Matthew William Reynolds (born December 3, 1990) is an American former professional

baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball games, bat-and-ball sport played between two team sport, teams of nine players each, taking turns batting (baseball), batting and Fielding (baseball), fielding. The game occurs over the course of several Pitch ...

infielder An infielder is a baseball player stationed at one of four defensive "infield" positions on the baseball field, between first base and third base. Standard arrangement of positions In a game of baseball, two teams of nine players take turns pla ...

. He played in

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball league composed of 30 teams, divided equally between the National League (baseball), National League (NL) and the American League (AL), with 29 in the United States and 1 in Canada. MLB i ...

(MLB) for the

New York Mets The New York Mets are an American professional baseball team based in the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of Queens. The Mets compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National ...

Washington Nationals The Washington Nationals are an American professional baseball team based in Washington, D.C. The Nationals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) East Division. They play their home games at Na ...

Kansas City Royals The Kansas City Royals are an American professional baseball team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Royals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League Central, Central Division. The team ...

, and

Cincinnati Reds The Cincinnati Reds are an American professional baseball team based in Cincinnati. The Reds compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Central, Central Divisi ...

. He also played in

Nippon Professional Baseball is a professional baseball league and the highest level of baseball in Japan. Locally, it is often called , meaning simply ''Professional Baseball''; outside of Japan, NPB is often referred to as "Japanese baseball". The roots of the league ...

(NPB) for the

Hiroshima Toyo Carp The is a professional baseball team based in Hiroshima, Japan. They compete in the Central League of Nippon Professional Baseball. The team is primarily owned by the Matsuda family, led by , who is a descendant of Mazda founder Jujiro Matsuda ...

High school and college career

Reynolds attended

Bishop Kelley High School Bishop Kelley High School is an American Lasallian Catholic high school with 905 students, grades 9 to 12, located at 41st and Hudson Avenue, in the center of the Tulsa metropolitan area (in the Midtown area), on a campus spanning just over 47 ...

Tulsa, Oklahoma Tulsa ( ) is the List of municipalities in Oklahoma, second-most-populous city in the U.S. state, state of Oklahoma, after Oklahoma City, and the List of United States cities by population, 48th-most-populous city in the United States. The po ...

. He played both baseball and

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appro ...

and received interest from

Iowa State Iowa State University of Science and Technology (Iowa State University, Iowa State, or ISU) is a public land-grant research university in Ames, Iowa, United States. Founded in 1858 as the Iowa Agricultural College and Model Farm, Iowa State be ...

, Furman and

Butler A butler is a person who works in a house serving and is a domestic worker in a large household. In great houses, the household is sometimes divided into departments, with the butler in charge of the dining room, wine cellar, and pantries, pantr ...

to play

college basketball College basketball is basketball that is played by teams of Student athlete, student-athletes at universities and colleges. In the Higher education in the United States, United States, colleges and universities are governed by collegiate athle ...

. He decided, however, to play

college baseball College baseball is baseball that is played by Student athlete, student-athletes at institutions of higher education. In the United States, college baseball is sanctioned mainly by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA); in Japan, ...

for the

Arkansas Razorbacks The Arkansas Razorbacks, also known as the Hogs, are the College athletics in the United States, intercollegiate athletics teams representing the University of Arkansas, located in Fayetteville, Arkansas, Fayetteville. The University of Arkans ...

at the

University of Arkansas The University of Arkansas (U of A, UArk, or UA) is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Fayetteville, Arkansas, United States. It is the Flagship campus, flagship campus of the University of Arkan ...

. He played for Arkansas as a

third baseman A third baseman, abbreviated 3B, is the player in baseball or softball whose responsibility is to defend the area nearest to third base — the third of four bases a baserunner must touch in succession to score a run. In the Baseball scorekeep ...

from 2010 to 2012 and hit .275/.382/.413 with 11

home run In baseball, a home run (abbreviated HR) is scored when the Baseball (ball), ball is hit in such a way that the batting (baseball), batter is able to circle the bases and reach home plate safe (baseball), safely in one play without any error ( ...

s and 72

runs batted in A run batted in or runs batted in (RBI) is a statistic in baseball and softball that credits a batter for making a play that allows a run to be scored (except in certain situations such as when an error is made on the play). For example, if th ...

