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Gary Matthews Jr. | Outfielder

Team: Cincinnati Reds
Age / DOB:  (38) / 8/25/1974
Ht / Wt:  6'3' / 225
Bats / Throws: Switch / Right
College: Mission (CA) CC
Contract: view contract details
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Latest News

Recent News

According to Jim Salisbury of CSN Philadelphia, the Phillies are considering signing Gary Matthews Jr. to a minor league contract.
The deal is not going to come with an invitation to major league camp. Instead, Matthews will work out with the rest of the minor leaguers in the Phillies' system and attempt to climb his way out of the farm system. The 36-year-old outfieler posted a brutal .190/.266/.241 batting line across 58 at-bats last season and has lost many steps defensively. Thu, Feb 3, 2011 04:19:00 PM
Source: CSN Philadelphia

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Player News

Date:
Gary Matthews Jr. - OF - Reds

As expected, Gary Matthews Jr. has exercised his right to opt out of his contract with the Reds.

The outfielder had the clause included in his contract so that he could become a free agent if he wasn't called up to the major by July 24. He was hitting pretty well at Triple-A Louisville and will now look to catch on with another team.
Sat, Jul 24, 2010 02:25:00 PM
Gary Matthews Jr. - OF - Reds

Gary Matthews Jr.'s agent told Jayson Stark of ESPN.com that his client will exercise right to opt out of his contract with the Reds on Saturday.

Unless something dramatically changes in the next 24 hours, it doesn't appear that the Reds will add him to the active roster. Matthews, 35, is batting .313/.359/.490 with three home runs and six RBI over 96 at-bats with Triple-A Louisville, but most teams won't forget the pathetic .190/.266/.241 batting line he put up with the Mets earlier this season.
Source: Jayson Stark on Twitter
Fri, Jul 23, 2010 07:55:00 PM
Gary Matthews Jr. - OF - Reds

Reds manager Dusty Baker said he hopes that Gary Matthews Jr. doesn't use the Saturday out-clause in his contract.

In other words, don't expect the Reds to call him up. "I hope he stays even if it doesn't fit right now," said Baker. "You never know if there's an injury, or what's going to happen down the stretch. This isn't only a move for this year for him. It's a continuing career move for him too - if not here than somewhere else. He hasn't asked anything of me either." The 35-year-old outfielder is batting .313/.359/.490 with three home runs and six RBI over 96 at-bats with Triple-A Louisville.
Source: MLBlogs.com
Fri, Jul 23, 2010 06:14:00 PM
Gary Matthews Jr. - OF - Reds

Jerry Crasnick of ESPN.com reports that Gary Matthews Jr. has an out-clause in his minor league contract with the Reds if he is not called up to the majors by June 24.

To his credit, Matthews is batting .310/.355/.494 with three home runs and five RBI in 87 at-bats with Triple-A Louisville, but it's hard to see a fit on the big league level. We'd much rather see Chris Dickerson get some playing time once he's ready to return from the disabled list.
Source: Jerry Crasnick on Twitter
Tue, Jul 20, 2010 05:17:00 PM
Gary Matthews Jr. - OF - Reds

Reds signed OF Gary Matthews Jr. to a minor league contract.

Matthews will report to Triple-A Louisville this weekend to begin his Reds career. The 35-year-old outfielder hit .190/.266/.241 with one RBI in 58 at-bats for the Mets before they gave up on him in mid-June.
Thu, Jun 24, 2010 05:29:00 PM
Gary Matthews Jr. - OF - Reds

Reds GM Walt Jocketty said Wednesday that the Reds hope to have Gary Matthews Jr. signed to a minor league deal by this weekend.

Matthews Jr. was released by the Mets last week after batting just .190 with a .266 on-base percentage over his first 58 at-bats. He's unlikely to be a high-impact player for the Reds, either. The 35-year-old will get started at Triple-A Louisville and try to work his way up from there.
Related: Reds
Source: Jeff Fletcher on Twitter
Wed, Jun 23, 2010 02:24:00 PM
Gary Matthews Jr. - OF - Reds

According to Tim Brown of Yahoo! Sports, the Reds have signed outfielder Gary Matthews Jr. to a minor league contract.

The Reds were rumored as a potential destination for Matthews if he failed to make the Mets during spring training, so it's no surprise to see him land here. The 35-year-old outfielder batted just .190/.266/.241 with one RBI over his first 58 at-bats this season before being released by the Mets earlier this month. We doubt the change of scenery will help.
Source: Tim Brown on Twitter
Mon, Jun 21, 2010 09:47:00 PM
Gary Matthews Jr. - OF - Reds

Mets released OF Gary Matthews Jr.

