The Reds announced a series of camp cuts today, the most notable being that infielder Noelvi Marté has been optioned to Triple-A Louisville. They also optioned right-handers Yosver Zulueta and Connor Phillips as well as infielder/outfielder Tyler Callihan ad outfielder Rece Hinds.
The news isn’t especially surprising but highlights how far Marté’s stock has fallen in the past year. He had been a top 100 prospect for years as he ascended the minor leagues and then had a torrid start to his big league career. The Reds, who acquired the prospect as part of the July 2022 trade that sent Luis Castillo to Seattle, first promoted Marté in the middle of August 2023. He took 123 plate appearances as that season was winding down, hitting .316/.366/.456.
That was inflated by a .384 batting average on balls in play that didn’t make it seem wholly sustainable, but Marté was only 21 years old at the time and had a lengthy track record of hitting in the minors. While some regression may have been expected, it was nonetheless hoped that he could take the third base job in Cincinnati and run with it.
Unfortunately, it’s been all downhill since then. Marté was hit with an 80-game suspension just over a year ago, on March 8 of 2024, after testing positive for the performance-enhancing substance Boldenone. He was reinstated in late June last year but hit a dismal .210/.248/.301 for the Reds after that. His 3.7% walk rate and 31% strikeout rate last year were both awful numbers. He has received 22 plate appearances this spring, striking out in 36.4% of those while only walking at a 4.5% clip, leading to a .150/.182/.400 line.
The Reds understandably don’t feel they can rely on Marté to face big league pitching right now, so he’ll head to minors and try to get back on track. For what it’s worth, the strikeout and walk profile was far better until recently. From 2019 to 2023, he stepped to the plate 1,729 times in the minors. He walked in 11% of those and was only punched out at a 20.2% clip. In the majors in 2023, his 6.5% walk rate was a bit below average but his 20.3% strikeout rate was solid.
It’s only been since the PED suspension that Marté has had such pronounced struggles at the plate. While it’s clearly been a rough year, he is still young, having just turned 23 in October. Perhaps being away from the big-league spotlight can help him get right again. In terms of service time, he didn’t collect any while suspended and is currently at 139 days, a bit shy of the one-year mark. He’ll get over that one-year line if he is recalled for at least 33 days during the 2025 season.
As for the third base job in Cincinnati, MLBTR recently took a look at some of the options. It’s possible that Jeimer Candelario ends up taking the bulk of the playing time there, but he could also be at first base or in the designated hitter slot. That could allow for players like Gavin Lux, Christian Encarnacion-Strand or Santiago Espinal to get some time there as well.
