Major League Baseball is a cutthroat business, and the Cincinnati Reds have had their work cut out for them lately.

The Kansas City Royals have beaten Cincinnati in back-to-back games, putting the Reds’ playoff hopes on hold. After losing by a combined 18 runs on Friday and Saturday, the Reds, with a 60-63 record, have just a 2.2% chance of making the playoffs, according to ESPN.

The Reds may be on the brink of elimination, but help is on the way – even if that help is only coming because their poor record helped them get off the waiver list.

Jon Heyman of the New York Post reported on Sunday that the Reds successfully signed former Los Angeles Dodgers infielder Amed Rosario off the waivers list.

Rosario, 28, will be joining his third team in less than a month. He played most of the season with the Tampa Bay Rays, but was traded to the Dodgers on the July deadline. The Dodgers then surprisingly re-signed Rosario after just five games.

The most valuable skill Rosario brings to the Reds is his high-contact, average hitting style. With a .305 batting average this season, Rosario could contend for a batting title had he played the entire season in the National League. His OPS of .746 is also well above the 2024 average.

It will be interesting to see how the Reds use Rosario defensively. He started as a shortstop, but has alternated between playing second base, shortstop, third base and right field this season. He could probably play any of those positions except shortstop in Cincinnati, since no one is taking Elly De La Cruz’s spot.

However he ends up being used, Rosario will be a welcome addition to a Cincinnati team fighting for survival, but the obvious question that arises is: Is it too little, too late?

More MLB: Dodgers surprisingly DFA productive reliever with 2.28 ERA this season