The Cincinnati Reds pulled off a trade this afternoon during their game against the Detroit Tigers, acquiring right-handed pitcher Brian Van Belle from the Boston Red Sox in exchange for an undisclosed amount of cash. Rather than wait to see if Van Belle would clear waivers after being designated for assignment by Boston earlier this week, the Reds acted quickly to secure him. He was immediately optioned to Triple-A Louisville, and notably, he still has all three of his option years remaining.
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Van Belle, 28, has yet to make his Major League debut. He’s spent the past two seasons at Triple-A Worcester, including this year, where he’s posted a 5-1 record with a 2.29 ERA over eight starts and four relief appearances. In 51 innings, he’s given up 47 hits and seven home runs, issued just seven walks, and struck out 41 batters. In 2025, he’s recorded a career-best ground ball rate of 51.7%, continuing a trend of generating more grounders over the past two seasons after previously leaning more toward being a fly-ball pitcher.
You can see his career stats here.
| 4-seam | 2-seam | Curve | Slider | Change | |
| Usage | 11% | 31% | 12% | 13% | 34% |
| Velocity | 90.9 | 90.5 | 80.7 | 84.9 | 84.4 |
Brian Van Belle isn’t known for his velocity, but he keeps hitters off balance with a diverse pitch mix and smart sequencing. He consistently throws strikes and excels at generating ground balls.
At the very least, he adds valuable starting pitching depth to the Reds’ Triple-A roster. Van Belle now joins Chase Petty as one of the starters in Louisville who’s on the 40-man roster. The rotation also includes the organization’s top prospect, Chase Burns, giving Louisville a notable trio of arms.
