Mike

Freeman

The 35-year-old never officially announced his retirement from his playing career, but he did sit out the 2022 campaign after he failed to find a deal to his liking. Freeman previously played in 29 games for the Mariners during the 2016 and 2017 season. In all, he slashed .225/.306/.306 with five homers and 32 RBI over 412 plate appearances in his big league career -- spread out over six seasons and six different teams.

Freeman refused an outright minor-league assignment and will head to free agency after appearing in 37 games for the Reds, hitting .186/.262/.186 with one stolen base across 65 plate appearances. The 34-year-old journeyman infielder spent the majority of the 2021 campaign at Triple-A Louisville. He should be able to land a minor-league deal with an invite to spring training this offseason.

Freeman cleared waivers after being designated for assignment over the weekend. The 34-year-old will stick around as depth in the organization.

The Reds needed to create space on the roster after activating Nick Senzel from the injured list and Mike Freeman was the odd man out. The 34-year-old slashed .186/.262/.186 at the major league level this season and is likely to clear waivers and end up back in Triple-A Louisville.

With Mike Moustakas returning from the injured list on Friday, Freeman became the odd-man out on the Reds bench. The 34-year-old has hit just .186/.262/.186 in 65 plate appearances with the Reds this season.

It appears to just be a day of rest for Suarez. The infielder sits while Mike Freeman starts at third base for the Reds against Freddy Peralta and the Brew Crew.

Freeman will join the Reds ahead of Tuesday night’s game against the Phillies and can serve as a backup at a variety of positions. The 33-year-old is a career .232/.315/.330 hitter at the MLB level.

Freeman is a 33-year-old journeyman utility player, but he might actually have a shot to play a good amount at shortstop for the Reds. He has posted just a .645 OPS over parts of five major league seasons.

Freeman slashed .237/.302/.316 in 24 games (43 plate appearances) last season with Cleveland while appearing defensively at five different positions. He could fill the same super-utility role in 2021.

The 33-year-old passed through waivers unclaimed and elected to test free agency rather than accepting an outright assignment, he’ll explore his options on the open market. Freeman struggled in 2020, slashing just .237/.302/.316 in 43 plate appearances, though he hit a robust .277/.362/.390 in 75 games for the Tribe in 2019, so perhaps he’ll pique another team’s interest as a utility option.