Cincinnati Reds

A 23-year-old man was arrested Wednesday for allegedly stealing Mike Moustakas' World Series and American League Championship Series rings he won as a member of the Kansas City Royals.

Cameron Knight of the Cincinnati Enquirer reported police allege Casey Zhang, who was sentenced to three years in prison in 2018 for burglary, stole the rings from the Cincinnati Reds player that are valued at more than $150,000.

Zhang was released from his previous sentence in August and is scheduled to be arraigned Thursday.

Moustakas was with the Royals from 2011 until they traded him to the Milwaukee Brewers in 2018. He made his first of three career All-Star Games during that same 2015 campaign that Kansas City won the championship.

He slashed .284/.348/.470 with 22 home runs and 82 RBI that season and then followed it up with one home run and eight RBI during the postseason.

Moustakas also hit .304 during the World Series win over the New York Mets and was a key figure in the lineup.

Cincinnati signed him to a four-year deal prior to the 2020 campaign, but he has missed significant time this season, appearing in just 47 games. He is slashing .210/.301/.406 with six home runs and 19 RBI in those contests.

The Reds are 0.5 games ahead of the San Diego Padres in the race for the National League's second wild-card spot.

Nick Castellanos is in the middle of a career season with the Cincinnati Reds and will reportedly look to cash in on it this offseason.

According to Jon Heyman of MLB Network, the All-Star right fielder "likely" will opt out of the remaining two years and $34 million on his contract to become a free agent after the 2021 season ends.

At 29 years old, Castellanos is in the middle of his prime and made his first All-Star Game this season.

He figures to earn a significant contract this offseason given the fact he is slashing .318/.376/.565 with 22 home runs and 70 RBI while anchoring the Cincinnati lineup in the middle of a playoff race.

His presence is a primary reason the Reds are one game ahead of the San Diego Padres for the final National League wild-card spot.

Castellanos previously played for the Detroit Tigers from 2013 until they traded him to the Chicago Cubs during the 2019 campaign. He signed with the Reds prior to the 2020 season.

While there have been questions about his defense, he has been a productive hitter for much of his career. The shortened 2020 season is the only time in the past five seasons he didn't hit more than 20 home runs, and he sports a career slash line of .278/.329/.481.

It wouldn't be a surprise if a number of teams bid for such a productive hitter this offseason, and Castellanos will likely receive a larger annual salary than what he appears on the verge of opting out of with Cincinnati.

The Chicago Cubs will reportedly play the Cincinnati Reds in Major League Baseball's 2022 rendition of the Field of Dreams game in Dyersville, Iowa, according to Gordon Wittenmyer of NBC Sports. 

Per that report, "The plan, which has a few legal details left to iron out, calls for the Cubs and Reds to play at the Field of Dreams site Thursday, Aug. 11, take Friday off, and then conclude the three-game series Saturday and Sunday in Cincinnati, sources said."

The first iteration of the game this season was a resounding success, with Chicago White Sox star Tim Anderson putting the cherry on top of the idea by hitting a walk-off homer into the cornstalks against the New York Yankees. 

"I think it's pretty clear we're going to be back next year, and we'll have to talk about it after that," MLB commissioner Rob Manfred told reporters after the game. "But it’s just been so successful that it's hard not to take the opportunity to do it again."

Last week, Cubs manager David Ross let it slip that his team would be invited to the Iowa showcase. 

"We're in that next year, right?" he said after reporters asked him about this year's version of the game.

A smiling Ross then realized the 2022 version hadn't yet been announced. 

"No," he said, answering his own question. "We're not, we're not, we're not."

Sounds like Ross let the cat out of the bag. It was an exciting admission for Cubs fans, with folks in Cincinnati now getting to join in the excitement. 

Major League Baseball fined Chicago Cubs shortstop Javier Baez an undisclosed amount for taunting Cincinnati Reds reliever Amir Garrett after Baez hit a walk-off single Monday night at Wrigley Field, according to MLB Network's Jon Heyman on Wednesday.

It was the latest flare-up between the National League Central rivals. Garrett was handed a five-game suspension in May for his role in a benches-clearing incident that began when he and Baez exchanged words. 

