Former Cleveland Guardians, San Diego Padres, and Kansas City Royals slugger Franmil Reyes is headed to Japan to continue his career.
Franmil Reyes, a prodigious slugger who has played in the major leagues for the Cleveland Guardians, San Diego Padres, and Kansas City Royals, is set to return to Japan to continue his career.
MLBTradeRumors provides the following information:
According to multiple reports out of the Dominican Republic, Franmil Reyes is on the verge of signing with the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters of Nippon Professional Baseball.
Shohei Ohtani played for the same organization in Japan before coming to the United States.
Reyes, who is still only 28 years old, will try to get his career back on track after a disastrous last season.
Reyes hit 30 home runs and drove in 85 runs for Cleveland during the 2021 season before his numbers plummeted. He hit nine home runs with Cleveland before being designated for assignment in 2022, then was picked up by the Cubs and hit five more.
He played 19 games for the Royals before being released in 2023, and he spent some time in the Nationals’ minor league system before being released. He last played in an affiliated game in July.
Given his age, it’s reasonable to believe Reyes will return to the United States. If he performs well, there may be teams interested in his services in 2025.
During the 2018 season, he made his major league debut with the Padres. His best season came in 2019, when he hit 37 home runs between San Diego and Cleveland.
