Cincinnati Reds lose Layne Somsen to Yankees via waivers

The Cincinnati Reds underwent more roster shuffling to make room for Tuesday’s starting pitcher.

To put right-handed starting pitcher Daniel Wright (who you can read about right here) on the active and 40-man rosters, the Cincinnati Reds had to make a couple of roster moves on Tuesday.

One transaction didn’t come as much of a surprise, as the team optioned outfielder Steve Selsky to Triple-A Louisville to make room on the 25-man roster.

The other move was quite puzzling. To clear a spot on the 40-man, the Reds took a risk by waiving right-handed reliever Layne Somsen and it came back to bite them when he was claimed by the New York Yankees.

Somsen got his first taste of the big leagues earlier in May. He tossed a scoreless inning in his first outing, but got roughed up for five runs on five hits and three walks in just 1 1/3 innings his next time out. Two days later, he was sent back to Louisville.

While the results were less than desirable in his brief stint, there’s no denying he had some potential, which is why the decision to waive him is difficult to comprehend. Somsen is still young (he’ll turn 27 on June 5) and has been successful in his minor-league career, posting a 2.50 ERA and 1.14 WHIP. While he has struggled with control at times (3.5 BB/9), the righty has had a knack for the strikeout, averaging exactly one per inning pitched.

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The organization clearly thought something of him, too, as he was sent to the Arizona Fall League after the 2015 season to compete against some of the game’s other top prospects.

So, why did the team choose to waive a young arm with potential over a guy like Jumbo Diaz, who is 32 and has struggled in extended major league opportunities?

There’s no guarantee that Somsen would’ve turned out to be a major league pitcher, but a rebuild and youth movement is about giving young players like him a chance.

It’s hard to make sense of this, similar to the team’s decision to send Rule 5 pick Jake Cave back to the Yankees after spring training in favor of keeping 30-year-old Jordan Pacheco on the roster. Perhaps more answers will be revealed once the media gets an opportunity to talk to Reds management.