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Reds claim OF Tyler Goeddel from Phillies, move DeSclafani to 60-day DL

Added OF depth and an inevitable administrative move for Disco.

Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

Philadelphia OF Tyler Goeddel will be hopping on a flight to Kentucky in the coming hours, but it won’t be into CVG to join the Phillies in their series against the Cincinnati Reds. Well, former Philadelphia OF Tyler Goeddel, that is, since the Reds themselves claimed the former 1st round draft pick this morning and immediately optioned him to AAA Louisville.

That the Reds chose to claim Goeddel shouldn't come as too much of a surprise, really. The Tampa Bay Rays thought highly enough of him back in 2011 to draft him 41st overall out of St. Francis HS (CA), and the Phillies themselves opted to use a flier on him in the 2015 Rule 5 Draft after a solid AA campgain and kept him on their active roster through the duration of the 2016 season. He struggled in Philly, of course, hitting a paltry .192/.258/.291 in 234 PAs, but he was also just 23 years old at the time and had not seen a pitch above AA level in the minors.

Optioning him to AAA Louisville will allow him to get reps there at a level where he's probably more suited at the moment, and it provides depth in the OF where the Reds have a pretty distinct need. With the likes of Yorman Rodriguez, Juan Duran, Steve Selsky, Ryan LaMarre, and Jeff Gelalich having exited the system in the last year or so, adding OF depth sure seemed like a solid priority.

To make room for him on the team's 40-man roster, Cincinnati moved Anthony DeSclafani from the 10-day DL to the 60-day DL, where he'll join fellow elbow-nurser Homer Bailey. There had been some initial hope that the team's decision to start Disco on just the 10-day DL to begin the season might mean he'd be available at some point in May, but this procedural move guarantees he won't be back until June, at the earliest.

While neither of these moves are surprising in a vacuum, I had the same initial reaction as The Enquirer's Zach Buchanan when I saw the news. That is, it seems interesting to make this move when adding Bronson Arroyo to the roster in the next two days is also in the plans, meaning it's likely now that another 40-man rosteree will have to be cut to make way.

For a fringe guy like, say, Nefi Ogando, this won't exactly come as great news.