In the bottom of the ninth inning of a one-run game on Tuesday against the San Francisco Giants, Cincinnati Reds outfielder Aristides Aquino pinch-hit with a runner on first base and a chance to give the Reds the lead with one swing of the bat.
On an 0-2 count, Aquino looked at a fastball right down the middle and struck out.
But earlier in the count, Aquino suffered a hamate fracture in his left hand. Aquino had surgery on his hand on Friday and will miss five-to-six weeks.
“It’s unfortunate, obviously,” manager David Bell said. “He’s been swinging the ball well. He wasn’t getting a ton of playing time. I was looking forward to getting him more playing time. But it’s not season-ending either. Six weeks seems like a long time now, but we’ll still be in the first half of the season.”
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Aquino has two home runs and a double in 14 at-bats this season. Bell had said he was hoping to get Aquino a few starts in the near future, but now Aquino won’t be available until around June 1.
“It’s just a matter of waiting it out, letting it heal,” Bell said. “Then when he comes back, when he’s healed, we’ll have to get him back into playing shape and get at bats and all that, but it’s not something that usually lingers or can turn into another problem.”
With Aquino on the injured list, the Reds called up infielder Max Schrock from the team’s alternate site in Louisville. Schrock, a left-handed second and third baseman, had a .440 batting average in 25 at-bats during spring training.
Since the Reds replaced Aquino with an infielder, the team only has four outfielders on the active roster: Nick Castellanos, Nick Senzel, Jesse Winker and Tyler Naquin. Bell said infielders Alex Blandino and Kyle Farmer could take more reps in left field to provide more depth.
“With our four outfielders that are getting the majority of the playing time, that was another factor, too,” Bell said. “ There may be a day where they get a start out there, one of those two guys.”
José De León excited about move to the bullpen
When Bell met with José De León, Bell told him that he assumed De León would prefer to be a starting pitcher than a reliever.
“I stopped him right there,” De León said, “And said, ‘Hey David, I want to win. It doesn’t matter where it is.”
With Sonny Gray (back) returning from the injured list, the Reds needed to make a corresponding move on the pitching staff. As a result, De León moved to the bullpen after making two starts to open the season. Through 9 ⅓ innings, De León has allowed eight runs and struck out 18 batters.
De León, who has pitched in 15 career MLB games, said his meeting with Bell and pitching coach Derek Johnson was the first time he had been called into the manager’s office and not sent to the Minor Leagues.
In a new long-relief role, De León said he’ll be able to throw with more velocity and show what has made him one of the Reds best strikeout throwers.
“I’m really excited about being a reliever now and being the best version of myself in shorter stints,” De León said. “I know long relievers are really crucial for the bullpen, so I’m really taking pride in this job and will try to do it the best I can, try to imitate Tejay Antone as much as I can.”
State of the team
At 7-5 entering Friday night’s game against Cleveland, the Reds were tied with the Milwaukee Brewers at the top of the NL Central standings.
Bell said the Reds are confident in their potential.
“We know we have our work cut out for us,” Bell said. “We know we have an entire season ahead of us, and we’re excited about that. We’re looking forward to it and all the challenges that are in front of us. I really believe our team is set up and prepared as a group to take that on.”
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