The Reds announced Tuesday that they’ve designated left-hander Joe La Sorsa for assignment and selected the contract of fellow southpaw Reiver Sanmartin from Triple-A Louisville. Cincinnati also optioned lefty Sam Moll to Louisville. Additionally, outfielder/first baseman Connor Joe has accepted an outright assignment to Triple-A after clearing waivers, per C. Trent Rosecrans of The Athletic.
La Sorsa, 27, has pitched just 6 2/3 innings with the Reds this year after signing a minor league deal in the offseason. He’s been tagged for eight earned runs on 13 hits (four homers) and a pair of walks with two strikeouts in that small sample. That’s clearly not an exciting line for any pitcher, but the lefty has been far better in Triple-A, where he’s pitched 44 2/3 frames with a 2.82 earned run average. La Sorsa’s 21.1% strikeout rate and 13.4% walk rate in Louisville both leave something to be desired, however.
This year’s brief look with the Reds brought La Sorsa’s career totals in the majors to 57 innings with a 5.21 ERA, a 17.5% strikeout rate and a 6.3% walk rate. He’s previously suited up for the Rays and Nationals. While the big league track record is limited, La Sorsa has a 2.88 ERA in three Triple-A seasons (134 1/3 innings). He sits 91-92 mph with his sinker and complements that pitch with an upper-70s slider and a seldom-used changeup in the mid-80s. Now that he’s been designated for assignment, La Sorsa will head to waivers and be available to all 29 other teams. He’ll have a minor league option remaining next season.
Sanmartin, 29, is a familiar face for Cincinnati fans. He spent considerable time with the Reds in the majors from 2021-23, picking up 82 2/3 innings out of the bullpen. Sanmartin was hit hard in the majors, yielding a 5.77 ERA and a .289/.366/.450 batting line to his opponents across those three seasons. He’s posted a 4.27 ERA with a strikeout per inning in parts of three Triple-A campaigns, although this year’s 15 runs in 18 1/3 innings (7.36 ERA) don’t exactly portend a breakout.
The Reds cycled through four relievers yesterday and have had both Emilio Pagan and Tony Santillan work on back-to-back days already. Starter Nick Lodolo was scratched from today’s start due to illness, the team announced earlier in the day, leaving reliever Scott Barlow to start what will be a bullpen game. With that in mind, it’s not surprising to see them bring up a fresh arm — particularly one who’s stretched out for…
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