The Reds have sent right-hander Frank German outright to Triple-A Louisville, per his transactions tracker at MLB.com. That indicates he cleared waivers after being designated for assignment earlier this week.
German, 25, has bounced around the league quite a bit. Originally a fourth-round selection of the Yankees in 2018, he was flipped to the Red Sox in the trade that also sent Adam Ottavino to Boston. He pitched very well in the minors last year, posting a 2.72 ERA in 49 2/3 combined innings between Double-A and Triple-A. He struck out 32.5% of batters while walking 9.6%. Those strong numbers got him up to the majors, though he allowed eight earned runs in his four innings down the stretch.
The righty was squeezed off Boston’s roster in the winter, getting designated for assignment in January. He was then traded to the White Sox, though that club put him on waivers in May, with the Reds putting in a claim. Each of those two clubs kept him in the minors and he struggled with both of their respective Triple-A squads. He has a 7.78 ERA in 19 2/3 frames this year between the two. His 28.4% strikeout rate is still strong but his 14.7% walk rate is extremely high.
His strikeout stuff clearly garnered plenty of interest around the league in recent months but his control issues have seemingly tempered the excitement enough to finally get him though waivers. Since he has less than three years of service time and this is his first career outright, he won’t have the ability to elect free agency. He’ll stick with Louisville and provide the club with some non-roster depth while trying to earn his way back to the show.
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