Cincinnati Reds Place TJ Friedl on Paternity Leave, Recall Familiar Face From Triple-A

The Cincinnati Reds will be without their center fielder for a few days for a very good reason. With that comes another opportunity for a young Reds outfielder.

The Reds placed TJ Friedl on the paternity list on Wednesday. In a corresponding move, they have recalled Rece Hinds from Louisville.

Frield has been remarkably durable this season. After battling a myriad of injuries in 2024, Friedl has played in all but four of the Reds games this year.

On the other side of this coin, this is another opportunity for Hinds to show he belongs in the majors. He has absolutely torn up Triple-A and really has nothing more to prove there. Now it’s about being a consistent hitter against MLB pitching.

Before Tuesday’s game, Reds manager Terry Francona spoke with the media and said he had a long conversation with Hinds “about his potential with the Reds and his impressive numbers at Triple-A.” 

In Louisville, Hinds has a slash line of .302/.381/.578 with 16 homers and 16 steals. In his limited time in the big leagues the last two seasons, though, he has slashed .193/.245/.511 with a 38.3% strikeout rate.

While Hinds is not a reason for the Reds to forego adding power at the trade deadline, he could be a deep sleeper performer for the Reds down the stretch.

The opportunity is there for Hinds to overtake Connor Joe.