The Reds are getting shortstop Kyle Holder in an exchange with the Phillies, reports ESPN’s Jeff Passan (Twitter link) Both teams officially announced the exchange, with cash considerations going to the Phillies in return. The move will free up space on the Philadelphia 40-man list, so Phils’ signature Didi Gregorius it may soon be officially announced.
The Yankees selected Holder as the 30th overall choice of the 2015 draft, and he reached 0.264 / 0.317 / 0.350 in 1744 PA in the New York farming system. Holder then moved on to the Phillies as a selection in the December 5 Rule Draft and, according to Rule 5 stipulations, Holder will now have to remain on the active Cincinnati roster for the entire season, or else the Reds will have to offer it back to the Yankees.
With Gregorius back in the group, Holder was an expendable role in Philadelphia, but he could play a bigger role for the Reds. Given Cincinnati’s lack of shortstop depth, Holder may even be in line for some action on the starting lineup, unless the Reds add a more established field player between now and the opening day. To that end, Jon Heyman of MLB.com tweets that the Reds still hope to acquire Amed Rosario of the Indians, after reports linked Cincinnati to Rosario earlier this week.
Although Holder didn’t hit much on the smaller ones and hasn’t even played a Triple A ball yet, he is a well-respected defender, whose glove may already be of great caliber. Holder played mostly shortstop on the smaller ones, but also got time on second and third bases, so he could serve as a valuable utility resource on the Reds’ bench.