Reds claim Ron Marinaccio off waivers from Pirates, Chase Solesky from Rays

What happened

The Cincinnati Reds announced they have claimed right-handers Ron Marinaccio and Chase Solesky off waivers — Marinaccio from the Pittsburgh Pirates and Solesky from the Tampa Bay Rays. Marinaccio joins the major-league bullpen immediately, per the club's announcement, with no options remaining. Solesky has been sent to Triple-A Louisville.

Both pitchers had been designated for assignment in recent days. Cincinnati needed to create two 40-man roster spots to accommodate both claims. The club had one open already and generated a second by transferring outfielder Blake Dunn to the 60-day injured list. Per the announcement, Dunn had internal brace surgery and his season is over. Under general league rules, a transfer to the 60-day IL removes a player from the 40-man count entirely — which is what gave the Reds the arithmetic to bring in both arms at once.

Why it matters

Marinaccio's situation is the more operationally significant of the two. Because he has no options remaining, he cannot be sent to the minors without first clearing waivers — meaning Cincinnati is committing to carrying him on the active roster, at least for now. That is not a trivial decision for a club managing a bullpen through the final weeks of a long season, and it signals that the Reds view him as a usable piece rather than a depth stash.

The path that brought Marinaccio to Cincinnati is a brisk one, even by waiver-wire standards. He began the 2026 season with the San Diego Padres, where his numbers regressed from his prior track record. The Padres designated him for assignment, and he was subsequently traded to the Pirates — a transaction that occurred only a couple of weeks ago, per MLB Trade Rumors. A little over a week after arriving in Pittsburgh, the Pirates moved on as well, placing him on waivers again. Cincinnati was waiting.

Solesky's assignment to Triple-A Louisville is the more conventional outcome. Without the same options constraint, he can develop in the upper minors without occupying a spot on a club navigating the back half of a difficult year.

The numbers

Marinaccio, 31, carried a 3.02 ERA across 125 1/3 innings entering this season — a number that reflects genuine effectiveness over a meaningful sample. The underlying profile in that stretch was a mixed bag in an interesting way: a walk rate of 12.3% that would make any pitching coach reach for an antacid, paired with a strikeout rate of 28.3% of batters faced that explains why clubs kept running him out there anyway. High-wire acts with swing-and-miss stuff have a way of staying employed.

This year, however, the numbers regressed, per MLB Trade Rumors. The report does not specify his 2026 line in detail, but the fact that he was designated for assignment by the Padres and then again by the Pirates within a matter of weeks tells its own story. The career baseline is real; the current form is the question mark Cincinnati is betting on resolving.

Where the club stands

The Reds enter this stretch at 75-87 (.463), sitting 5th in the NL Central and 28 games back in the division. They have also been eliminated from the Wild Card race, sitting 9th in that ranking at 13.0 games relative to the cut line. The club is on a one-game losing streak.

None of that changes what the roster still has to do. Cincinnati hosts the Athletics on Thursday at Great American Ball Park, with Andrew Abbott lined up against Mason Barnett. The club then travels to Washington for back-to-back games at Nationals Park — Chase Petty against Cade Cavalli on Friday, and Chase Burns against Andrew Alvarez on Saturday.

For a bullpen absorbing a new arm with no options, the schedule at least offers a mix of home and road settings to sort out roles. Marinaccio is available immediately per the club's announcement, which means he could factor into any of those games.

What we don't know yet

The report does not detail what specifically drove Marinaccio's regression in 2026, nor does it specify his current statistical line for this season. It is also not reported what role Cincinnati envisions for him — whether he is expected to handle high-leverage situations, serve as a middle-innings option, or simply fill innings as the club plays out the schedule.

Solesky's path is similarly open-ended. The announcement places him at Triple-A Louisville, but the report does not describe his recent performance with Tampa Bay or what the Reds see as his developmental timeline.

What to watch

### Is Marinaccio in the bullpen to stay?

Per the club's announcement, he joins the roster immediately with no options remaining — meaning any future roster decision would require him to clear waivers again. Cincinnati has made the commitment; the question is how quickly he works his way into a defined role, and whether the 2026 regression proves correctable or persistent.

The broader roster picture is also worth monitoring. The Reds used both of their available 40-man spots on these two claims and moved Dunn to the 60-day IL to make it work. Under general league rules, rosters expand from 26 to 28 players beginning September 1, which will give Cincinnati additional flexibility to carry arms without the same zero-sum math that governed this round of maneuvering.

For now, the Reds have added a pitcher with a legitimate career track record and a profile — high strikeouts, elevated walks — that tends to produce interesting outcomes in either direction. Whether Marinaccio's 2026 represents a correctable blip or something more durable is the question the Cincinnati coaching staff will be working to answer in real time, over the final weeks of a season that has already been a long one.