Newly signed Stephen Piscotty should remain in the minors despite Reds outfield struggles

The Oakland Athletics, much like the Cincinnati Reds, are in the middle of a rebuild. The A's made the decision last week to release outfielder Stephen Piscotty in order to call up catching prospect Shea Langeliers. The Reds just signed Piscotty to a minor league contract and assigned him to Triple-A Louisville.

At this point, the Reds just need some warm bodies to help finish out the 2022 season. Former MVP Joey Votto is out for the remainder of the season as is starting catcher Tyler Stephenson. The Reds traded away the team's top two starters and two of the stellar rookie hurlers (Hunter Greene and Graham Ashcraft) are on the IL.

Piscotty represents a low-risk signing on the part of the Reds, but unless the team suffers a slew of injuries over the final month of the 2022 season, there's little reason to select the veteran's contract.

Newly signed Reds OF Stephen Piscotty should stay in the minors.

The Cincinnati Reds outfield has undergone a reshaping since the beginning of the month. Tommy Pham was traded to the Boston Red Sox, Tyler Naquin now plays for the New York Mets, and Albert Almora Jr. is currently on the IL nursing a shoulder injury.

But fans have seen just how good Jake Fraley can be. The former Seattle Mariners outfielder has hit .333/423/.667 with six home runs and 14 RBIs since returning from the IL in late-July.

TJ Friedl has also been given some opportunities. After putting up terrific numbers at Triple-A Louisville (.278/.371/.468), Friedl was called up to the big leagues earlier this month. Friedl is hiting .368/.455/.632 in 22 plate appearances since returning to the Reds lineup.

With the success of the two left-handed hitting outfielders (Fraley and Friedl) and Almora Jr. likely to return from the 10-day IL later this month, there's really no need for the Cincinnati Reds to add Stephen Piscotty to the roster. The 31-year-old hasn't been very effective this season as he's hitting just .190/.252/.341.

While it may be true that Aristides Aquino and Stuart Fairchild add little to the lineup, there's no reason to believe that Piscotty would be much better. At this stage of the game, the Cincinnati Reds would be best served to allow their young talent to gain valuable experience rather than allow their playing time to be taken away by a veteran who'll be cast off in a couple of months.