Ty France, Nick Martini refuse outright assignments from Reds, become free agents

CINCINNATI — First baseman Ty France and outfielder Nick Martini became free agents Friday when they refused outright assignments to Triple-A Louisville from the Cincinnati Reds.

Right-hander Tejay Antone, coming off his third elbow surgery, accepted an outright assignment to the Bats. Catcher Austin Wynns also was assigned outright to Louisville. Both were activated from the 60-day injured list.

France hit .251 with five homers and 20 RBIs in 179 at-bats over 52 games with the Reds, who acquired the 30-year-old from Seattle on July 29 for catcher Andruw Salcedo. Seattle agreed to send $1,294,758 to the Reds as part of the trade, offsetting part of France’s $6,775,000 salary.

Martini batted .212 with five homers and 24 RBIs in 52 games. The 34-year-old homered twice and had five RBIs on opening day against Washington.

Antone, a 30-year-old right-hander, made four appearances, then had season-ending surgery to repair a tendon and ligament in his right arm. He had Tommy John surgery in April 2017 and August 2021.

Cincinnati also said right-hander Christian Roa had been claimed off waivers from Miami. The 25-year-old, a second-round draft pick in 2020, was 4-4 with a 5.55 ERA in four starts and 19 relief appearances for Louisville.