Cincinnati Reds DFA Former Texas Rangers Top Prospect Bubba Thompson

In order to make room for veteran reliever Buck Farmer, the Cincinnati Reds had to cut ties with former Texas Rangers outfielder Bubba Thompson.

The Cincinnati Reds have designated outfielder Bubba Thompson for assignment, the team announced on Thursday.

Thompson's departure was necessary in order for Cincinnati to free up a spot for free agent reliever Buck Farmer on the 40-man roster. The Reds officially inked Farmer to a one-year, $2.25 million contract earlier in the day.

Cincinnati claimed Thompson off waivers in October, two months after the Kansas City Royals picked him up midseason. Prior to that point, Thompson had spent the entirety of his seven-year career with the Texas Rangers.

The #Reds today signed RHP Buck Farmer to a 1-year contract through the 2024 season and designated for assignment OF Bubba Thompson.

— Cincinnati Reds (@Reds) December 28, 2023

Thompson – a former first round pick and top prospect in the Rangers' system – hit .259 with four home runs, 17 RBI, 11 stolen bases and a .723 OPS across 33 games with the Royals' Triple-A affiliate in Omaha.

Thompson appeared in 37 games with the Rangers at the major league level this season, batting .170 with a .520 OPS. In 2022, Thompson hit a more palatable .265 with a .613 OPS in 55 games.

The 25-year-old has averaged 20 home runs, 81 RBI and 58 stolen bases per 162 games throughout his career in the minors. But after batting .304 with an .829 OPS with Triple-A Round Rock in 2022, Thompson hit .259 with a .733 OPS at the same level this year.

Left-handed pitchers have limited Thompson to a .165 batting average in the majors, compared to his .285 average against righties. Thompson has at least managed to flash his above-average speed at the MLB, level, though, stealing 22 bases on 27 tries for his career.

The 2017 first round pick was a top-five prospect in Texas' system from 2018 to 2019, but he fell all the way to No. 29 on MLB Pipeline in 2022.

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