The Reds have recalled outfielder Blake Dunn from Triple-A Louisville. In a related move, first baseman Dominic Smith has been designated for assignment. The club’s 40-man roster has shrunk to 39.
Smith, 29, was with the Reds for a little over a week. He signed with them on August 22 and has made 29 plate appearances in nine games, hitting.192/.276/.269 during that time. That’s certainly not fantastic production, but it’s also not a large enough sample size to draw conclusions from.
Smith’s removal from the roster may reflect more on the club than on him. The Reds were 5.5 games out of a postseason berth when Smith was hired, but they have subsequently plummeted to 9.5 games behind. With their postseason chances effectively dead, there’s little purpose for an approaching free agent like Smith, especially one with no true defensive versatility. Instead, they may use their remaining games to give playing time to players like Dunn who are vying for positions on next year’s roster.
Smith has more than enough service time to refuse an outright assignment, thus he will most likely become a free agent in the coming days, either through a release or by exercising his right to seek employment elsewhere. Prior to his poor stint in Cincinnati, he performed better in Boston. In 84 games with the Red Sox, he batted.237/.317/.390 for a wRC+ of 96, putting him 4% below league average.
He could try to find work elsewhere for the rest of the season, but he won’t be eligible for the playoffs with a new team because it’s beyond the September 1 deadline. Clubs out of contention, such as the Reds, would most likely prefer to offer playing time to controllable individuals. Smith had a nice stretch in 2019-20, hitting.299/.366/.571 over those two seasons, but it’s been a difficult journey since then. From 2021 to the present, he has hit.241/.311/.360 in over 1,500 plate appearances, giving him an 86 wRC+.
