According to Mark Sheldon of MLB.com, left-hander Evan Kravetz and infielder Davis Wendzel both went unclaimed on waivers and have been outrighted to Triple-A Louisville. The Reds had designated both players for assignment in the previous week.
Kravetz, 27, had recently been called up to the majors for the first time last week. He appeared in one game, pitching two-thirds of an inning without giving up a run, before being designated for assignment. Due to his limited service time and lack of previous career outright assignments, he is unable to refuse this assignment.
As a result, he will return to Louisville to provide the team with additional left-handed depth in a non-roster capacity. He has pitched 42 1/3 innings for the Bats this season with a 3.40 ERA. While his walk rate was a bit high at 11.7%, he struck out 25% of the batters he faced.
Wendzel, 27, was once considered a promising prospect in the Rangers’ organization. He was selected 41st overall in the 2019 draft but failed to live up to expectations at the plate. Over the past few years, he has played in 338 minor league games with a .232/.338/.426 slash line, resulting in a 91 wRC+.
He started the year strong and was added to the Texas roster in April. However, after multiple trips between the majors and minors, he struggled at the big league level with a .128/.163/.234 batting line in 47 plate appearances. His success in the minors also dwindled, leaving him with a .266/.361/.407 line in Triple-A for the season, including stints with the Rangers’ and Reds’ Triple-A affiliates.
With the trade deadline passed, no trade was possible for Wendzel and no other team claimed him off waivers. Like Kravetz, he will join Louisville to provide the team with additional depth. Wendzel has experience playing all four infield positions, offering versatility and coverage on the dirt.
