Mere minutes after a gritty 5-2 win over the defending champion Los Angeles Dodgers Wednesday night, the Cincinnati Reds made a trade to acquire Tampa Bay Rays starting pitcher Zack Littell.
Cincinnati is sending minor league pitchers Adam Serwinowski and Brian Van Belle to Tampa in return.
Reds Acquire Starter Zack Littell in Trade with Rays
Littell’s Performance
Littell just tossed five scoreless innings in the Bronx tonight against the New York Yankees, lowering his season ERA to 3.58. He has made 22 starts this year, as well as 29 last year, making him a reliable middle-of-the-rotation arm.
The #Reds today acquired RHP Zack Littell from the Rays in exchange for LHP Adam Serwinowski and RHP Brian Van Belle. pic.twitter.com/RwpYPWasL0
— Cincinnati Reds (@Reds) July 31, 2025
Perhaps a cause for concern in his FIP and home runs allowed, as he is working on a mediocre 4.92 FIP and a league-leading 26 home runs allowed. He does, however, limit walks extremely well with a 3.3 BB% (99th percentile). Unfortunately, his other metrics aren’t as friendly to him.
4.57 xERA — 24th percentile
.272 xBA – 21st percentile
90.6 MPH Avg Exit Velo — 19th percentile
31.6 Chase% — 85th percentile
19.9 Whiff% — 13th percentile
16.5 K% — 11th percentile
11.3 Barrel% — 10th percentile
41.9 Hard-Hit% — 40th percentile
42.2 GB% — 52nd percentile
Still, some may attribute a chunk of his struggles to him pitching at George Steinbrenner Field, the Yankees’ spring training field. It is considered one of the more hitter-friendly parks in the league. However, he has handled himself well there, with a 3.36 ERA. It’s actually in away games where he struggles more. He’s posted a 4.00 ERA on the road.
The addition of Littell makes the outlook of the rotation interesting. There are a few ways Cincinnati can tweak the rotation.
Alter the Rotation
One way the roster can change is by potentially bumping rookie top prospect Chase Burns to the bullpen for the remainder of the season, as he is nearing his innings limit. This would be a short-term move, as Burns is still their starter of the future, but this move to the bullpen makes a lot of sense.
It’s easy to forget that Burns is still in his first professional season since he climbed the minor league ladder so quickly. With a workload that far exceeded his previous career high in college, the move to the bullpen will be able to limit his innings while keeping him on the big league roster.
Six-Man Rotation?
With the addition of another starter, the Reds can opt for a six-man rotation:
Zack Littell
Chase Burns
This move also makes a lot of sense, as this way, Reds starters would be able to receive a much-needed extra day of rest.
Hunter Greene is coming off the injured list eventually, and the six-man rotation will allow him to ease into things. It’ll also help him out as he has been generally pretty injury-prone as of late, which the extra day of rest should benefit.
Andrew Abbott has been steady and healthy, but has run into some late-season fatigue in years past. He is the least of their worries, but a little caution won’t hurt.
Lodolo is already well above his previous career high in innings pitched. He is at 128 innings pitched in 2025 with two more months of the season to go, whereas his previous high is 115 1/3 IP in 2024. Giving him an extra day of rest to lighten his workload will also be beneficial.
Brady Singer does not have any injury history or fatigue to be concerned about, as the main concern for him revolves around his performance.
Zack Littell, the newcomer, will continue to serve as a serviceable back end of the rotation arm who can eat up innings.
With the six-man rotation, the Reds can manage Chase Burns’ innings, making sure he doesn’t burn himself out towards the end of the year.
In this scenario, Nick Martinez will move back to the bullpen, a role he has excelled at. He has served as a long reliever on and off for Cincinnati in the past two seasons. This will bring an extra layer of strength to the bullpen, which is a plus.
Departing Players
For the returning package of the Zack Littell trade, the Reds are sending Adam Serwinowski and Brian Van Belle.
Serwinowski has made 18 starts this season in Single-A to the tune of a 4.84 ERA. He does, however, possess nice swing and miss stuff from the left side, as he has racked up 92 strikeouts in 74 1/3 innings.
As for Van Belle, there were rumors of the Reds possibly bringing him up to the big leagues for bullpen help. The 28-year-old is much closer to the big leagues, as he has been in Triple-A this season.
In 18 games this year between the Boston and Cincinnati organizations, he has made 14 starts and has a 3.21 ERA.
Main Photo Credit: Kim Klement Neitzel-USA TODAY Sports
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