150 career games. After his sophomore season in 2011, he played

collegiate summer baseball Collegiate summer baseball leagues are amateur baseball leagues in the United States and Canada featuring players who have attended at least one year of college and have at least one year of athletic eligibility remaining. Generally, they operat ...

for the

Yarmouth–Dennis Red Sox The Yarmouth–Dennis Red Sox, or Y-D Red Sox, are a collegiate summer baseball team based in South Yarmouth, Massachusetts. The team is a member of the Cape Cod Baseball League (CCBL) and plays in the league's East Division. The Red Sox play th ...

of the

Cape Cod Baseball League The Cape Cod Baseball League (CCBL or Cape League) is a collegiate summer baseball wooden bat league located on Cape Cod in the U.S. state of Massachusetts. One of the nation's premier collegiate summer leagues, the league boasts over 1,000 forme ...

Professional career

New York Mets

Reynolds was drafted by the

in the second round of the

2012 Major League Baseball draft The 2012 Major League Baseball draft was held from June 4 through June 6, 2012, from Studio 42 of the MLB Network in Secaucus, New Jersey. The Houston Astros, with the first overall pick, selected Carlos Correa from the Puerto Rico Baseball Ac ...

. The Mets moved Reynolds to

shortstop Shortstop, abbreviated SS, is the baseball positions, baseball or softball fielding position between second base, second and third base, which is considered to be among the Defensive spectrum, most demanding defensive positions. Historically, the ...

after he signed. He made his professional debut that season for the

Savannah Sand Gnats The Savannah Sand Gnats were a minor league baseball team based in Savannah, Georgia. They were a member of the A-level South Atlantic League. The Sand Gnats were an affiliate of the New York Mets in their final nine seasons. The team relocated t ...

of the A-level

South Atlantic League The South Atlantic League, often informally called the Sally League, is a Minor League Baseball league with teams predominantly in states along the Atlantic coast of the United States from New York to Georgia. A Class A league for most of its h ...

, hitting .259 with 3 home runs in 42 games. In 2013, Reynolds played in 117 games for the High-A

Florida State League The Florida State League (FSL) is a Minor League Baseball league based in the state of Florida. Having been classified at various levels throughout its existence, it operated at Class A-Advanced from 1990 until its demotion to Single-A following ...

, and one game for the Double-A

Binghamton Mets The Binghamton Rumble Ponies are an American Minor League Baseball team based in Binghamton, New York. The team, which plays in the Eastern League, is the Double-A affiliate of the New York Mets major-league club. The Rumble Ponies play in Mi ...

. He hit a disappointing .225/.300/.335 with five home runs in 436 at bats. Reynolds started the 2014 season back with Binghamton and was promoted to the Triple-A Las Vegas 51s after hitting .355 in 58 games. With the 51s, he finished 2015 batting .267/.319/.402, with 65 RBIs and 6 home runs in 115 games. Reynolds spent the 2015 regular season in Triple-A before being called up to the Mets during the

2015 NLDS The 2015 National League Division Series were two best-of-five-game series to determine the participating teams in the 2015 National League Championship Series. The three divisional winners (seeded 1–3) and a fourth team—the winner of a on ...

to replace the injured

Rubén Tejada Rubén Darío Tejada (born October 27, 1989) is a Panamanian professional baseball shortstop for the Olmecas de Tabasco of the Mexican League. He has previously played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the New York Mets, St. Louis Cardinals, San ...

. In doing so, he became the first player in modern baseball history to be added to a postseason roster in the middle of a series without previous major-league experience. He also became the third player in modern baseball history to be included on a postseason roster without previous major-league experience, after Chet Trail (of the

New York Yankees The New York Yankees are an American professional baseball team based in the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of the Bronx. The Yankees compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Am ...

in the

1964 World Series The 1964 World Series was the World Series, championship series of Major League Baseball's (MLB) 1964 Major League Baseball season, 1964 season. The 61st edition of the World Series, it was a best-of-seven playoff that matched the National Leagu ...

(not on the active roster)) and

Mark Kiger Mark Winston Kiger (born May 30, 1980) is an American former professional baseball infielder. Kiger made his Major League Baseball (MLB) debut in the 2006 postseason, and never played in an MLB regular season game. He is the only player in majo ...

(of the Oakland Athletics in the

2006 American League Championship Series The 2006 American League Championship Series (ALCS), the second round of the American League side in Major League Baseball's 2006 Major League Baseball postseason, 2006 postseason, began on October 10 and ended on October 14. The wild card 2006 ...

