Bauers joined the Reds as a non-roster invitee Monday, Bobby Nightengale of The Cincinnati Enquirer reports.
Bauers is still just 26 years old and was considered a fairly interesting prospect not too long ago, but he's come nowhere close to living up to his potential thus far. In 328 career major-league games, he's hit just .213/.307/.348, a line that's nowhere close to good enough for a player limited to first base and the outfield corners. While it's theoretically possible he could figure things out for the Reds in 2022 and make good on his promise, it's far more likely that he remains a player undeserving of regular at-bats at the highest level, as his career 5.5 percent barrel rate indicates that he simply doesn't make good enough contact to be a corner slugger.