BREAKING: Cincinnati Reds confirms shock release of outfielder after long sphere

The Cincinnati Reds have lost some minor league outfield depth with the release of Peyton Burdick. Burdick began the 2024 season in the Baltimore Orioles organization, but after spending three weeks in Triple-A, he was placed on waivers. The Reds claimed him and assigned him to Louisville.

Burdick made a brief impact on the Reds’ radar in May when he hit a remarkable 500-foot home run in Louisville. This blast, although in Triple-A, became the longest of the 2024 professional baseball season, surpassing the 480-foot longest home run hit in the majors that year, which came off Reds pitcher Jakob Junis. Interestingly, Junis gave up that home run during his Reds debut against the Miami Marlins in August, where he struggled but Cincinnati won 10-3.

However, after his impressive home run, Burdick’s time with the Reds took a downturn. The Reds placed him on waivers about six weeks later, and after he went unclaimed, they outrighted him to Triple-A. He spent the final two-and-a-half months of the season on the injured list, never returning to the field.

Burdick’s power potential was evident, but his overall performance was lacking. In 47 games with Louisville, he hit just .189/.291/.341, striking out 80 times in 189 plate appearances. His numbers were similar during his 16 games with Norfolk in the Orioles system earlier in the year.

A 2019 third-round pick by the Miami Marlins out of Wright State, Burdick had brief big-league stints with Miami in 2022 and 2023, where he played 46 games and hit five home runs. However, he didn’t make it to the majors in 2024 with either the Orioles or Reds.

Releases like Burdick’s in December are not uncommon, often occurring when a player is granted an opportunity to play overseas. However, no such move has been reported for Burdick as of now. Regardless, Burdick is no longer with the Reds and will be exploring new opportunities.