Minor League Baseball

In Twist, Athletics See Return of Minor Leaguer Taken in Rule 5 Draft by Cincinnati Reds

Cooper Bowman is going back to the A's after spending spring training with the Reds.
Jami Leabow|
Cooper Bowman of the Cincinnati Reds hits the ball in the fifth inning of a Cactus League game between the Reds and San Francisco Giants on Feb. 23, 2025, at Scottsdale Stadium in Scottsdale, Ariz.
Cooper Bowman of the Cincinnati Reds hits the ball in the fifth inning of a Cactus League game between the Reds and San Francisco Giants on Feb. 23, 2025, at Scottsdale Stadium in Scottsdale, Ariz. | Frank Bowen IV/The Enquirer / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

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Oakland Athletics

Cooper Bowman is heading back to the Athletics.

The Cincinnati Reds plucked Bowman from the A’s farm system in the Rule 5 draft last December but a disappointing spring training prompted the Reds to change their mind about the infielder.

Bowman, 25, was selected in the fourth round of the 2021 MLB Draft by the Yankees out of Louisville and traded to the A’s in the deal that shipped Frankie Montas and Lou Trivino to New York.

In four seasons in the minors, Bowman has played 334 games and has an average of .246 with 35 home runs, 180 RBIs and 141 stolen bases. He’s walked 170 times, contributing to a .747 on-base percentage.

Last season, he played 80 games at Double-A Midland and 38 at Triple-A Las Vegas.

His average dropped considerably from .281 to .218 when he transitioned to Las Vegas, but the Reds saw something in Bowman nevertheless.

But at spring training with the Reds in Goodyear, Ariz., he hit just .120 (3-for-25) in 13 games, driving in four runs and scoring three. He struck out eight times and walked four.

Under the regulations of the Rule 5 draft, players who do not make the 26-man roster “must be offered back to his previous team for $50,000 and can be outrighted to the Minors only if his original club does not wish to reacquire him,” per MLB.com

Bowman’s return to the Athletics provides the team with depth should they need it as insurance throughout the long upcoming season.

The A’s open the season March 27 in Seattle against the Mariners.

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Jami Leabow
JAMI LEABOW

Jami Leabow is the managing editor of Minor League Baseball on SI. Her love for the game began when her parents bought season tickets to the then-California Angels.

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