). He was dropped from the roster for the

World Series The World Series is the annual championship series of Major League Baseball (MLB). It has been contested since between the champion teams of the American League (AL) and the National League (NL). The winning team, determined through a best- ...

, and did not appear in any games in the playoffs. The Mets promoted Reynolds to the major leagues on May 17, 2016. He made his major league debut at third base for the Mets that night. He went 0–3 with one strikeout. On May 25, Reynolds picked up his first major league hit, a single, against Nationals' pitcher

Tanner Roark Tanner Burnell Roark ( ; born October 5, 1986) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball for the Washington Nationals, Cincinnati Reds, Oakland Athletics, and Toronto Blue Jays. He played college base ...

. Reynolds was sent down to the 51s to make room for

Wilmer Flores Wilmer Alejandro Flores Garcia (born August 6, 1991), nicknamed "Catire", is a Venezuelan professional baseball infielder for the San Francisco Giants of Major League Baseball (MLB). On his 16th birthday in 2007, Flores signed as an internation ...

, who came off the

disabled list In Major League Baseball (MLB), the injured list (IL) is a method for teams to remove their injured players from the roster in order to summon healthy players. Before the 2019 Major League Baseball season, 2019 season, it was known as the disabl ...

. Reynolds appeared in eight games during his first big league stint. He had a .100 batting average. Reynolds was recalled again on June 3 after

David Wright David Allen Wright (born December 20, 1982) is an American former professional baseball third baseman who spent his entire 14-year Major League Baseball (MLB) career with the New York Mets. Chosen by the Mets in the 2001 Major League Baseball dr ...

was placed on the disabled list. In a June 22 game, Reynolds started and appeared in the

outfield The outfield, in cricket, baseball and softball is the area of the field of play further from the batsman or batter than the infield. In association football, the outfield players are positioned outside the goal area. In bat and ball games ...

for the first time in his professional career and also hit his first Major League home run, off of reliever

Joakim Soria Joakim Agustín Soria Ramos (born May 18, 1984) is a Mexican former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Kansas City Royals, Texas Rangers, Detroit Tigers, Pittsburgh Pirates, Chicago White Sox, Milwa ...

. For 2016, he batted .225/.266/.416. On December 12, 2016, he underwent a right wrist

debridement Debridement is the medical removal of dead, damaged, or infected tissue to improve the healing potential of the remaining healthy tissue. Removal may be surgical, mechanical, chemical, autolytic (self-digestion), or by maggot therapy. In ...

at the

Hospital for Special Surgery Hospital for Special Surgery (HSS) is an academic medical center and research institution headquartered in New York City that specializes in the treatment of orthopedic and rheumatologic conditions. Its main campus is located at 535 East 70th S ...

. On March 21, 2017, he was optioned to the Mets minor league camp, but he was recalled one month later. In 2017 with the Mets, he batted .230/326/.301 in 130 plate appearances. On February 7, 2018, Reynolds was designated for assignment.

Washington Nationals

Reynolds was traded to the

for cash considerations on February 12, 2018. He began the season with the Triple–A

Syracuse Chiefs Syracuse most commonly refers to: * Syracuse, Sicily, Italy; in the province of Syracuse * Syracuse, New York, USA; in the Syracuse metropolitan area Syracuse may also refer to: Places * Syracuse railway station (disambiguation) Italy * Provi ...

, but the Nationals called him up to the major leagues on April 7. He appeared in 10 games and batted 1-for-12 with a walk before the Nationals

optioned In the film industry, an option agreement is a contract that "rents" the rights to a source material to a potential film producer. It grants the film producer the exclusive option to purchase rights to the source material if they live up to the te ...

him back to Syracuse on April 24. He was called up again to replace

Anthony Rendon Anthony Michael Rendon (, ; born June 6, 1990) is an American baseball third baseman for the Los Angeles Angels of Major League Baseball (MLB). He has previously played for the Washington Nationals and was a member of the Nationals' 2019 World S ...

who was placed on the family medical leave list. The Nationals designated Reynolds for assignment on January 13, 2019, clearing a roster spot for newly signed second baseman

Brian Dozier James Brian Dozier (;born May 15, 1987) is an American former professional baseball second baseman. The Minnesota Twins selected Dozier in the eighth round of the 2009 Major League Baseball Draft. He made his MLB debut in 2012 and he played in M ...

