comes to the future of their outfield.
Former top prospect Noelvi Marte seems to be finding a home in right field, while TJ Friedl is at least adequate in center. Right now, JJ Bleday projects to be the starter in left after being discarded by the Athletics in a trade.
At the very least, Cincinnati needed some reinforcement depth in the upper levels of the minor leagues before the end of the offseason. Last week, that’s exactly what they found.
According to the official transactions log, the Reds signed 25-year-old outfielder Shane Sasaki to a minor-league contract on Wednesday. Sasaki, a former Tampa Bay Rays and Miami Marlins prospect, played most of last season at Double-A before advancing to Triple-A for 23 games.
Sasaki’s calling card is speed, which the Reds could always use more of on their roster to back up perennial stolen base leader Elly De La Cruz. But for the righty-hitting Sasaki to eventually make it to the majors, he’ll have to prove he can hit at the upper levels of the minors.
Though he had some strong offensive seasons in the lower levels, Sasaki posted a .608 OPS in 96 games last year, including just one home run and a .296 slugging percentage. He stole 30 bases, though, and was only caught three times.
In his minor-league career, spanning 374 games, Sasaki has piled up 140 thefts on the basepaths and has only been caught 17 times. He could be a real weapon on the bases if he could prove he’d get there often enough to matter.
The Reds won’t enter spring training with the expectation that Sasaki will contribute to the big-league club this year. He’d have to force their hand with his play, and even if he makes a lot of progress, he could still wind up on a new team next year if Cincinnati leaves him in the minors to elect free agency.
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