Rece

Hinds

Hinds heads back to the minors following Cincinnati’s influx of trade acquisitions. The 24-year-old all-or-nothing slugger was only up for a couple days while TJ Friedl was away on paternity leave.

Since it’s the result of TJ Friedl going on the paternity list, this will probably be a brief stay for Hinds, who is 5-for-42 with a 20/1 K/BB in the majors this season. He’s come in at .302/.381/.578 in Triple-A.

Although he was tearing it up in Triple-A, Hinds went 2-for-23 with no extra-base hits or walks and 10 strikeouts during his latest stint in the majors. He’s no closer now to claiming a permanent spot in the Cincinnati outfield than he was at the start of the year.

Hays returned from the injured list on Friday, going 1-for-4 with a double and an RBI. This is likely their way of just easing him back into a full-time role. Rece Hinds will start in his place in right field and bat seventh for the Reds against Randy Vasquez and the Padres on Saturday afternoon in Cincinnati.

We’re confident Hinds will connect for tape-measure home runs regardless of where he plays, but he’s struck out at an astronomical rate against big-league pitching over the last two seasons, fanning nearly 37 percent of the time across 31 games in the majors. The 24-year-old offers an interesting blend of skills, but his omnipresent contact issues limit his appeal to extremely deep mixed leagues and NL-only formats as a cheap power source.

Hinds gets sent down after the Reds signed Garrett Hampson to a one-year deal prior to Friday’s game against the Cubs. The 24-year-old struck out 10 times in his 19 at-bats with the Reds, and picked up only three hits in that timeframe.

Hinds has played outfield for his entire minor league career, apart from nine games at third base during his first professional season. The Reds have plenty of outfield options, so Hinds being able to play first base would give him a little more security on the roster, especially with Jeimer Candelario and Christian Encarnacion-Strand both banged up and struggling. Hinds is 6'4", 215 pounds, so he certainly makes for a big enough target at the position.

Hinds is just 3-for-17 since his callup, but all of his hits have gone for extra bases. Unfortunately, he has struck out nine times, and he’s mostly taking a seat right now with Will Benson on a roll. Hinds will likely be sent down when Jake Fraley is activated.

The dynamic 29-year-old outfielder sat out each of the team’s previous three contests due to tenderness in his left calf. Fraley returns to a .205/.319/.359 slash line to go along with three homers, nine RBI and three stolen bases through his first 91 plate appearances. His return will negatively impact the playing time of Rece Hinds, who finds himself back on the bench for Friday’s ballgame.

Hinds gave the Reds a 4-2 lead with his two-run homer in the ninth off Raisel Iglesias. It’s his first homer since being promoted back to Cincinnati on Wednesday. While his other skills are a question mark, there’s no denying he offers pop in his bat while playing in a hitter-friendly home park.