Cooper

Bowman

Bowman was shipped back to the Athletics last spring after failing to make Cincinnati’s season-opening roster as a Rule 5 pick. The 26-year-old infielder hasn’t appeared in the big leagues since getting into 11 games for the Athletics back in 2024. He bolsters Tampa Bay’s organizational depth at Triple-A Durham heading into the season.

Bowman was returned to the Athletics earlier this week after being selected by the Reds during the offseason’s Rule 5 Draft. The 25-year-old infielder has been removed from the club’s 40-man roster and will open the year at Triple-A Las Vegas.

The Reds didn’t need to wait until the end of the spring to determine that Cooper wasn’t a fit for their current roster. It would have been a big jump for the 25-year-old, who struggled in his first taste of Triple-A last year and who was hitting just .120/.267/.120 in 30 plate appearances this spring,

Bowman was acquired by the Athletics in the deal for Frankie Montas back in 2022 from the Yankees. The infielder posted an .844 OPS in Double-A last year, but that number tanked to .594 when he was promoted to Triple-A Las Vegas from Midland. His path to a roster spot will be showing defensive versatility during the Cactus League.

Bowman is the least-heralded prospect the Yankees gave up and has just a .698 OPS this year at High-A. He’s a great athlete, though, and is just 22.