Chances are good that Aristides Aquino remains in the Reds organization

The Cincinnati Reds made the only call they could on Saturday when Aristides Aquino was designated for assignment. After giving The Punisher one last chance to prove himself, the lack of production at the plate was too much to ignore.

But, chances are good that Aquino could remain in the Reds organization. The team has seven days to place Aquino on waivers or trade him to another team.

Several organizations, who might normally choose to take a flier on Aquino, could choose to avoid adding the outfielder to their squad. All MLB rosters must be cut from 28 to 26 players by noon on Monday. Aquino will soon have a lot of company on the waiver wire.

Aristides Aquino might end up back in the Reds organization.

Given Aristides Aquino's lack of production, the 28-year-old could go unclaimed and be assigned to Triple-A Louisville. He's has just two hits in 41 at-bats this season and a pitiful OPS of only .215.

Aquino has never been the same since the rookie set the MLB world on fire during August of 2019. After replacing Yasiel Puig in the Cincinnati outfield, The Punisher went on a tear that Reds fans had never seen before.

Aquino hit .320/.391/.767 with 14 home runs and 33 RBIs. Since that time, Aquino has hit .173/.262/.357 with 18 home runs and 47 RBIs. Aquino has been a strikeout machine, posting a 36.3% strikeout-rate since September 2019.

The raw power that Aquino possesses is second to none and he has a cannon for a right arm. Those two attributes alone will be enough for a several teams to think they can "fix" Aquino's offensive woes.

Look for the Texas Rangers to potentially be interested in acquiring The Punisher. Former Cincinnati Reds assistant hitting coach Donnie Ecker, who was praised for his work with Aquino in 2019, is currently the Rangers bench coach and offensive coordinator.

But timing is everything. It would be easy to see Aristides Aquino become lost in the shuffle given the number of transactions we're likely to see tomorrow afternoon. If that happens, Aquino could pass through waivers and remain in the Reds organization.