Reds acquire infielder Livan Soto from Baltimore

The Cincinnati Reds have acquired infielder Livan Soto from the Baltimore Orioles this afternoon. Soto was claimed off of waivers after he was designated for assignment and Cincinnati optioned him to Triple-A Louisville. To clear a spot on the 40-man roster the Reds have moved right-handed reliever Tejay Antone to the 60-day injured list.

For Livan Soto the Reds will now be in yet another organization. In early February the Orioles claimed him off of waivers from the Los Angeles Angels. 10 days later the Angels claimed him off of waivers from the Orioles. Fast forward a little less than two months to April 11th and the Orioles once again claimed him off of waivers from the Angels. Now eight days later he was claimed by the Reds.

Soto has played in parts of two big league seasons. In both 2022 and 2023 he saw limited time with the Angels. He played in 22 games between the two seasons and hit .375/.414/.531 in 71 plate appearances. The 23-year-old infielder has played in 10 games this season in the minor leagues, all in Triple-A, but with two different teams. Between those two stops he’s hit .250/.342/.438. Last season in the minor leagues he played in 1110 games between Double-A Rocket City and Triple-A Salt Lake. He struggled big time with the Trash Pandas in Rocket City, hitting .206/.331/.271 in 31 games. He did perform better in Triple-A, hitting .248/.347/.389.

Livan Soto can provide some defensive versatility in the infield. He’s got plenty of experience at shortstop and second base in the minor leagues, as well as some limited time at third base. His main position has been shortstop.

For now, Soto will head to Triple-A Louisville and provide some depth in case of further injuries. Perhaps he can get his bat going and make himself a bit more valuable than as just someone who can provide some defensive versatility. He is still on the younger side and could have some development left to realize.