The Reds announced that right-hander Chase Anderson has been signed to a minor league deal, and assigned to the club’s taxi squad.
Cincinnati is Anderson’s third organization of the season, after previously signing minor league deals with the Tigers and Rays. The righty has a 4.50 ERA over 80 combined innings with the Triple-A affiliates in Durham and Toledo, and opted out of his previous minors contracts in search of a team that might provide him with a better shot of reaching the majors. Getting to the taxi squad would seemingly indicate that chance is near for Anderson, as the Reds are looking for rotation help with both Hunter Greene and Graham Ashcraft on the 15-day injured list.
If Anderson’s contract is selected and he gets into a game, it will officially mark the 34-year-old’s ninth season in the big leagues. Anderson is very familiar with the NL Central, as he pitched with the Brewers from 2016-19 and delivered some very solid numbers as a member of the rotation.
Since being traded to the Blue Jays after the 2019 season, Anderson’s career has taken a downturn. He has a 6.94 ERA over his last 81 2/3 innings in the majors, tossing 33 2/3 frames with Toronto in 2020 and then 48 innings with the Phillies last year. Home runs were a problem for Anderson even in his prime years, and they were a big contributors to his struggles in 2020-21, as he surrendered 21 homers to opposing batters. His work in Triple-A this season isn’t especially promising on his front, as Anderson has been tagged for 16 homers over his 80 innings.
However, the veteran should be in line for at least a couple of starts with Cincinnati, and has a chance to finish up his season on a high note. Barring a really spectacular showing, it’s probably safe to guess that Anderson will have to settle for another minor league deal this winter, but he’ll certainly draw interest as an experienced starter who can eat innings.
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