Reds Sign Conner Capel To Minor League Dea

The Reds have signed outfielder to a minor league deal with an invitation to Landry Shamet Jersey big league Spring Training, per a club announcement. Capel, 26, was a fifth-round pick by Cleveland in the 2016 draft before being swapped to the Cardinals in 2018 as part of the return in the trade. Capel spent the next several seasons in the minor leagues before making his big league debut with the Cardinals in 2022. In nine games with the big league club in St. Louis, Capel struggled to a slash line of just .176/.211/.353 before the club designated him for a signment in late September. Once the Cardinals placed Capel on waivers, the As swooped in and claimed him before adding him to the big league roster for the stretch run. Capel caught fire with Oakland during his 13-game stint with the club to end the year, slashing an incredible .371/.425/.600 in his final 40 plate appearances. That strong performance to end the 2022 season earned Capel a spot on the Opening Day roster in Oakland. Though Capel received regular starts in the outfield corners for the first month of the season, Capel failed to make the most of the opportunity and slashed just .258/.347/.318 acro s 75 trips to the plate before he was optioned to Triple-A. Capel ultimately finished the 2023 season with a .260/.372/.329 slash line in the big leagues, good for a respectable wRC+ of 109. That succe s came over the course of just 86 plate appearances, however, and Capels mediocre .252/.346/.402 slash line at the clubs Triple-A affiliate, which plays in the offense-inflating Pacific Coast League, wasnt enough to convince the As to keep Capel on the roster. The outfielder was outrighted off the 40-man roster back in August and subsequently hit minor league free agency, allowing him to sign on with the Reds on this non-roster pact. Capel doesnt exactly have a clear path to joining Cincinnatis roster, as the lefty outfielder would be competing with the likes of , , and for a spot on the clubs roster to say nothing of right-handed outfield options like and . While the Reds deep positional group seems likely to block Capel at least entering Spring Training, an injury or two at the big league level combined with a strong performance from Capel during Spring Training and in the minors could provide him the opportunity to break onto the clubs roster. Until then, Capel figures to serve as a depth option at the Triple-A level for the Reds, who have the likes of and also available at Triple-A. Jordan Bowden Jersey