SF Giants acquire outfielder TJ Hopkins in trade with Cincinnati Reds

The SF Giants acquired recently designated for assignment outfielder prospect TJ Hopkins from the Cincinnati Reds in a minor trade.

The SF Giants acquired outfielder TJ Hopkins on Tuesday morning in a trade with the Cincinnati Reds for a player to be named later or cash considerations. Hopkins was designated for assignment last week and was unlikely to clear waivers. It seems the Giants decided to offer the Reds something sizable enough to jump the waiver line for the 26-year-old right-handed hitter. Hopkins has spent his entire professional career in the Reds organization.

Reds first base coach Collin Cowgill (right) talks with pinch hitter TJ Hopkins. (2023) / David Kohl-USA TODAY Sports

Hopkins is coming off the most productive minor-league season of his career. In 94 games with the Reds Triple-A affiliate, he hit .308/.411/.514 with 18 doubles, 16 home runs, 55 walks, and 94 strikeouts in 393 plate appearances. That impressive overall performance helped him receive his first-career big-league call up. 

However, Hopkins was unable to continue producing at a high level against major league pitching. Hopkins only received 44 plate appearances across 25 games with the Reds, managing just seven hits (all singles) with 17 strikeouts and only two walks.

Hopkins was drafted by the Reds in the ninth round of the 2019 MLB Draft out of South Carolina. A four-year starter in the SEC, Hopkins has moved relatively quickly through the minor leagues. Despite losing the 2020 minor-league season, which was cancelled in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, Hopkins started his first full professional season at Double-A in 2021. He held his own, posting a .777 OPS.

With a bevy of other higher-ceiling outfield prospects in the organization, the Reds skipped over Hopkins for a promotion for some time. He returned to Double-A in 2022, hitting .260/.337/.464 with 17 home runs in 101 games before he was finally promoted to the highest level of the minors. In his first taste of Triple-A, he posted a .255/.320/.436 line in 103 plate appearances.

Hopkins is a good athlete with plus speed, although he has never been able to turn those wheels into the impact tool one might hope defensively or on the basepaths. Hopkins has never been a threat to steal bases and has primarily been a corner outfielder throughout his career. Still, he held his own in both left and right field during his big-league stint.

It seems like the Giants may be a bit more interested in Hopkins than their usual waiver claim churn. Considering they have potentially parted with a player in their organization to acquire him, it seems more likely that Hopkins could have some staying power on the 40-man roster. If that's the case, Hopkins is only adding to a crowded outfield situation on the 40-man roster.

Hopkins joins outfielders Mike Yastrzemski, Michael Conforto, Mitch Haniger, Austin Slater, Jung-Hoo Lee, Heliot Ramos, Luis Matos, Wade Meckler on the 40-man roster. That list leaves out others, like Tyler Fitzgerald, Blake Sabol, and Brett Wisely who saw playing time in the outfield last season as well. It sure seems like something has to give.

If Hopkins is a long-term part of the Giants' picture, he seems to most directly put pressure on Slater's roster spot. There was already speculation that the Giants may look to trade Slater this offseason to clear a spot for younger, right-handed hitting outfielders Ramos and Matos. Hopkins, like Slater, has posted an OPS against left-handed pitching north of .800 every year of his pro career. This past season, despite his struggles in the majors, Hopkins still hit .294/.418/.555 with 24 walks and 33 strikeouts in 146 plate appearances against southpaws.

The SF Giants are obviously still eyeing some big-time upgrades this offseason, but after acquiring TJ Hopkins in a minor trade with the Cincinnati Reds, they have gotten marginally more athletic. Now the question is whether Hopkins will receive an opportunity to compete for a spot on the Opening Day roster in San Francisco or if he will soon find himself back on the waiver carousel.