Brownsburg’s Tucker Barnhart returns to the Reds

Catcher Tucker Barnhart #16 of the Arizona Diamondbacks walks in the dugout during the game against the Minnesota Twins at Chase Field on June 25, 2024, in Phoenix. The Diamondbacks defeated the Twins 5-4. (Chris Coduto/Getty Images)

(WISH) — Brownsburg’s Tucker Barnhart is headed home.

The Cincinnati Reds have signed the veteran backstop to a Minor League Baseball deal. The news comes a month after Barnhart was released by the Arizona Diamondbacks.

“He will presumably report to Triple-A Louisville at some point in the coming days, though he may also report elsewhere for a tuneup after having a few weeks off.” Darragh McDonald of MLBtraderumors.com wrote about the signing. “Barnhart, now 33, returns to the organization that he has spent most of his career with. He was drafted by the Reds in 2009 and played in the big leagues with them from 2014 to 2021. He got into 744 big league contests in that time, hitting .248/.324/.371 for a wRC+ of 82. He generally received strong grades for his blocking and work with the running game. His framing grades were poor early in his career but improved significantly starting in 2019.”

Barnhart was traded to the Tigers going into 2022 and signed a two-year deal with Chicago Cubs in going into the 2023 season before being released and signing with Arizona.