. He cleared waivers and was sent outright to the Triple-A

Fresno Grizzlies The Fresno Grizzlies are a Minor League Baseball team of the California League and the Single-A affiliate of the Colorado Rockies. They are located in Fresno, California, and play their home games at Chukchansi Park, which was opened in 2002 in ...

on January 18. In 111 appearances for Fresno, Reynolds slashed .295/.401/.521 with 16 home runs, 55 RBI, and eight stolen bases. He elected free agency following the season on November 4.

Kansas City Royals

On November 16, 2019, Reynolds signed a minor league contract with the

. On September 8, 2020, Reynolds was selected to the active roster by the Royals. On September 12, Reynolds was designated for assignment. He elected free agency on October 14.

Chicago White Sox

On December 17, 2020, Reynolds signed a minor league contract with the

Chicago White Sox The Chicago White Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The White Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League Central, Central Division. The club plays its ...

organization. Reynolds spent the 2021 season with the Triple-A

Charlotte Knights The Charlotte Knights are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the Chicago White Sox. They are located in Charlotte, North Carolina, and play their home games at Truist Field ...

. He played in 93 games for the Knights, hitting .269 with 5 home runs and 35 RBI. Reynolds became a free agent following the season.

New York Mets (second stint)

On December 1, 2021, Reynolds signed a minor league contract to return to the

. On April 15, 2022, he was added to the Major League roster when two other players went on the

COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. In January 2020, the disease spread worldwide, resulting in the COVID-19 pandemic. The symptoms of COVID‑19 can vary but often include fever ...

injured list. On April 20, Reynolds was designated for assignment to make room for

Mark Canha Mark David Canha (; born February 15, 1989) is an American professional baseball outfielder and first baseman for the Kansas City Royals of Major League Baseball (MLB). He has previously played in MLB for the Oakland Athletics, New York Mets, Mil ...

returning from the COVID-19 injured list.

Cincinnati Reds

On April 24, 2022, Reynolds was claimed off of waivers by the

. He appeared in 92 games for Cincinnati, hitting .246/.320/.332 with 3 home runs and 23 RBI. On January 13, 2023, Reynolds was designated for assignment by the Reds following the signing of

Luke Weaver Luke Allen Weaver (born August 21, 1993) is an American professional baseball pitcher for the New York Yankees of Major League Baseball (MLB). He has previously played in MLB for the St. Louis Cardinals, Arizona Diamondbacks, Kansas City Royals, ...

. On January 19, Reynolds cleared waivers and was sent outright to the Triple-A

Louisville Bats The Louisville Bats are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League (IL) and the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the Cincinnati Reds. They are located in Louisville, Kentucky, and are named in dual reference to the bat, wi ...

. In 16 games with Louisville to begin the year, he slashed .263/.364/.544 with 3 home runs and 9 RBI. On April 28, Reynolds had his contract selected to the active roster. He made 2 appearances, starting 1 game and going 1-for-5 with 3 strikeouts. On May 6, Reynolds was designated for assignment after

Wil Myers William Bradford Myers (born December 10, 1990) is an American former professional baseball outfielder and first baseman. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Tampa Bay Rays, San Diego Padres, and Cincinnati Reds. Originally drafted ...

was activated off of the injured list. He cleared waivers and was outrighted to Louisville on May 9. On October 2, Reynolds elected free agency.

Hiroshima Toyo Carp

On November 16, 2023, Reynolds signed with the

. He played in two games for the Carp in 2024, going 0–for–4 with a walk and an RBI. On June 20, 2024, Reynolds underwent season–ending surgery on his left shoulder. He was released by the Carp on June 29. On October 7, 2024, Reynolds announced his retirement from professional baseball via an

Instagram Instagram is an American photo sharing, photo and Short-form content, short-form video sharing social networking service owned by Meta Platforms. It allows users to upload media that can be edited with Social media camera filter, filters, be ...

post.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Reynolds, Matt 1990 births Living people Arkansas Razorbacks baseball players Binghamton Mets players Charlotte Knights players Cincinnati Reds players Fresno Grizzlies players Hiroshima Toyo Carp players Kansas City Royals players Las Vegas 51s players Louisville Bats players Major League Baseball shortstops Major League Baseball third basemen New York Mets players Savannah Sand Gnats players Scottsdale Scorpions players Baseball players from Tulsa, Oklahoma St. Cloud River Bats players St. Lucie Mets players Syracuse Chiefs players Washington Nationals players 21st-century American sportsmen Yarmouth–Dennis Red Sox players