August 8th, 2022
CHICAGO – The Chicago Cubs today claimed outfielder Franmil Reyes off waivers from the Cleveland Guardians.
Reyes, 27, is a career .253 hitter (416-for-1,647) with 65 doubles, two triples, 101 home runs and 259 RBI in 481 major league games with San Diego (2018-19) and Cleveland (2019-22). He has posted a .478 slugging mark to contribute to a .793 OPS. Since the start of 2019, Reyes has averaged one home run every 16.31 at-bats, the 11th-best mark among right-handed hitters.
The right-handed hitting Reyes batted .213 (56-for-263) with nine doubles, nine home runs and 28 RBI in 70 games for Cleveland this season, missing time on the 10-day injured list with right hamstring tightness from May 25-June 21. He primarily appeared at designated hitter (54 games) but saw time in right field (12 games) and left field (two games) before he was optioned to Triple-A Columbus August 2 and designated for assignment August 6.
In 2021 with Cleveland, Reyes made 103 starts at designated hitter and 11 in the outfield, finishing second on the team with 30 home runs and 85 RBI. He set a single-season career-high RBI total despite missing five weeks with a left oblique strain, May 23-July 1. Upon returning from injury July 2, Reyes recorded 19 home runs and 56 RBI in 75 games, ranking tied for eighth in the A.L. with the Yankees Aaron Judge in RBI over the span.
Reyes, a native of Bani, D.R., was signed by the Padres as an international free agent in November of 2011. He was acquired by the Guardians as part of a three-team, seven-player trade at the 2019 trade deadline between Cleveland, Cincinnati and San Diego.
COURTESY CHICAGO CUBS MEDIA REALATIONS & MLBpressbox.com
