Reds sign LHP Tommy Milone, release one-time All-Star OF Ender Inciarte

Catching up on a pair of minor league moves from late August, the Reds signed left-hander Tommy Milone to a minor-league deal and released outfielder Ender Inciarte. According to MLB.com’s Mark Sheldon (Twitter link), Inciarte opted out of the minors contract he signed with the Reds in early August.

Milone has already pitched twice for Triple-A Louisville as the veteran looks to work his way back to the majors. Milone made it an 11th MLB campaign when he suited up for the Blue Jays earlier this season, tossing 14 innings and posting a 6.43 ERA. Shoulder inflammation then resulted in a trip to the 60-day injured list, and Toronto released Milone last month after he began a rehab assignment.

Should Milone appear in a big-league game with the Reds, it will mark the 10th different team of a journeyman career for the 34-year-old. Working mostly as a starter over his career, Milone offers Cincinnati some depth as a potential fill-in starter or perhaps as a long reliever out of the bullpen. It has been some time since Milone has been a truly effective hurler, as he has been plagued by the home run ball.  ince the start of the 2016 season, Milone has a 5.83 ERA over 308 2/3 innings, with an 18.4% home run rate over that stretch.

The Braves released Inciarte in late July, ending a six-year run in Atlanta that included the highs of a 2017 All-Star nod and three Gold Gloves, plus the lows of an offensive swoon. Inciarte’s defense declined and his already below-average bat completely cratered, resulting in only a .200/.267/.277 slash line in 220 plate appearances since the start of the 2020 season. Inciarte is in the final guaranteed season of the five-year, $30.525M extension he signed with Atlanta back in December 2016, so any team that signs Inciarte and adds him to their active roster for the remainder of the season will only owe him the prorated portion of a minimum salary (with the Braves footing the rest of the money owed).