The Cincinnati Reds just beat the trade deadline on Thursday, dealing minor league right-handed pitcher Kenya Huggins to the Athletics in exchange for Miguel Andujar.
In a corresponding move, the Reds also transferred left-handed pitcher Wade Miley to the 60-day injured list.
Primarily a third baseman with the A’s this season, Andujar, 30, has also played left field, right field and first base. Now in his ninth MLB season, Andujar is hitting a career-best .298, third among primary starters for the Athletics, to go along with six home runs and 27 RBIs.
A .277 career hitter while with the New York Yankees, Pittsburgh Pirates and A’s, Andujar has proven to be successful against left-handed pitching this year, hitting .422 with a 1.036 OPS.
“Andujar is one of the best players in baseball at hitting left-handed pitching,” Reds president of baseball operations Nick Krall said, according to the Reds’ website. “He fits as a middle-of-the-order bat against lefties. He’s got some power.”
In Huggins, the Athletics landed Cincinnati’s No. 22-ranked prospect. The 22-year-old pitcher was a fourth-round pick of the Reds in 2022 and has spent the past three seasons with Single-A Daytona. There, Huggins has gone 4-4 with a 3.82 ERA in 36 appearances, including 21 starts.
In 18 games this season (15 starts), Huggins has gone 2-2 with a 3.69 ERA and 57 strikeouts across 63 1/3 innings.
The Reds transferred Miley to the 60-day IL to free up space on their 40-man roster for Andujar. Miley landed on the injured list on June 20 with a left flexor strain in his forearm. He recently increased his long toss to 120 feet, according to MLB.com, but his timeline to return is still weeks away.
The 38-year-old appeared in just three games for Cincinnati this season. For his career, which spans eight different teams in 15 years, Miley is 109-99 with a 4.09 ERA.