Cincinnati's bullpen shakeup has a new name attached to it, and it's one that's already had a busy summer. MLB Trade Rumors confirmed the Reds have designated right-hander Ron Marinaccio for assignment, opening up a roster spot down the stretch.
This isn't Marinaccio's first DFA of the year. Not even close. He opened 2026 with the Padres before being flipped to Pittsburgh for international bonus pool space. The Pirates barely gave him a look, cutting him loose after just over a week. Cincinnati claimed him off waivers on Aug. 6, optioning Chase Petty to Triple-A Louisville to clear the spot. Now, less than 2 weeks later, the Reds are moving on too — making Marinaccio a 3-team pinball this summer alone.
The performance decline explains the churn. Marinaccio built his reputation with a 3.02 ERA over 125⅓ innings earlier in his career, backed by strong strikeout stuff. But between his stints with San Diego and Pittsburgh this season, he posted a 4.99 ERA across 52⅓ innings, with his strikeout rate collapsing nearly 10 percentage points below his career norm.
There's an added wrinkle here: Marinaccio is out of options, meaning he couldn't simply be sent down to the minors to work things out even if a team wanted to give him more time. That's part of why the DFA path keeps repeating itself — teams pick him up, get a firsthand look, and move on within days when the results don't turn around.
For the Reds, this is a straightforward bullpen numbers game as they navigate the stretch run. Marinaccio now heads back into DFA limbo, where he'll either get claimed by a 4th club willing to bet on a bounce-back or clear waivers for a minor league assignment. Given how the last month has gone, don't be shocked if his name pops back up on a wire within days.