Off the bat, Cincinnati Reds outfielder Nick Castellanos ran like he intended to score.
In the bottom of the third inning of Friday night’s 10-3 win over Cleveland, the Reds third baseman hit a line drive down the third-base line. After Castellanos rounded second base at full speed, Reds third base coach J.R. House never stopped waving his arm to send Castellanos home.
Castellanos reached home plate at the same time as the throw from the outfield arrived at the plate, and his slide knocked the ball out of Cleveland catcher Roberto Pérez’s glove.
But Castellanos had missed home plate on the slide. So he jumped to his feet and belly-flopped onto home plate for Cincinnati’s third run of the game.
All season, Castellanos has made impact plays that go beyond his home runs and RBI.
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“It’s inspiring,” first baseman Joey Votto said. “You watch something like that and you want to do it yourself. He plays like that all the time and he lauds us to do that behind the scenes. He’s been impressive since the day I first started playing with him. I’ve seen him on the other side in different uniforms, and I was always shocked at his intensity. Fortunately, we play side-by-side.”
Through 13 games, Castellanos is tied-for-fourth in MLB with five home runs. His 1.044 OPS ranks 14th in baseball, and he has a .321 batting average.
Castellanos has also stood out on the bases and in the field.
He has always taken pride in base running. When Castellanos was in high school, his manager bet him that he couldn’t lead the team in stolen bases. When Castellanos won the bet, his manager had to show up to the postseason banquet in a pink tuxedo.
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This season, Castellanos’ effort as a runner has been consistent.
With two outs in the top of the second on Monday against the San Francisco Giants, Castellanos hit a routine grounder to shortstop. He sprinted down the line, and the play was so close at first that Castellanos extended his arms to signal he thought he was safe.
Castellanos was out by less than a step, but he nearly created a hit with his hustle down the line.
He has made two throws from right field that led to outs at home plate, saving two runs with his defense.
Castellanos’ run on Friday night was the latest example of what he adds to the Reds.
“He made that possible because he was running hard the whole way,” manager David Bell said. “Once he gets going, he moves well on the bases… (Castellanos) going hard gave (House) that opportunity and led to a run.”
This season, Minor League Baseball has implemented rule changes including bigger bases as well as limits on defensive shifts and pickoff attempts. MLB has also reportedly made subtle changes to the baseball in a move that’s expected to reduce the amount of home runs.
A few of the benefits of these changes include more emphasis on base running and more balls in play.
While the Reds scored 10 runs and hit two home runs on Friday, Castellanos’ run earned the loudest roar of the crowd during the game.
On Friday, the action of Castellanos running first to home brought Great American Ball Park to its feet.
“It is a great baseball play to watch,” Bell said.
Shogo Akiyama ramping up activities
Before the Reds game on Friday, Reds outfielder Shogo Akiyama hit home runs during batting practice and made standout plays taking defensive reps in the outfield.
Akiyama, who injured his hamstring running the bases in spring training, is expected to return to the Reds in May. As early as next week, Akiyama could play in rehab games at the Reds alternate site in Triple-A Louisville.
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“There’s much less things that I can’t do now,” Akiyama said through team interpreter Luke Shinoda. “Definitely slow playing it right now. I talk with the trainers and I might be at the point where if the season were to end today I would be playing a game.”
Reds DFA Cam Bedrosian
With Sonny Gray returning to the active roster and starting on Saturday, the Reds designated for assignment veteran reliever Cam Bedrosian.
While Bedrosian had a standout spring training, he had an 11.12 ERA in six games this season.
“We really liked having him on the team,” Bell said. “Now he'll have to go through the process and I hope it works out for him. I know it will one way or another, if it does lead him back to our organization, we'd love to have him back in Triple-A with us.”
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Alex Blandino to IL
On Saturday, the Reds placed infielder Alex Blandino on the injured list and recalled outfielder Mark Payton from the alternate site.
Blandino played in Friday night's game against the Giants, but he was placed on the injured list without an injury designation. Payton has been working out in Louisville and been on the Reds taxi squad.
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