The 29-year-old Sascha Lutz, brother of Cincinnati Reds Minor Leaguer Donald Lutz, is leaving the Mannheim Tornados to join southern Baseball-Bundesliga rival Stuttgart Reds. The outfielder was limited to seven games in the 2012 season due to injuries. He also missed the European Championship in the Netherlands and the WBC Qualifier in Regensburg. The transfer also was motivated because of work-related reasons.
The Reds also announced that Michael Antcyak, Adrian Fischer, Andreas Spiegelberger, Robin Schmich and Moritz Löns no longer are available for the Bundesliga team. Gavin Ng, who is apparently staying in Stuttgart, is rehabbing a back injury and might miss the season opener in Regensburg on April 12. Matti Emery has taken over for Bret Helenius as head coach with the Reds.