CINCINNATI — The Reds bolstered their outfield with two established veterans on Thursday when they claimed Harrison Bader off waivers from the Yankees and — as sources told MLB.com — Hunter Renfroe from the Angels. The Renfroe claim has not been confirmed by the teams, and the Reds have made no official announcement.
Cincinnati knows the 29-year-old Bader well from his six seasons with the rival Cardinals, with whom he won a Gold Glove in 2021. Bader, who was traded to the Yankees at the 2022 Trade Deadline, is a career .244/.312/.399 hitter with 59 home runs and 214 RBIs. He has a .643 OPS in 84 games with New York this year and is owed roughly $783,000 for the remainder of his $4.7 million contract for this season.
Renfroe, 31, is a career .240/.304/.434 hitter with 176 home runs and 450 RBIs over eight seasons. He posted a .737 OPS with 19 homers for Los Angeles this season. Renfroe hit at least 26 home runs in every full season from 2017-22, including 29 for the Brewers last season. He is owed about $1.98 million from his $11.9 million salary for 2023.
Sources say the Reds, which were also in need of starting pitching and bullpen help, made other claim attempts that were not successful. It was not clear who else they attempted to acquire.
Teams have until 11:59 p.m. ET Thursday to add players to their 40-man roster or 60-day injured list to ensure the players are eligible for the postseason.
