Royals DFA decision opens door for perfect (and necessary) Reds reunion

Luke Maile will not be in the opposing team's dugout next week when the Cincinnati Reds pay a visit to Kauffman Stadium. The Kansas City Royals designated Maile for assignment on Monday in order to activate right-hander Taylor Clarke. Though the Reds currently have three catchers on the active roster, an upcoming roster move makes reuniting with Maile a no-brainer.

The Reds' current trio of catchers (Tyler Stephenson, Jose Trevino, and Austin Wynns) have coexisted for the past couple of weeks, but a time is coming when that will no longer be feasible. Stephenson was always supposed to be Cincinnati's starting catcher with Trevino acting as the team's backup.

Wynns, however, has made cutting ties with the veteran quite difficult. The 34-year-old enjoyed a red-hot start to the season, and in 39 at-bats, owns a 1.096 OPS with three home runs and 11 RBI. But Wynns has served as little more than a bench bat and defensive replacement since Stephenson returned from the IL. Wynns has just three plate appearances since May 7. Clearly, his time on the Reds roster is coming to an end.

Reuniting with Luke Maile would provide depth for the Reds roster if Austin Wynns is claimed off waivers

Without any minor-league options remaining, the Reds will have to expose Wynns to outright waivers. There's a strong chance that one of the other 29 teams will take a flier on the veteran backstop and submit a claim, which would in turn prevent the Reds from sending Wynns down to Triple-A.

The Reds' catching depth beyond Stephenson, Trevino, and Wynns is extremely questionable. Will Banfield, P.J. Higgins, and Eric Yang are the current crop of catchers at Triple-A Louisville; none of whom has been impressive with the bat this season. There's a grand total of 84 major league games between them, with Higgins accounting for 83 all the way back in 2021 and 2022.

The Reds have Jake Fraley, Noelvi Marte, and Jeimer Candelario all readying for a return in the coming weeks, meaning that Wynns' time on the roster could be coming to an end very quickly. Adding Maile on a minor-league deal would give the Reds an inexpensive emergency catcher in the event that one of Stephenson or Trevino were to hit the IL.

Maile's final season in Cincinnati left a sour taste in the mouths of most Reds fans. The Kentucky native hit just .178/.268/.252 in 53 games. Maile had a terrific spring with the Royals, hitting .333/.391/.571, going 7-for-21 with a pair of doubles and a homer. Maile posted an .815 OPS at Triple-A before his call-up, and in eight major league at-bats this season, has three hits including a round-tripper.

Maile is not an everyday player, and shouldn't even be considered for a spot on the Reds active roster. If the worst should happen, however, it sure would be nice to have the ex-Covington Catholic standout at the ready down in the minors.

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