Reds pick up catcher, lose pair of minor leaguers in MLB Rule 5 draft

The reshaping of the Cincinnati Reds roster continued Thursday with the MLB Rule 5 draft.

In the major-league phase, the club selected Louis Torrens from the Yankees and Stuart Turner from the Twins.

Both are catchers, but the team reportedly is working to trade Torrens to the Padres.

RELATED: Reds, rivals looking to make deals at MLB Winter Meetings

Reds general manager Dick Williams confirmed to MLB.com the club intends to move Torrens and views Turner as a potential third catcher for the 2017 club, joining Devin Mesoraco and Tucker Barnhart.

Barnhart proved to be a big-league quality backstop last season while the team hopes Mesoraco can bounce back from back-to-back season-ending injuries to regain his All-Star form of 2014.

Turner must be kept on the major-league roster all season or sent back to Minnesota.

Turner will turn 25 later this month. He was a third-round pick of the Twins in 2013 and has spent the last two seasons in Double-A.

He’s a lifetime .241 hitter in the minors with 20 home runs in 323 games.

RELATED: Price offers update on rotation plans

In the Triple-A phase of the Rule 5 draft, Cincinnati chose Marlins pitcher Jose Adames and lost two players.

The Brewers chose first baseman Art Charles and the Orioles plucked pitcher Jefri Hernandez from Cincinnati. Both of them were signed as free agents in the offseason.

Adames is a 23-year-old reliever who signed in 2011 and has yet to make it past advanced Single-A. He struck out 43 while walking 28 in 48 innings last season.

About the Author