Baez was held out of Tuesday night's contest against the Reds with a left heel injury. He was not listed in the starting lineup for Wednesday's matchup between the two clubs.

"He's got a style. We all get that," Baez said after the May incident with Garrett. "But I'm just not going let him or anyone disrespect my teammates or my team. It was not a big situation, you know? I'm going to try to stay professional with this, but … it doesn't matter who does it in the game—if someone else does it again, we'll go out there again."

The Reds entered Wednesday in second place in the National League Central, seven games behind the Milwaukee Brewers. The Cubs are in fourth place, 9.5 games back, and are preparing for the breakup of their championship core, which could mean Baez, Kris Bryant and Anthony Rizzo are dealt by Friday's trade deadline.

Cincinnati and Chicago will play their series finale Thursday. After that, they will face off six more times before the end of the season, with each team hosting a three-game set.

It remains to be seen if Baez will still be a Cub during those matchups.

The Cincinnati Reds placed All-Star outfielder Nick Castellanos on the 10-day injured list Friday with a right wrist injury.

Castellanos was hit in the wrist by a pitch last week, causing him to miss multiple games. On Friday morning, he told Caleb Noe of WCPO-TV he had suffered a small fracture.

The 29-year-old is having a career year, hitting a National League-leading .329 with 18 homers, 59 RBI, 59 runs and a .965 OPS in 86 games. Those numbers led to his first All-Star Game appearance.

"Watching All-Star Games on TV as little kids, to be here and be a part of it? Dope," he told reporters.

Castellanos could always leave the park—he exceeded 20 home runs in each of the 2017-19 seasons and likely would have done so last year in a full season after posting 14 dingers in 60 games. However, his batting average and ability to get on base (.383 OBP) have dramatically improved this season. 

The Reds have profited. Castellanos was joined by Jesse Winker on the All-Star team, and that pair have helped keep the Reds in the postseason conversation. Any injury to Castellanos, however much time he misses, is a major blow for Cincy.

For as long as Castellanos is out, Winker will be the centerpiece of the Cincinnati offense with his .292 average, 19 home runs and 52 RBI.

Joey Votto, Jonathan India, Eugenio Suarez and Tyler Naquin will be looked upon to pick up the slack as well.

Aristides Aquino and Shogo Akiyama will likely see increased playing time until Castellanos returns. Aquino is hitting .246 with six home runs and nine RBI, while Akiyama is hitting .196 with no homers and eight RBI.

The Reds are second in the NL Central at 49-47 and trail the Milwaukee Brewers by 6.5 games.

Cincinnati Reds outfielder Nick Castellanos reportedly "could be out for a couple weeks" because of a right wrist microfracture suffered when he was hit by a pitch during Friday's game against the Milwaukee Brewers, per Jon Morosi of the MLB Network.

Castellanos revealed the diagnosis Wednesday to Jomboy Media's Chris Rose, but he didn't provide a timetable for his return.

The 2021 season has been a career year for the outfielder, who is hitting .329 (.965 OPS) with 18 home runs, 59 RBI and 59 runs. He and Jesse Winker have carried a Reds offense that has largely struggled otherwise en route to a 49-47 season thus far, good enough for second place in the National League Central. 

The 29-year-old is in the middle of his ninth MLB season in a career that has seen him suit up for the Detroit Tigers, Chicago Cubs and Reds. He is a career .278 hitter (.810 OPS) with 152 home runs.

The Reds' outfield is now even more shorthanded with Nick Senzel on the 60-day injured list after undergoing arthroscopic surgery on his left knee to clean out cartilage in late May.

Cincinnati will likely go with some combination of Tyler Naquin, Aristides Aquino and Shogo Akiyama alongside right fielder Jesse Winker in the interim.

Cincinnati Reds star Joey Votto will miss one game because of a suspension for his aggressive actions toward an umpire in the first inning of Saturday's 7-5 loss to the San Diego Padres.

Per MLB.com's Mark Sheldon, Votto is sitting out Tuesday's game against the Minnesota Twins to serve his suspension after his two-game ban was reduced to one on appeal.

Third base umpire Chris Guccione called out Votto on a check swing. The six-time All-Star had words for Guccione on his way to the dugout.

Home plate umpire Ryan Additon then appeared to say something that set Votto off. The Reds first baseman turned around and started arguing with Additon, and he got in his face after the ump tossed him from the game.

