Reds Reassign Six to Minor-League Camp, Trim Big-League Roster to 51

The Reds sent six players to minor‑league camp on March 2, cutting their big‑league spring roster to 51 players. The group included top prospect Cam Collier, catcher Connor Burns, infielders Michael Toglia and Michael Chavis, and pitchers Carson Spiers and Joel Valdez (listed in some reports as Joey Valdez).

RedsMinorLeagues framed the moves as the club’s first cuts and noted the mix of prospects and injured pitchers. “The first cuts of spring training came today for the Cincinnati Reds. The club sent six players back to minor league camp, including their #9 rated prospect Cam Collier,” the outlet wrote, underscoring Collier’s prospect status and the official nature of the tranche.

Cam Collier arrived at big‑league camp as the organization’s No. 9 prospect and a 21‑year‑old who has not played above Double‑A. He went 1‑7 in limited action this spring and played first and third base in camp. RedsMinorLeagues added a blunt assessment: “The position players likely had very little chance to make the team,” noting Collier is “blocked at this point” by Reds depth at both corner infield spots.

Catcher Connor Burns also was reassigned after minimal work in camp. RedsMinorLeagues reports Burns “played even less. The catcher went 0‑2 before he was sent back to minor league camp,” and the writeup highlighted Burns’ track record — “Burns is a career .178 hitter” — while calling him “one of the best defensive catchers around.” The same piece pointed out that Burns has never played above Double‑A and lacks a full season with Chattanooga.

Michael Toglia’s reassignment was the one spring surprise many outlets flagged. Yardbarker and SI noted Toglia was 2‑9 this spring with two walks and four strikeouts. Toglia, the 23rd overall pick in 2019, hit 25 home runs in 2024 (.218/.311/.456) but slumped in 2025 (.190/.258/.353), then signed with Cincinnati after the Rockies designated him for assignment. Syndicated copy cautioned that Toglia “could be a bit of a surprise to get sent down this early, but he was a longshot to make the Opening Day Roster.”

Michael Chavis was listed among the six with no additional spring stats provided in the reports. Redleg Nation and transaction summaries treated him as part of the non‑roster group moved to minor‑league camp.

Injuries drove the two pitchers’ reassignments. RedsMinorLeagues said, “Both lefty Joel Valdez and righty Carson Spiers are injured and didn’t appear in a game yet. Valdez is dealing with a shoulder injury that got him shut down earlier this spring. Spiers is recovering from Tommy John surgery in the middle of last August and isn’t likely to pitch at all this season.” Yardbarker added context that Spiers made early appearances in 2025 before undergoing surgery, which reconciles with RedsMinorLeagues’ note that he did not pitch in spring 2026.

All six were non‑roster invitees to big‑league camp, and Redleg Nation pointed to the practical follow up: “Minor League camp began yesterday, so now that it’s opened up there are places for these guys to go and get more time on the field. That’s going to allow them to get ready for the minor league season, which will begin at the end of March for Triple‑A and in the first week of April for the other full season teams.” For Collier and Burns in particular, the reassignment presses reset on development — more at‑bats and defensive reps in minor‑league camp rather than fringe big‑league innings this spring.

Two reporting discrepancies worth noting remain to be finalized with team sources: some outlets list the lefty as Joel Valdez while one used Joey Valdez, and several accounts peg Spiers at age 28 and reference different timelines for his 2025 appearances. Those roster details and official minor‑league assignments have not been announced alongside the March 2 reassignments.