The Reds have designated 27-year old righty reliever/starter Micah Owings for assignment. Owings pitched in 22 games (0 starts) for the Reds this year and he is 3-2 with a 5.40 ERA and a 1.59 WHIP. He walked 25 batters in only 33 1/3 innings which is a big reason why the Reds are letting him go. Owings pitched in 48 games (19 starts) in his two years with the Reds and he was 10-14 with 1 save, a 5.35 ERA and a 1.59 WHIP. This will be no big loss to the Reds as Owings hasn’t helped out much this year.

The Reds might decide to switch 22-year old righty starting pitcher Mike Leake to the pen at some point this season to take it easy on his arm. He has started 21 games for the Reds this year and he is 7-4 with a 3.75 ERA and a 1.43 WHIP. Leake has allowed 141 hits (15 homers) and he has walked 44 batters in 129 2/3 innings this year. Despite those numbers Leake has been effective for the most part this season without ever spending a day in the minors. Homer Bailey or Travis Wood will likely replace Leake if the Reds move him to the pen.

The Reds have acquired 40-year old lefty swinging outfielder Jim Edmonds from the Brewers for 28-year old lefty swinging outfielder Chris Dickerson. Edmonds has played in 73 games this season for the Brewers and he is 62 of 217 (.286 avg, .843 OPS) with 38 runs scored, 8 homers, 20 RBIs and 2 stolen bases. Edmonds has now played in 1,998 games in his 17 years in the majors and he is 1,943 of 6,829 (.285 avg, .903 OPS) with 1,245 runs scored, 390 homers, 1,196 RBIs and 67 stolen bases. Chris Dickerson has spent most of this year on the D.L. for the Reds. He played in 20 games for the Reds this year and he is 9 of 44 (.205 avg, .495 OPS) with 9 runs scored and 3 stolen bases. Dickerson played in 148 games in parts of three years with the Reds and he was 110 of 401 (.274 avg, .789 OPS) with 60 runs scored, 8 homers, 30 RBIs and 19 stolen bases. This looks like a good deal for both teams. Edmonds will provide the Reds with veteran leadership and a solid lefty bat off the bench. Dickerson will give the Brewers a younger player to work with for the future.

The Reds have placed 41-year old righty reliever Russ Springer on the 15-day disabled list with a hip injury. Springer has pitched in 2 games (0 starts) for the Reds this year and he is 0-0 with a 5.40 ERA and a 1.20 WHIP. The Reds have called up 27-year old righty reliever Carlos Fisher to replace Springer in the pen. Fisher pitched in 13 games (0 starts) earlier this season for the Reds and he was 1-1 with a 6.89 ERA and a 1.66 WHIP. The Reds had to figure that signing a 41-year old reliever who hadn’t pitched all year long could result in a injury, right?

UPDATE: (8/24/2010) - The Reds have lost Springer for the rest of the season as he needs hip surgery.

The Reds have lost 27-year old 2B/SS Drew Sutton on waivers to the Indians. Sutton played in 2 games for the Reds this year and he was 2 of 3 (.667 avg, 2.333 OPS) with 1 run scored, 1 homer and 4 RBIs. In two years with the Reds, Sutton played in 44 games in which he was 16 of 69 (.232 avg, .717 OPS) with 11 runs scored, 2 homers and 13 RBIs. The Reds probably would have liked to find a way to keep Sutton but when you’re in a playoff race you can’t keep everyone.