Surprising Slugger Returns to Cincinnati Reds, Another IL Move Made

Nobody told the Cincinnati Reds that the Cincinnati Bengals were also busy making roster moves. Regardless, the Reds have a season to complete and they've announced two moves on Tuesday leading up to the first game against the Oakland A's.

Stuart Fairchild hits the 10-day IL with a left thumb sprain. Meanwhile, one of the most exciting call-ups in recent Reds memory, Rece Hinds , returns!

Fairchild has been an impressive defender for the Reds this season. He's gone up and robbed what feels like a dozen home runs this year and has accumulated four Outs Above Average as an outfielder. Last year, he had three OAA.

At the plate, Fairchild is hitting .215/.286/.368 with eight home runs and 30 RBI. He's managed 1.0 bWAR in 94 appearances for the Reds.

The corresponding move brings Hinds back to Cincinnati for the first time since July 24. Hinds' time in Cincinnati was as exciting as any and gave Reds fans hope that this year was going to end differently because they had finally found the much-needed power bat.

In 10 games, Hinds slashed .316/.350/.868. He was setting MLB records left and right with his red-hot start. In his first six games, Hinds launched five home runs for 11 RBI. In his final four games, however, he cooled off, going 1-for-16 with a double while striking out five times.

After getting optioned to Triple-A Louisville, Hinds played in 22 games and cooled off tremendously. He slashed .179/.255/.262 in that time with 34 strikeouts in 84 at-bats. Hinds only had one home run since the option.

Now, he looks to get back to it in Cincinnati.