As it turns out, that was his final start as a member of the Rays. Ahead of Thursday’s trade deadline, the Cincinnati Reds sent minor league pitchers Adam Serwinowski and Brian Van Belle to Tampa to acquire Littel, who’ll reach free agency at season’s end.

The Cincinnati Reds failed to add a needed starter at the '23 deadline and missed the playoffs by 2 games. Why they doubled down on that strength now.

The Dodgers, sitting comfortably atop the NL West heading into the deadline, landed some young talent in the trade. Serwinowski, who the Reds drafted in 2022, is the No. 10 prospect in Cincinnati's system, per MLB.com.

After pulling his starter with apparent cramps, Dodgers skipper Dave Roberts explained to reporters how Shohei Ohtani is feeling.

What was more important, however, was that they didn’t lose their two-way star. In the Dodgers’ 5-2 defeat to the Cincinnati Reds at Great American Ball Park, Shohei Ohtani left the mound alongside a trainer in the fourth inning with what the team later said was only cramping — a worrying scene in the moment,

Shohei Ohtani left Wednesday's Dodgers game with trainers in the fourth inning while pitching but returned to hit in the sixth inning after going to clubhouse.