Reed announced his retirement from professional baseball March 4, Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle reports.
A 2014 second-round pick of the Astros, Reed once looked to be Houston's potential long-term answer at first base after posting some eye-popping power production during his first three seasons in the minors. Reed was never able to translate that success over to the majors during his various trials with Houston between the 2016 and 2018 seasons, slashing a collective .153/.253/.244 while striking out in a third of his plate appearances. After being passed up by other ascending bats in the organization, Reed was waived by Houston last summer and claimed by the White Sox, but he posted a lowly .409 OPS in 14 games with Chicago before the team moved him off its 40-man roster. Rather than accepting a minor-league deal in an attempt to keep his downward-trending career going, the 26-year-old Reed decided it was a good time to step away from the game.
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White Sox's AJ Reed: Booted from 40-man
Rotowire
Reed was outrighted to Triple-A Charlotte on Friday, Scott Merkin of MLB.com reports.
The White Sox will clear a spot on the 40-man roster by outrighting Reed to Triple-A. A corresponding move has yet to be announced.
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White Sox's AJ Reed: Sent back to minors
Rotowire
Reed was optioned to Triple-A Charlotte on Thursday, Scott Merkin of MLB.com reports.
This move comes after Reed went 0-for-4 with four strikeouts during Thursday's loss to the Mets, lowering his season average to an unsightly .136. The White Sox are expected to announce a corresponding roster move prior to Friday's series opener in Philadelphia.
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White Sox's AJ Reed: On bench Tuesday
Rotowire
Reed is not starting Tuesday against the Mets.
Reed sits for the second time in three games, following a stretch in which he started five straight. He's hit just .158/.214/.237 in 12 games for the White Sox this season and may not have a particularly long leash given that he's never proven himself at the big-league level.
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White Sox's AJ Reed: Gets uptick in playing time
Rotowire
Reed will start at first base and bat sixth Sunday against the Twins.
Reed will be filling in for a resting Jose Abreu in the series finale, but there should be room for both players in the lineup when the White Sox oppose right-handed pitching. The 26-year-old is making his sixth start in seven games and looks poised to share first base and designated-hitter duties with Abreu for the time being. Reed will need to improve on the .176/.237/.265 batting line he's provided through his first 11 games with the White Sox to stick in a full-time role over the final two months of the season, however.
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White Sox's AJ Reed: Delivers run in loss
Rotowire
Reed went 0-for-2 with a walk and an RBI in Thursday's loss to the Twins.
Reed continues to draw into the lineup when the White Sox face a right-hander, although he's been dropped in the batting order to seventh. He's started four straight games, going 1-for-13 with one RBI during that stretch. With Chicago likely headed for another playoff-less season, the organization has the bandwidth to give Reed a significant number of at-bats to see if he can recapture the minor-league production he showed while with the Astros. Overall, he's batting .194 (6-for-31) since joining the White Sox.
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White Sox's AJ Reed: On bench again Saturday
Rotowire
Reed is out of the lineup for Saturday's game against the Rays.
Reed will sit for the third time in four games, with all of his benchings coming versus southpaws. It's conceivable that Reed is still viewed as a strong-side platoon option at designated hitter, though Welington Castillo's recent return from the injured list represents a potential obstacle for Reed seeing steady action.
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White Sox's AJ Reed: Swats first homer
Rotowire
Reed launched a three-run home run in his only at-bat during Wednesday's loss to the Royals.
Reed came in to pinch hit for Ryan Cordell in the ninth inning and hit a three-run shot off Willy Peralta to cut the deficit to 7-5. Unfortunately, the White Sox still came up short. The 26-year-old made his debut with Chicago after being claimed off waivers during the All-Star break. Reed is now hitting .286 through his first 14 plate appearances.
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White Sox's AJ Reed: Sits against southpaw
Rotowire
Reed is not starting Wednesday against lefty Danny Duffy and the Royals.
Reed appears to be in a platoon role, starting against four righties and sitting against two lefties since joining the White Sox. He's gone 3-for-13 at the plate so far. Welington Castillo will be the designated hitter in his absence.
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White Sox's AJ Reed: Back in lineup against righty
Rotowire
Reed went 0-for-3 with three strikeouts in Monday's 5-2 loss to Kansas City.
Reed was back in the lineup with a right-hander dealing for the Royals, the third start in four games for left-handed hitter. He's 1-for-10 with five strikeouts since the White Sox claimed him off waivers. Chicago manager Rick Renteria will give Reed a fair shot to earn a regular role as DH/1B, but the manager may not give him the rest of the season to start hitting. Renteria moved on from Daniel Palka (1-for-35) earlier this season after 13 games.
