The Cincinnati Reds have announced that reliever Alex Young will return for the 2025 season. According to Jon Heyman of the New York Post, the left-handed reliever has signed a minor league contract and has been invited to spring training in the majors.
Alex Young has been in the major leagues since 2019, when he joined the Arizona Diamondbacks. He remained with them until the end of July 2021, when he was claimed on waivers by Cleveland. He spent the next year pitching for new Reds manager Terry Francona before the San Francisco Giants signed him in July 2022. He became a free agent after the season and joined with the Reds.
In 2023, the lefties performed well, posting a 3.86 ERA (121 ERA+, which means his ERA was 21% higher than the league average after accounting for the ballparks he pitched in throughout the season). He appeared in 63 games and tossed 53.2 innings, with 20 walks and 50 strikeouts, but he also allow 10 home runs.Alex Young began the 2024 season on the injured list with low back disc degeneration. He stayed there for five weeks before starting his rehab assignment at Triple-A. After nearly a month there, he was activated and assigned to the Reds. He appeared in three games, pitching 2.0 innings against the Cardinals and Cubs, before being optioned to the minors. After five weeks with Louisville, Cincinnati traded Young to the Giants.
Ten days later, the Mets claimed him on waivers.
He saw time in both the minor and major leagues with the Yankees, but in 14 games with the big club, he had a 3.29 ERA in 13.2 innings, seven walks, and 13 strikeouts. When combined with his 2.0 innings with Cincinnati, he had a 2.87 ERA in 2024 at the highest level. In Triple-A, he pitched 32.0 innings for three clubs with a 2.81 ERA.
Cincinnati is bringing the lefty back on a minor league contract. While it wasn’t acknowledged at the time – and it rarely is – given his 31-year-old experience, it wouldn’t be unexpected to see him opt out late in spring training.
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