Akiyama agreed Sunday with the Hiroshima Toyo Carp of Japan's Nippon Professional Baseball on a three-year contract, C. Trent Rosecrans of The Athletic reports.
A return to his native Japan always looked to be a likely outcome for Akiyama after he opted out of his minor-league contract with the Padres earlier this month. The 34-year-old outfielder signed a three-year, $21 million contract with the Reds in January 2020, but he never made much of a splash in North America. He didn't appear in any MLB games in 2022 and slashed .224/.320/.274 across 366 career plate appearances with Cincinnati.
Akiyama is opting out of his minor-league deal with the Padres and may be headed overseas to continue his career, Jeff Sanders of The San Diego Union-Tribune reports.
Sanders didn't explicitly say Akiyama was headed overseas, but he mentioned Aderlin Rodriguez and Ian Krol as other Padres who have opted to make that move this season. Akiyama had been on the COVID-19 injured list and out of action since June 3. He had three home runs and a .907 OPS in 16 games with Triple-A El Paso.
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Padres' Shogo Akiyama: Signs minors deal with Padres
Rotowire
Akiyama agreed to a minor-league contract with the Padres on Saturday, C. Trent Rosecrans of The Athletic reports.
Akiyama has shown decent defense in center field in his two seasons in the majors and has made a fair amount of contact, but his complete lack of power makes him unexciting for fantasy purposes. He has zero homers and a 0.8 percent barrel rate in 366 career plate appearances, leading to a .224/.320/.274 slash line.
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Shogo Akiyama: Cut loose by Cincinnati
Rotowire
The Reds released Akiyama on Tuesday.
After Cincinnati informed Akiyama over the weekend that he wouldn't be part of the team's Opening Day roster, the 33-year-old had the ability to decline being optioned to Triple-A Louisville. Akiyama appears to have done just that, and after no other team was willing to acquire him at an $8 million salary for 2022, Cincinnati has elected to cut bait with the outfielder entirely. Though Akiyama has produced a disappointing .224/.320/.274 slash line in 366 plate appearances since signing with the Reds ahead of the 2020 season, his solid defense and baserunning could prompt another club to bring him aboard as a fourth or fifth outfielder on a more palatable salary. Akiyama could also choose to pursue opportunities in his native Japan if he doesn't find any MLB offers to his liking.
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Reds' Shogo Akiyama: Misses Opening Day roster
Rotowire
The Reds informed Akiyama on Sunday he won't make the Opening Day roster, C. Trent Rosecrans of The Athletic reports.
Akiyama has a .594 OPS in 142 games since signing a three-year, $21 million contract with the Reds in January of 2020, and he didn't show enough during spring training to warrant a roster spot to begin the 2022 campaign. The 33-year-old could refuse his assignment to Triple-A Louisville -- which he did last season -- in which case Cincinnati will need to designate him for assignment by Thursday's season opener.
Akiyama arrived at camp Saturday and said he's fully recovered from the hamstring injury that sidelined him at the end of last season, Charlie Goldsmith of The Cincinnati Enquirer reports.
The hamstring issue also sent Akiyama to the injured list early in the year, and he wasn't close to good enough when healthy, hitting .204/.282/.253 in 88 games. The 33-year-old hasn't made a case for consistent playing time and is unlikely to provide much fantasy value even if the Reds decide they need his glove in center field on a regular basis.
