Seth Etherton ended one of the odder stints in the Reds organization when he was put on waivers today and claimed by the New York Yankees.

        The Reds got Etherton from the Anaheim Angels for shortstop prospect Wilmy Caceres in December 2000.

        Etherton, a 25-year-old right-hander, had gone 5-1 after a late call-up by the Angels in 2000. Based on that, he immediately was penciled in as a potential member of the Reds' rotation for 2001.

        But Etherton was shut down early in spring training last year and went on to have major shoulder surgery. He has been rehabbing ever since and was 0-1 with an 8.22 ERA at Triple-A Louisville.

        “His velocity hasn't come back since the surgery,” Reds general manager Jim Bowden said. “We need roster spots. We're trying to win a pennant.”

        So Etherton and Brian Reith were placed on waivers. Reith, a 24-year-old right-hander, spent a good part of last year in the Reds rotation. He went 0-7 with a 7.81 ERA. This year he was 6-7 with a 4.74 ERA at Louisville.

        The Reds have been in a bind for spots on the 40-man roster all year. They lost outfield prospect Jackson Melian in a waiver move earlier this year. The Reds have three minor-leaguers — David Espinosa, Dane Sardinha and Wily Mo Pena — who are at least a year away from the big leagues but are on the 40-man roster because they are under major-league contracts.

        Jettisoning Reith and Etherton made room for third baseman Brandon Larson and outfielder Raul Gonzalez.

        The Reds have a lot of pitching prospects they consider a year away, which made it easier to partwith Etherton and Reith.

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