#infield-depth

#infield-depth

Arroyo, 31 in May, was once a notable prospect but he hasn't been able to do much with scattered big league opportunities. In seven seasons from 2017 to 2023, he appeared in 295 games split between the Giants, Rays, Guardians and Red Sox. In his 992 plate appearances, his 21.7% strikeout rate was decent but he only walked 5.1% of the time and hit just 24 home runs. That led to a combined .252/.299/.394 line and 86 wRC+.

DeJong, 32, would earn $1 million if he makes the team. A nine-year veteran, DeJong broke into the majors as the St. Louis Cardinals' everyday shortstop in 2017 and finished second in National League Rookie of the Year voting. He was an All-Star two years later when he finished with 30 home runs and 5.2 bWAR, but he has since been unable to replicate that production.

Take this one with a grain of salt, but for what it's worth, one reporter has thrown out the Toronto Blue Jays as being among the teams having interest in a guy who was, at one time, the top prospect in baseball. Reporter Francys Romero has tweeted that third baseman Yoan Moncada is someone the Blue Jays have been interested in.

In a season that started with infield candidates ranging from Alex Bregman, Trevor Story, Kristian Campbell, Triston Casas, Rafael Devers, and Marcelo Mayer, David Hamilton managed to make it into 91 games. That's way too many! His large presence in box scores is the byproduct of a tumultuous year in the infield. David Hamilton is fast, and actually plays good defense when used at second base. If he's the last guy on your roster, he's not a bad guy to have around.

It wasn't long ago that the Reds seemed to have an infield surplus. That has changed quickly. The Jeimer Candelario signing was a bust. Jonathan India was traded to Kansas City. Noelvi Marte tested positive for a performance-enhancing substance in Spring Training 2024. Matt McLain sustained significant shoulder and rib injuries and missed all of last year. First basemen Christian Encarnacion-Strand and Spencer Steer regressed, with Encarnacion-Strand's stock completely tanking when he underwent wrist surgery in July '24.