Headed to Major League Baseball: Reds call up former Gamecock TJ Hopkins
Another Gamecock is getting a call up to the the major leagues.
The Cincinnati Reds called up former South Carolina standout TJ Hopkins on Saturday. Hopkins will wear No. 26 for the Reds and is the ninth former Gamecock on a Major League baseball roster.
To make room on the roster for Hopkins, the Reds placed TJ Friedl on the injured list.
Hopkins came on as a pinch hitter and drew a bases loaded walk in his debut Saturday against Milwaukee.
“It still really hasn’t set in to be honest with you,” Hopkins told reporters after the game. “It has been so quick so probably tonight it will set in.”
Hopkins was having a big year at Triple-A Louisville and was hitting .341 with seven homers, 27 RBI and 14 doubles. One of his homers was a 468-foot blast on April 26.
The Reds picked Hopkins in the ninth round of the 2019 MLB Draft. As a senior at USC, he started all 56 games, hitting .285 with 11 home runs, 42 RBI and 11 doubles.
Before USC, Hopkins was a standout at Summerville High School and was ranked the state’s seventh best prospect by Diamond Prospect and Perfect Game.
Gamecocks in the Majors
Jackie Bradley Jr. – OF – Kansas City Royals
Jonah Bride – INF – Oakland Athletics
Wil Crowe* – RHP – Pittsburgh Pirates
TJ Hopkins – OF – Cincinnati Reds
Whit Merrifield – IF – Toronto Blue Jays
Jordan Montgomery – LHP – St. Louis Cardinals
Cody Morris* – RHP – Cleveland Guardians
Clarke Schmidt – RHP – New York Yankees
Christian Walker – INF – Arizona Diamondbacks
This story was originally published June 3, 2023 at 4:30 PM.
