Reds sign former Giants, Rangers infielder to milb contract

Mathias was unable to capitalize on his short stint with the team, going 2-for-10 with four strikeouts and zero walks across five games. Granted, he did record a clutch two-run single in extra innings against the Angels before he was placed on the 60-day injured list to finish the season.

Born in Santa Clara, California, Mathias was drafted in the third round of the 2015 MLB Draft out of Cal Poly by the Cleveland Guardians. A soft-hitting versatile defender, Mathias climbed Cleveland's minor-league ranks before he was traded to the Milwaukee Brewers following the 2019 season. During the pandemic-shortened 2020 campaign, Mathias made his big-league debut with the Brewers.

After receiving just 53 big-league plate appearances with Milwaukee, Mathias was traded to the Texas Rangers in a package for reliever Matt Bush. In Texas, Mathias hit .277/.365/.554 with three doubles and five home runs in 74 plate appearances. Heading into this season, he seemed like a solid candidate to find a bench role but lost a preseason competition and was traded to the Pirates for a minor-league pitcher.

Mathias hit just .231/.355/.269 in 62 plate appearances with the Pirates, although he did walk (10) nearly as much as he struck out (11) before he was designated for assignment. He was claimed off waivers by the Mariners, where he played at Triple-A before he was dealt to the Giants.

The Reds have an impressive group of young position players but are expected to trade from that depth this offseason. His deal likely includes an invitation to big-league spring training and should give him an opportunity to compete for a bench role on the Opening Day roster.