Matthews cleared waivers after being designated for assignment earlier this month. The 35-year-old outfielder batted just .190/.266/.241 with one RBI over 58 at-bats with the Mets this season and hasn't resembled anything close to a productive player for quite some time now.
Tue, Jun 15, 2010 06:03:00 PM
Gary Matthews Jr. - OF - Reds

The Mets are expected to officially release Gary Matthews Jr. on Tuesday.

Matthews was designated for assignment one week ago after batting an ugly .190/.266/.241 with one RBI in 58 at-bats for the Mets. The 35-year-old obviously hasn't drawn any trade interest on waivers.
Source: ESPN New York
Sat, Jun 12, 2010 06:30:00 PM
Gary Matthews Jr. - OF - Reds

Mets designated outfielder Gary Matthews Jr. for assignment.

Matthews just needs Joe Morgan to get hired as some team's GM and he'll be good to go, but in the meantime, he'll probably have to head to Triple-A for a little while before getting another shot. He was hitting a putrid .190/.266/.241 with one RBI in 58 at-bats this season. The Mets will owe him about another $1.7 million through the end of 2011. The Angels are still on the hook for about $17 million.
Fri, Jun 4, 2010 04:06:00 PM
Gary Matthews Jr. - OF - Reds

Gary Matthews Jr. steps in for Angel Pagan both in center field and at the top of the Mets' order.

Gary Matthews Jr. hit sixth or lower in all of his appearances so far this season, so it's a big surprise to see him leading off in the rubber game of this series. Jose Reyes has done well hitting third in the order, but it would seem to be a better decision to have him return to the lead-off spot rather than have Matthews Jr. try his luck there.
Source: ESPNNewYork.com
Sun, May 2, 2010 03:25:00 PM
Gary Matthews Jr. - OF - Reds

Gary Matthews Jr. will start in center field and bat seventh against Ricky Nolasco and the Marlins on Wednesday night.

Same one through eight as Monday. Matthews was 2-for-3 with a double, a walk and two runs scored in the season opener, so Mets manager Jerry Manuel will reward him with another start. He's expected to share playing time with Angel Pagan until Carlos Beltran returns. Pagan had a pinch-hit RBI single on Monday.
Related: Angel Pagan
Source: Adam Rubin on Twitter
Wed, Apr 7, 2010 03:45:00 PM
Gary Matthews Jr. - OF - Reds

Gary Matthews Jr. is slated to start for the Mets on Opening Day.

Matthews and outfielder Angel Pagan are still battling for the right to serve as Carlos Beltran's fill-in and will continue to do so all month. Matthews went 16-for-56 this spring with two homers and five RBI while Pagan went 16-for-67 with two homers and nine RBI. Neither is a great fantasy bet.
Related: Angel Pagan, Carlos Beltran
Source: New York Post
Mon, Apr 5, 2010 08:54:00 AM
Gary Matthews Jr. - OF - Reds

John Fay of the Cincinnati Enquirer says there is "nothing to" the rumors linking the Reds and outfielder Gary Matthews Jr..

And rightly so. The Reds have at least six outfielders in camp with more upside than Matthews Jr. and giving manager Dusty Baker a weak-hitting veteran to toy with would only mean trouble. The 35-year-old Matthews is 11-for-32 this spring with two home runs and four RBI. He's hit hit just .248/.325/.383 since signing a five-year, $50 million contract with the Angels in 2006.
Related: Reds
Source: John Fay on Twitter
Wed, Mar 24, 2010 07:04:00 PM

Depth Charts

Batters
PosRoleName
C1Ryan Hanigan
2Devin Mesoraco
1B1Joey Votto
2B1Brandon Phillips
SS1Zack Cozart
2Cesar Izturis
3B1Todd Frazier
2Jack Hannahan
LF1Ryan Ludwick
2Chris Heisey
3Xavier Paul
4Donald Lutz
CF1Shin-Soo Choo
2Derrick Robinson
RF1Jay Bruce
Starting Pitcher
PosRoleName
S1Johnny Cueto
2Mat Latos
3Bronson Arroyo
4Homer Bailey
5Mike Leake
6Tony Cingrani
Relief Pitcher
PosRoleName
R1Aroldis Chapman
2Jonathan Broxton
3Sean Marshall
4Sam LeCure
5JJ Hoover
6Curtis Partch
7Alfredo Simon
8Manny Parra
9Pedro Villarreal
10Nick Masset