In a season of negative for the Cincinnati Reds, one more bit of bad news came on Sunday.
They have designated TJ Friedl for assignment.
That means that he’s removed from the 40-man roster and potentially has to pass through waivers. Some veterans also have the ability via their contract to elect free agency if they are DFA’d, although it’s not clear yet what Friedl’s next step might be.
It hasn’t been a fun year for the Reds, and it’s been a particularly painful one for Friedl.
He’s been a stalwart in Cincinnati for a while now, though, and so it’s a tough one to see this news arrive for him.
TJ Friedl Designated For Assignment
Friedl simply hadn’t done enough this year to secure a future with the Reds.
He’s hit .172 in 239 at bats with four homers and five steals. He has a negative-0.8 Wins Above Replacement stat.
Friedl is now 31 years old, and it’s not clear that he’ll necessarily turn things around.
“There aren’t many good center fielders in MLB,” Reds reporter Charlie Goldsmith wrote on X. “Between 2023 and 2025, Friedl was one of the better ones in the game. At a position where every team is looking for an upgrade, the Reds had their center fielder and one of the better on base guys in the game. This year was a major step back from Friedl. He lost his spot in center in May because of how he was playing. Wasn’t good enough this year.”
Friedl technically is under contract through the 2028 season, so depending on the final outcome of the DFA maneuver, he could still have more of a future with the Reds.
TJ Friedl’s Inspirational Journey
The 5-foot-8 Friedl wasn’t even drafted.
There are a lot of rounds in the MLB Draft, but after his college career at Nevada-Reno, Friedl wasn’t chosen at all.
That left him no margin for error when the Reds gave him a chance. He hit .347 in rookie ball in his pro debut, and then he just kept hitting, kept stealing bases and kept playing quality centerfield all the way up the ladder.
By 2023, he was a full-time regular, and he hit .279 that year with 18 home runs and 27 stolen bases.
Friedl had another great year in 2025 with a .261 average, 14 homers and 12 steals.
It’s very rare that undrafted players make it to the major leagues at all, let alone become multi-year contributors.
Friedl isn’t even guaranteed to be out of the game yet, either. He’s just going to have to prove himself again, something he got good at as he climbed the ladder in the Reds system.
But no matter what Friedl does from here, he’s already exceeded all expectations with an awesome story of his career.
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