In the bottom of the sixth inning of the Cincinnati Reds loss to the Milwaukee Brewers on Tuesday, catcher Tyler Stephenson pinch-hit for Tucker Barnhart with a runner on base.
It was the beginning of a new role for Stephenson, who lost his opportunity to be the Reds everyday first baseman with a consistent spot in the middle of the order when Joey Votto returned from the injured list.
Stephenson started at catcher on Wednesday against the Brewers, but manager David Bell said Stephenson will start about once every three games going forward.
“He has shown he’s able to swing the bat, we’ve put him in the middle of the order when he plays,” Bell said. “We’ll continue to try to find opportunities and obviously Tucker (Barnhart) is going to catch a lot. More back to the way it was at the beginning of the year.”
In his first full MLB season, Stephenson ranks fourth on the Reds and seventh among qualified MLB rookies with a .260 batting average. He improved with consistent playing time, hitting .316 over his last seven games.
“The good news is while Joey was out, it did create opportunity for Tyler, it got him more at-bats which will serve him well the rest of the year,” Bell said. “We already knew that (he could hit). More for him getting a lot more at-bats than he would have gotten.”
Before he began playing first base, Stephenson only started 14 of the Reds first 40 games. Twelve of those 14 starts came in day games after night games, doubleheaders or against left-handed starting pitchers.
With the Reds facing a left-handed starter on Wednesday. Stephenson was in the lineup batting fourth and catching against the Brewers. Even though Stephenson won’t start as frequently, Bell said he’ll find opportunities for Stephenson to get important at-bats.
“When he doesn’t start, he’ll get a lot of important at-bats,” Bell said. “Even if he’s not starting a game, he’ll still factor into that.”
NAQUIN BACK TO NORMAL: Two days after leaving the game with a hamstring injury, Reds outfielder Tyler Naquin played on Tuesday against the Brewers, took three at-bats and had a hit.
The most encouraging sign for Naquin was his infield single. On a ground ball up the middle, Naquin sprinted down the line and beat the throw.
“I didn’t get a time on him, but it looked like the fastest he has run all year,” Bell said. “He was flying, he can run, and it seemed even faster last night.”
INJURY UPDATES: The Reds have ten players on the injured list after the team placed starting pitcher Sonny Gray on the IL on Wednesday.
Before Wednesday’s game, infielder Mike Moustakas (right heel contusion) stretched and played catch at Great American Ball Park. Starting pitcher Jeff Hoffman (right shoulder impingement) played catch on Tuesday.
“(Hoffman) is still progressing,” Bell said. “No definite date on that, nothing has changed with the way he’s progressing.”
Bell added that Nick Senzel is rehabbing in Cincinnati after knee surgery.
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