Reds add Will Banfield to 40-man roster, remove P.J. Higgins via outright

The Cincinnati Reds reshaped their catcher depth with a pair of 40-man roster moves. According to MLB Trade Rumors, the team selected catcher Will Banfield to the major-league roster before optioning him to Triple-A Louisville. In the same transaction window, the Reds also outrighted fellow catcher P.J. Higgins, a change that indicates Cincinnati did not keep Higgins on the active 40-man list.

For the Reds, the immediate effect is straightforward: one catcher comes onto the 40-man while another is taken off. Banfield’s selection followed by an option assignment suggests Cincinnati views him as a near-term organizational piece rather than a long-term incumbent for the big-league staff. Outrighting Higgins, meanwhile, is typically used when a team believes it can keep the player in the organization without occupying a 40-man slot.

MLB Trade Rumors’ report notes that Higgins was not previously reported as being off the 40-man roster, implying Cincinnati “quietly” put him on waivers in the days before the outright. That is an important detail because, in roster-building terms, waivers are often the gatekeeping step that determines whether the player remains with the club or can be claimed by another organization.

Cincinnati’s catcher situation is shaped by how the organization balances major-league readiness with the flexibility that comes from having multiple options at the position. A 40-man roster spot is a premium asset across a season, especially for teams that expect to adjust lineups frequently due to injury risk, matchups, and player performance trends. Moves like these help a team preserve flexibility while still protecting enough depth at a position where catching requires specialized timing and preparation.

Banfield’s selection also indicates the Reds are willing to spend a roster spot to retain him within the 40-man framework. Even though he was optioned to Louisville, being added to the 40-man typically increases the likelihood that a player will be called back when the need arises, since the team does not have to create the roster vacancy from scratch in the short term.

For Higgins, an outright changes his day-to-day status with the organization. Rather than operating as a 40-man member, he would be held on the minor-league reserve system, which can affect whether he is available to the parent club without additional roster work. If a player is outrighted, the underlying intent from the team’s perspective is often to keep the player in the organization while reducing the roster burden at the major-league threshold.

The next practical item to watch is whether Banfield forces the Reds to reconsider their catcher rotation or whether he settles into a developmental stretch in Triple-A. On the other side, Higgins’ outright may become a tracking point for whether he later returns to the 40-man through subsequent selections as rosters evolve through the summer.