Reds quickly move on from player they added from Angels’ salary dump

The Cincinnati Reds were one of the teams to seemingly profit from the Los Angeles Angels’ waiver-wire salary dump, but just over two weeks later, they are moving on from their addition.

The Reds announced Monday that they have designated outfielder Hunter Renfroe for assignment, bringing his brief tenure with the team to an end. Renfroe joined the Reds on waivers at the end of August when the Angels let him go for salary reasons.

The Reds’ decision is not a shock, as Renfroe has not been productive at all since joining the team. In 14 games with Cincinnati, he went just 5-for-39 with only one home run, good for a miserable .128 batting average. That was not what the Reds envisioned after he hit 19 home runs for the Angels over the first five months of the season.

The Angels’ waiver wire clear-out seemed likely to impact the playoff race, but it really has not. In addition to Renfroe’s struggles, Lucas Giolito has struggled with the Cleveland Guardians, who are essentially out of the race themselves.