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White Sox's AJ Reed: Heads to bench
Rotowire
Reed is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Athletics, Daryl Van Schouwen of the Chicago Sun-Times reports.
After being scooped up off waivers from the Astros, Reed drew back-to-back starts with the White Sox to begin the second half, going 1-for-7 with a walk over that stretch. The White Sox will deploy Eloy Jimenez as their designated hitter Sunday, but Reed will likely fill that role against right-handed pitching, at least until Welington Castillo (oblique) is back from the injured list.
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White Sox's AJ Reed: Starts second straight
Rotowire
Reed started at first base and went 0-for-3 with a walk in Saturday's 13-2 loss to the Athletics.
The left-handed hitting Reed's been in the starting lineup for the two games since joining the White Sox, both coming against right-handed starters. He was the designated hitter Friday followed by Saturday's start at first base.
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White Sox's AJ Reed: Makes White Sox debut
Rotowire
Reed went 1-for-4 in a 5-1 loss to the Athletics on Friday.
Reed made his debut with the White Sox after being claimed off waivers during the All-Star break. The left-handed-hitting Reed slotted in at seventh in the order while serving as the designated hitter against Oakland right-hander Mike Fiers. The big-bodied 26-year-old will get an opportunity with the White Sox and has a power stroke that could make him this year's Daniel Palka, who had 27 home runs for Chicago in 2018.
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White Sox's AJ Reed: Batting seventh in debut
Rotowire
Reed is starting at designated hitter and batting seventh Friday against the A's.
This will be his debut with the White Sox after they claimed him off waivers prior to the All-Star break. A former top prospect, Reed seems to have settled in as a Quadruple-A hitter, but at least he should get a fair look with the rebuilding White Sox.
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White Sox's AJ Reed: Officially joins White Sox
Rotowire
Reed was officially called up from Triple-A Charlotte on Friday.
Reed was claimed off waivers by the White Sox earlier in the week and optioned to Charlotte, but he'll make his way to the majors before making an appearance. Once a highly touted prospect, the 26-year-old has scuffled at Triple-A this season with a .224/.329/.469 slash line in 56 games, but he'll now have a chance to prove himself in the big leagues.
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White Sox's AJ Reed: Heading straight to big leagues
Rotowire
Reed will join the White Sox's big-league squad immediately following the All-Star break, Rick Semmler of WTHI-TV reports.
Reed was claimed off waivers from Houston on Monday and optioned to Triple-A Charlotte, but his stay at that level won't last long. Once an interesting prospect, Reed put together some good seasons at Triple-A but was never able to carry that success over to the major-league level while with the Astros. He owns a .153/.253/.244 slash line in 48 career major-league contests and has a 90 wRC+ for Triple-A Round Rock this season.
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White Sox's AJ Reed: Claimed by White Sox
Rotowire
Reed was claimed off waivers by the White Sox on Monday and assigned to Triple-A Charlotte.
Reed has stalled out at Triple-A over the last four seasons. His .260/.351/.517 slash line at that level is good for a 120 wRC+, though he owns just a 90 wRC+ this season. He shouldn't be considered anything other than a lottery ticket for the White Sox at this point in his career. Ryan Burr (elbow) was transferred to the 60-day injured list in a corresponding move.
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Astros' AJ Reed: Removed from 40-man roster
Rotowire
Reed was designated for assignment by the Astros on Tuesday, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.
Once a very highly-rated prospect, the 26-year-old owns an ugly .153/.253/.244 slash line in 48 career big-league games. Only three of those games have come in the last three seasons. Another organization could take a chance on Reed in hopes that he could recapture some of what made him an exciting prospect years ago, but his 90 wRC+ for Triple-A Round Rock this year certainly doesn't help his case. He'll make way on the 40-man roster for Jose Urquidy, whose contract was selected in a corresponding move.
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Astros' AJ Reed: Back in action at Triple-A
Rotowire
Reed (oblique) went 0-for-4 with Triple-A Round Rock on Monday and is now batting .130 (3-for-23) since his return from the 7-day injured list.
The oblique issue cost Reed close to three weeks and he's struggled since his activation, striking out nine times to raise his strikeout rate for the season to 38.9 percent. Last year, Reed fanned 23.7 percent of the time at the Triple-A level. He logged 141 plate appearances in the big leagues in 2016 but has played in all of three major-league games since. The 26-year-old's spot on Houston's 40-man roster seems tenuous.
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Astros' AJ Reed: Sent to Triple-A
Rotowire
Reed was optioned to Triple-A on Friday, Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle reports.
Reed was always a long shot to break camp with the Astros, and he didn't help his case by hitting .167/.250/.333 with 14 strikeouts in 30 at-bats this spring. The 25-year-old has no clear path to playing time in Houston, so he'll continue to toil away in the minors for the time being.
