Cruz spent five of his seven big-league seasons in a Cardinals uniform but had been away from the organization and away from a reliable major-league job since 2015. He'll end his professional career with a .216/.256/.308 line in 272 games.

The veteran backstop appeared in just nine games for the Reds this season, hitting .154/.154/.308 over those contests. He'll look to latch on elsewhere as organizational catching depth.

The Reds brought in veteran catcher Curt Casali from the Rays via trade Thursday, and Cruz was the corresponding roster move. The 31-year-old hit just .154/.154/.308 across nine games with the big club prior to being sent back to Louisville. He'll continue to serve as organizational catching depth with the Bats.

With Devin Mesoraco being traded to the Mets, Cruz will join the Reds as their backup catcher. The 31-year-old was hitting just .170/.268/.255 through 14 games with Triple-A Louisville and owns an unimpressive .218/.260/.308 line across six major-league seasons (263 games).