MIAMI -- Austin Wynns is winning over the hearts of Reds fans in Cincinnati.
The team¡¯s backup catcher is dazzling as of late, following a historic six-hit performance on Sunday with a line-drive home run Wednesday afternoon in Cincinnati¡¯s 5-2 win over Miami at loanDepot park.
The drive, which Wynns cranked off a 99 mph fastball offering from 2022 NL Cy Young Award winner Sandy Alcantara, was his third of the season. He also added an RBI double in the ninth.
¡°I¡¯m feeling great,¡± Wynns said postgame. ¡°Feeling great, not gonna lie, and just doing what I can to help this team win.¡±
His home run total this year is three more than his tally from 2024, when Wynns was unable to find the long ball in seven big league games. He slashed .368/.400/.579 in just 19 at-bats (7-for-19), and had four doubles to go with two RBIs. He spent the majority of his season (31 games) with the Reds¡¯ Triple-A affiliate, the Louisville Bats, and suffered a season-ending shoulder tear last July.
His shoulder has looked strong early on this season, as evidenced by his recent showings at the plate. After Wednesday¡¯s game, Wynns is hitting .500 with 13 hits and 11 RBIs. His six hits Sunday matched Cincinnati¡¯s all-time single-game high, while he became the sixth catcher in MLB history to notch six hits in a game (and the first nine-hole hitter to do so). He was also the second Red (first since 1920) to record six hits and six RBIs in the same game.
It¡¯s been a breakout April for Wynns, who¡¯s seen action for five Major League teams (including three in 2023) since making his MLB debut in 2018.
¡°He¡¯s so confident at the plate,¡± Reds manager Terry Francona said about Wynns¡¯ hot streak. ¡°He should be. My goodness, he¡¯s hitting everything in sight. He¡¯s playing good baseball. He plays situational baseball: He tries to move the runner when he needs to, he gets in the count where he can maybe do something and he takes a bigger swing, he plays the game.¡±
Wynns signed with Cincinnati in December 2023, was designated for assignment by the Reds three times in 2024 but continued to contribute in the Minors, then rejoined the squad on a Minor League deal in January 2025. Cincinnati selected his contract from Louisville to add him to its 2025 Opening Day roster, and thus far, he¡¯s made good on management¡¯s belief in him.
On Wednesday, Wynns was excellent defensively as well, helping Reds starter Brady Singer bounce back to record 11 straight outs after he gave up a two-run homer in the first inning to Matt Mervis. Singer allowed just two baserunners after the home run, finishing his outing with eight strikeouts, four hits allowed and two earned runs on 88 pitches.
Singer allowed just four baserunners in all, posted zero walks and now sports a 3.62 ERA.
Said Singer on his catcher¡¯s game-calling: ¡°He was incredible. He had a good game plan, and I followed it.¡±
Mervis¡¯ homer put Miami up 2-1 in the first after Gavin Lux plated the game¡¯s first run with an RBI single.
Wynns knocked a solo shot 106.2 mph to left to tie it in the third, and Spencer Steer gave the Reds a 3-2 advantage with a single to center in the fifth. Wynns collected his second hit of the afternoon in the next at-bat, but Alcantara worked his way out of a bases-loaded jam to end the inning. Cincinnati scored another run in the eighth, and Wynns finished his afternoon 3-for-4 with his ninth-inning double.
Singer, meanwhile, lasted six innings, and Cincinnati¡¯s bullpen hung on to freeze Miami¡¯s bats and preserve the victory.
Wynns, who currently sits behind Jose Trevino on the Reds¡¯ catcher depth chart, is hoping to earn more playing time behind the dish. But he¡¯ll have stiff competition with Tyler Stephenson set to return from his 10-day IL stint shortly. Stephenson, who was dealing with a left oblique strain, started Tuesday for Louisville.
¡°We want [Stephenson] back, don¡¯t get me wrong,¡± Francona said, ¡°but what these two guys have done is incredible.
¡°Both of our guys are very well prepared. Trevino¡¯s as prepared as anybody I¡¯ve ever seen. I mean, I¡¯ve been around some really, really good ones. But they both do a good job, they put down good fingers.¡±
For Wynns, he¡¯s just focused on his own output.
¡°Controlling what I can control,¡± he said of the team¡¯s catching situation. ¡°Whatever happens, happens.¡±
Right now, he¡¯s controlling what he can with meticulous precision.