Cincinnati Reds: Demotion to Triple-A is the last gasp for José Peraza

The 2019 season is one that José Peraza would just as soon forget. The Cincinnati Reds shortstop was optioned to Triple-A Louisville on Tuesday.

On Tuesday, Joey Votto returned to the Cincinnati Reds lineup. Unfortunately for José Peraza, he was the odd-man out and was optioned to Triple-A Louisville. The demotion was the latest hurdle for the Reds shortstop this season and may be his last chance to get things right.

Look, I’ve made no bones about it, I’m a big fan of José Peraza. That being said, there’s no way to talk about Peraza’s 2019 season without using the word struggle. Some fans may use more harsh words, but I’ll keep it polite.

Peraza is hitting .237 with an on-base percentage of .284 and just 6 home runs on the season. His OPS+ of 61 is the worst on the Reds this season among players that have seen 200-plus at-bats. The player that we’ve seen this season is a shadow of the José Peraza we saw last year when he was leading the Reds in hits (182) while slugging a career-high .416.

I’m not going to sit back and rehash how Peraza got to this point, as we’ve done that time after time throughout the season. We know he was thrust into a different position to begin the season due to Scooter Gennett‘s injury and that he was eventually supplanted by Derek Dietrich at second base and now Freddy Galvis has that spot locked up for the remainder of 2019.

I, like a lot fans, believe that Peraza is the type of player that needs regular playing time in order to be successful. Unfortunately for him, that’s not the way the game of baseball is being played anymore. Outside of Eugenio Suárez, Joey Votto and Nick Senzel, David Bell does not run out an “everyday lineup”.

Even if he did, Peraza would not be part of that conversation. Of late, Reds fans have enjoyed the every day play of José Iglesias, Josh VanMeter, Freddy Galvis and Aristides Aquino. Outside of catcher, Bell seems to have settled on a regular lineup that he likes to see take the field on a daily basis.

Being optioned to Triple-A Louisville is perhaps overdue. After playing well throughout the month of July, August has seen José Peraza retreat to his old habits. He’s hitting just .240 with 9 strikeouts and only 2 walks in 53 plate appearances. Peraza has shown time and time again that he has no plate discipline.

Perhaps a trip to the minors will do Peraza some good. Though September call-ups are right around the corner, the rules dictate that Peraza is not eligible to return to the major league roster until 10 days after his demotion. Provided Peraza returns to the Reds before 20 days pass, he’ll retain his only remaining minor league option.

Though he’ll likely have one minor league option remaining next season, his time with the Cincinnati Reds may be nearing an end. With Galvis and VanMeter primed to be the starting middle infield for the Reds next season, Peraza could find himself non-tendered this offseason.

Peraza is due for arbitration and will receive an increase over the $2.78M the team is paying him this season. Though he’s still just 25-years old and loaded with potential, there’s the chance that the front office could decide to go in a different direction.

If José Iglesias is re-signed, which I think would be a mistake, it only adds to the idea that Peraza would not be part of next year’s team. Even a slight uptick in Peraza’s salary may not be worth it if the Reds don’t feel that he’s going to help them in 2020.

Personally, I think the Reds should entertain the idea of keeping Peraza via arbitration. Non-tendering Peraza would net Cincinnati nothing in return. A player like Peraza could bring something back to organization through a trade. He’s under team control through 2022, even if that team isn’t the Cincinnati Reds.