Reds ink Orlando Arcia to minors contract

Arcia hit .271 (13-for-48) with one homer during a 19-game stint with Minnesota earlier this season. The well-traveled 31-year-old was removed from the club’s 40-man roster last month. He should be able to latch on somewhere as organizational depth.

He has accepted the assignment and will remain in the organization as veteran infield depth.

Arcia is getting the boot to make room for Kyler Fedko. The 31-year-old has been decent with a .271 average over 19 games with Minnesota, and it wouldn’t a be a huge surprise if there was interest in the former top prospect on the waiver wire. If he does go unclaimed, he can report to Triple-A or elect free agency.

Lee takes a seat with Orlando Arcia getting a shot at third base for the first time since being called up earlier this month. The 25-year-old infielder has cooled off a bit in the last few games after an impressive five-game stretch earlier this week where he batted .350 (7-for-20) with one homer and six RBI. He appears to be Minnesota’s preferred option at the hot corner until further notice with top prospect Kaelen Culpepper seemingly earmarked for shortstop once he arrives this summer.

Royce Lewis is headed to the minors, but we will not be getting top prospect Kaelen Culpepper up in Minnesota. Instead, it will be the veteran Arcia. The 31-year-old was hitting .318/.376/.556 in 39 games at Triple-A with eight home runs, 27 RBI, and three steals. That came with a 42.5 percent hard-hit rate and a solid 19 percent strikeout rate. He has played primarily second base and shortstop in the minors this season, but has four starts at third base as well. The Twins could use him to spell Luke Keaschall and Brooks Lee when they get a day off, and he could start at third base against lefties.

Altavilla and Bowman were in Twins camp as non-roster invitees this spring attempting to win spots in the club’s bullpen. Altavilla made 28 appearances for the White Sox last year. Bowman got into 20 contests for the Orioles last season and should be able to latch on somewhere, likely on a minor league pact.

Arcia is 5-for-20 with four extra-base hits this spring. Last year, he totaled 11 extra-base hits in 203 at-bats for the Braves and Rockies. The Twins could pick him over Gio Urshela, Ryan Kreidler and Tristan Gray for their vacant utility role, though unlike Kreidler and Gray, he’s not on the 40-man.

Arcia will compete for a spot on Minnesota’s season-opening roster during spring training after splitting last year between the Braves and Rockies, batting .202/.238/.291 with three homers across 214 plate appearances over 76 games. A combination of his declining offense and overabundance of quality options at the shortstop position have erased any semblance of fantasy relevance he possessed previously. However, he’s still only 31 years old and represents a worthwhile zero-risk gamble for the Twins as a backup infielder capable of handling virtually every position on the infield dirt.

Arcia singled during the Rockies’ two-run rally in the third inning but was erased on a fielder’s choice. He then smacked a two-out RBI single off of Matthew Boyd in the fourth that extended the Rockies’ advantage to 4-2. The 31-year-old infielder also led off the seventh inning with an infield single and scored on a sacrifice fly by Brenton Doyle. Even with his three-hit attack, Arcia is slashing a meager .207/.243/.302 with three homers and 13 RBI in 189 plate appearances on the season.

Freeman has been performing in a super utility role for the Rockies and has settled into the leadoff spot in their lineup. He’ll get a breather in this one though. Orlando Arcia will draw a start at second base and bat ninth for the Rockies against Cubs’ right-hander Cade Horton while Mickey Moniak slides up to the leadoff spot in the lineup.