SF Giants acquire outfielder TJ Hopkins in trade with Cincinnati Reds
However, Hopkins was unable to continue producing at a high level against major league pitching. Hopkins only received 44 plate appearances across 25 games with the Reds, managing just seven hits (all singles) with 17 strikeouts and only two walks.
Hopkins was drafted by the Reds in the ninth round of the 2019 MLB Draft out of South Carolina. A four-year starter in the SEC, Hopkins has moved relatively quickly through the minor leagues. Despite losing the 2020 minor-league season, which was cancelled in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, Hopkins started his first full professional season at Double-A in 2021. He held his own, posting a .777 OPS.
With a bevy of other higher-ceiling outfield prospects in the organization, the Reds skipped over Hopkins for a promotion for some time. He returned to Double-A in 2022, hitting .260/.337/.464 with 17 home runs in 101 games before he was finally promoted to the highest level of the minors. In his first taste of Triple-A, he posted a .255/.320/.436 line in 103 plate appearances.
Hopkins is a good athlete with plus speed, although he has never been able to turn those wheels into the impact tool one might hope defensively or on the basepaths. Hopkins has never been a threat to steal bases and has primarily been a corner outfielder throughout his career. Still, he held his own in both left and right field during his big-league stint.