The A’s announced that they have picked up catcher Austin Wynns in a trade with the Reds, with cash considerations heading back to Cincinnati in return. To clear roster space for Wynns, the Athletics designated right-hander Carlos Duran for assignment.
Wynns was designated for assignment two days ago, as he had become the odd man out of the Reds’ catching mix when Tyler Stephenson returned from a season-opening stint on the injured list. Wynns signed a minor league deal with Cincinnati during the offseason, and that contract was selected on Opening Day as Wynns and Jose Trevino went on to handle the catching duties for the next five weeks while Stephenson recovered from an oblique strain.
Ironically, another oblique strain has now opened the door to Wynns’ latest opportunity. Shea Langeliers was placed on the Athletics’ 10-day IL with a strained left oblique on Friday, leaving the West Sacramento team with just Jhonny Pereda (36 career MLB games) and Willie MacIver (seven career games) as the top catching options. Tyler Soderstrom has some catching experience but has suited up behind the plate just once in the last two seasons, so it makes sense that the A’s preferred to just bring in a veteran backstop rather than disrupt Soderstrom’s routine as a first baseman/left fielder.
The Athletics will be the seventh different organization Wynns has been part of during his career, and he has seen action with five of those clubs at the MLB level over his seven seasons in the bigs. A .241/.287/.354 hitter over 716 career plate appearances, Wynns has quietly been extremely productive over his limited action with the Reds, as he posted an eye-opening .390/.429/.661 slash line in 63 PA since Opening Day 2024. This gives Wynns a unique distinction, as he has the best wRC+ (198) of any Reds player in the entire 156-year history of the franchise, minimum 60 plate appearances in a Cincinnati uniform.
It is probably safe to assume that the 34-year-old Wynns won’t continue this kind of production with the A’s, even notwithstanding Sutter Health Park’s hitter-friendly nature. Still, Wynns will provide the Athletics with some help behind the plate for however long Langeliers will be on the IL. Manager Mark Kotsay didn’t give reporters (including MLB.com’s Martin Gallegos) a specific timeline for Langeliers’ recovery, citing the “tricky” nature of oblique injuries.