The Cincinnati Reds made a trade during their game this afternoon against the Detroit Tigers, acquiring right-handed pitcher from the Boston Red Sox. In exchange, the Reds sent an undisclosed amount of cash to Boston.
He had recently been designated for assignment by the Red Sox, and rather than wait for him to clear waivers, Cincinnati chose to secure him via trade. He was immediately optioned to Triple-A Louisville. Notably, He still has all three of his minor league option years available.
Van Belle, 28, has yet to make his MLB debut. He has spent the past two seasons entirely at Triple-A Worcester. So far in 2025, he’s made eight starts and four relief appearances, posting a 5-1 record with a 2.29 ERA across 51 innings.
He’s given up 47 hits, seven home runs, walked only seven batters, and struck out 41. He’s also generating ground balls at a career-best rate of 51.7% this year, continuing a trend from the past two seasons after previously leaning more toward fly balls.
A notable change this season is in Van Belle’s pitch selection. He has eliminated his cutter and now relies on a mix of a four-seam fastball, two-seamer, curveball, slider, and changeup. Here’s how his pitch usage and velocity look in 2025 at Triple-A:
| Pitch | Usage | Velocity (mph) |
|---|---|---|
| 4-seam | 11% | 90.9 |
| 2-seam | 31% | 90.5 |
| Curve | 12% | 80.7 |
| Slider | 13% | 84.9 |
| Changeup | 34% | 84.4 |
Though not a power pitcher, Van Belle keeps hitters off balance with a varied arsenal and strong command, consistently throwing strikes and inducing ground balls.
At the very least, Van Belle adds to the Reds’ starting pitching depth at Triple-A. He joins Chase Petty on the 40-man roster in Louisville, which also now includes top prospect Chase Burns in the rotation.
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