Chavis, 30, returns to North America after a brief stint abroad. He signed with the Chunichi Dragons of Japan’s Nippon Professional Baseball in July. However, he hit just .171/.267/.352 in 38 games for the Dragons.
The Reds overlooked that minor disappointment and brought him on board via a non-roster pact. Once a standout prospect, Chavis was selected by the Red Sox in the first round of the 2014 draft. He had a breakout season in 2017 when he launched 31 home runs in the minors. Baseball America ranked him as the #85 prospect in the league entering the 2018 season.
He made a major league debut in 2019 with great success, hitting 18 home runs in just 382 at-bats, but with some asterisks. That was juiced-ball season, so Chavis was one of 151 players to reach the 18-home run mark that year. He also struck out in 33.2% of his plate appearances.
The strikeouts would continue to be an issue and drag down his stock. Over the next few years he would bounce from Boston to Pittsburgh to Washington as he continued to smell. He currently has 1,186 Major League appearances on his stat sheet, including a strikeout rate of 31.9%. His 5.4% walk rate is also insufficient. Despite launching 42 home runs, his batting line of .238/.283/.401 translates to an 80 wRC+, indicating he’s 20% below average overall.
It wouldn’t hurt for the Reds to bring him on board via a minor league deal. For what it’s worth, his minor league production was more viable. Dating back to early 2024, he has had 740 Triple-A plate appearances, striking out just 22.3% of the time. He slashed .270/.339/.483 in that sample for a 103 wRC.
He can also provide plenty of defensive flexibility. He has big league experience at the three non-shortstop infield positions and at the outfield corners.
The Reds have a lot of moving parts in their position player mix. Matt McLain could have been the second baseman, but he missed all of 2024 while injured and then had poor offensive results in 2025. Sal Stewart has experience at second base in the minors, but the Reds used him at first and third in the major leagues. While he performed well down the stretch, he still only has 58 Major League appearances to his name. The hot corner should be closed by Ke’Bryan Hayes after being acquired at the deadline in 2025. If Stewart takes over initially, it could be a boost Spencer Steer to the grass, in the same way Gavin Lux And Noëlvi Marté have largely been pushed from the infield to the outfield. Steer, Lux and Marté were all around league average in 2025. Christian Encarnacion Beach is also in the corner infield mix, but is coming off two consecutive challenging seasons.
Chavis gives Cincy some depth of experience behind that group and can step in if there are openings due to injuries or underperformance. Chavis still has an option left, meaning he could easily be sent back to the minors if he gets a 40-man spot at some point.
Photo courtesy of Brad Mills, Imagn Images
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