The Reds and the infielder Michael Chavis they agreed to a minor league deal, ESPN’s Kiley McDaniel reports. A CAA Sports client also receives an invitation to major league camp in spring training.
Chavis, 30, is returning to North America after a brief stint overseas. He signed with the Chunichi Dragons of Japan’s Nippon Professional Baseball in July. However, he hit just .171/.267/.352 in 38 games for the Dragons.
The Reds ignored that small sample size disappointment and brought him in on an undrafted deal. Chavis was once a notable prospect, selected by the Red Sox in the first round of the 2014 draft. He had a breakout season in 2017 when he hit 31 home runs in the minors. Baseball America ranked him as the #85 prospect in the league heading into the 2018 season.
He made his big league debut with a bit of a splash in 2019, hitting 18 home runs in just 382 plate appearances, but with some stars. That was a juiced-ball season, so Chavis was one of 151 players to reach the 18-homer mark that year. He also struck out 33.2% of the plate.
Strikeouts will continue to be a problem and lower his stock. In the years to come, he’ll bounce from Boston to Pittsburgh and Washington as he continues to hit the airwaves. He currently has 1,186 major league plate appearances on his statsheet with a 31.9% strikeout rate in those. His 5.4% walk rate is also low. Despite launching 42 home runs, his .238/.283/.401 batting line translates to an 80 wRC+, which shows he was 20% below average overall.
For the Reds, there is no real harm in signing him on a minor league contract. Appropriately, his minor league production was successful. Since the start of 2024, he has made 740 Triple-A plate appearances, striking out only 22.3% of the time. He slashed .270/.339/.483 in that sample with a 103 wRC.
He can also provide a lot of defensive flexibility. He has major league experience at three non-stop positions in the infield and outfield.
The Reds have a lot of moving parts in their mix of local players. Matt McLain He could be a second baseman but he missed all of 2024 with an injury and had a poor 2025. Sal Stewart he has second base experience in the minors but the Reds have used him at first and third in the majors. Even though he had a good down season, he still only played 58 major league games. The hot corner must be closed It’s Bryan Hayes after he was acquired by the 2025 deadline. If Stewart takes over at first, that could be a push Spencer Steer in the grass, in the same way Gavin Lux again Noelvi Marté they were pushed more from the infield to the outfield. Steer, Lux and Marté were around league average at the plate in 2025. Christian Encarnacion-Strand and is in the corner infield mix but is coming off two straight challenging seasons.
Chavis gives Cincy more experience behind that team and can step in if there is an opening due to injury or inefficiency. Chavis still has an option remaining, meaning he could easily be sent back to the minors if he finds a spot on the 40-man at some point.
Photo courtesy of Brad Mills, Magn Images