The ejection led to a viral moment involving a young Reds fan who was wearing a Votto T-shirt and attending her first game to see her favorite player. She was upset about only getting to see him take one at-bat, but Votto gave her an autographed baseball after learning about the situation.

Reds manager David Bell was also ejected from the game for arguing with the umpire.

Votto returned to the lineup Sunday, going 1-for-4 with an RBI in Cincinnati's 3-2 loss. The 37-year-old is hitting .240/.331/.435 with eight homers and 30 RBI in 43 games. 

Cincinnati wraps up a nine-game road trip Tuesday and has an off day Wednesday. The Reds begin an 11-game homestand Thursday against the Atlanta Braves. 

Cincinnati Reds star Joey Votto saw his day end extraordinarily early Saturday after getting ejected in the first inning for arguing balls and strikes.

That's nothing new for an MLB veteran, but it was entirely new for a young Reds fan named Abigail, who was at her first baseball game and excited to watch nine innings of her favorite player: Joey Votto.

Needless to say, the ejection was devastating. Votto immediately made it better as only he could. After a photo of an upset Abigail went the rounds on social media, Votto sent her a signed ball with a special message.

If he weren't already Abigail's favorite player, he certainly would have been after this.

And in case this wasn't already clear from the first 1,814 games of his career, baseball needs more players like Votto. Preferably one for each team.

Well, don't hold back Joey Votto.

"We had some s--t-talking motherf--kers in St. Louis after the first series sweep," the Cincinnati Reds first baseman said after his team completed a four-game sweep of the St. Louis Cardinals on Sunday. "It's nice to go to their road ballpark and let them have it. ... How'd you like that?"

While the Cardinals swept the Reds at Busch Stadium during a three-game set in April, Cincinnati returned the favor and then some during the four-game series.

Votto didn't even play in the latest series and has been out since May 5 because of a hand injury.

There is no love lost between the Reds and the Cardinals. The benches cleared in April when Cincinnati outfielder Nick Castellanos, who was on base because he was hit by a pitch by Jake Woodford, flexed over the pitcher after scoring on a wild pitch.

Catcher Yadier Molina escalated things by shoving Castellanos in the back, yet only the Reds outfielder was suspended for the incident.

The Reds are the ones laughing now after a four-game sweep, but they are both looking up at the first-place Milwaukee Brewers and second-place Chicago Cubs in the National League Central.

Cincinnati Reds outfielder Nick Castellanos called out Major League Baseball for what he feels is the sport ignoring pitchers using foreign substances to increase their spin rate.

“Is it illegal or is not illegal to put stuff on a ball?” Castellanos said on the Chris Rose Rotation podcast. “It’s illegal. The league obviously knows that they are doing it, but the league doesn’t care. They don’t care because if it was really a problem that they wanted, they would put people in the bullpen to check gloves, to check hats, whatever. The league would do something about it. But honestly, I don’t think it’s that important to them.”

Pitchers using foreign substances—and baseball's lack of policing on the issue—has become a hot-button issue around the sport as averages and runs plunge. MLB's .236 batting average would rank as the lowest in history, one point worse than the record set in 1968.

It's no secret that the use of foreign substances has risen across baseball. A memo circulated in March warning of penalties for players found to use the substances, which help pitchers increase their grip and create better spin and movement on their pitches. 

While four pitchers received suspensions in minor league baseball for doctoring balls, enforcement at the majors has been minimal. Trevor Bauer was reportedly under investigation for doctoring baseballs in April, but MLB has never released any findings. In May, an umpire confiscated the hat of St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Giovanny Gallegos over concern the hat was coated in a foreign substance, and he was allowed to remain in the game.

Enforcement in some of these cases may be near-impossible because of the enhanced ability to hide substances due to advancements in technology. It is much more difficult for umpires to detect the substances when many are clear or easily hidden.

It's also worth noting that averages have dropped around baseball in part due to the sport's increased obsession with an all-or-nothing approach at the plate. Strikeouts have been spiking for years, and it's not only the fault of cheating pitchers. The analytics wave in baseball has led to more players swinging aggressively and dealing with increased strikeouts rather than putting the ball in play when down in the count.