The Cincinnati Reds designated Christian Encarnacion-Strand for assignment and added P.J. Higgins to the 40-man roster on Tuesday, a move that came after Jose Trevino went on the injured list with a thoracic spine strain. Higgins was recalled to give Cincinnati another catcher while Trevino is sidelined.
For Encarnacion-Strand, the transaction closes another difficult chapter in what had once looked like a fast track to an everyday job. The Reds acquired him in an August 2022 trade with the Minnesota Twins for Tyler Mahle, and the deal also brought Spencer Steer and Steve Hajjar to Cincinnati. Encarnacion-Strand followed with a 113 wRC+ across 63 games as a rookie in 2023, production that helped make him look like the heir apparent at first base as Joey Votto's career wound down.
That momentum did not last. Encarnacion-Strand opened 2024 as Cincinnati's everyday first baseman but hit.190 over the first six weeks before a broken wrist ended his season in early May. He then opened the 2025 season with a.482 OPS through three weeks, went on the injured list with back inflammation, returned in June to slash.230/.262/.410 over 17 games and was sent back to Triple-A in early July 2025.
Higgins, 32, now gets another chance in the majors after last appearing in 2022 with the Chicago Cubs. In his major league time with Chicago, he posted a 99 wRC+ with six home runs across 74 games. He signed a minor league deal with the Reds ahead of the 2024 season and will serve as the backup to Tyler Stephenson while Trevino is out.
The Reds once had reason to believe the 2022 swap had given them a cornerstone at first base. Tuesday's roster move says something else: Cincinnati is moving on from the bet on Encarnacion-Strand and looking for more immediate depth behind the plate as injuries reshape the lineup again.
