MILWAUKEE – Mike Moustakas hoped to rejoin the Cincinnati Reds in San Diego this weekend, but that seems more unlikely after he suffered a setback in his first game on a rehab assignment Tuesday.
Moustakas played five innings at third base and had one hit in three at-bats at Triple-A Louisville, but he felt soreness in his right foot afterward. He’s halted his rehab assignment and returned to Cincinnati for further examination Wednesday.
“I don’t really have any more information on that,” Reds manager David Bell said, “but I think it becomes a longshot for him to join us in San Diego now.”
Moustakas has been on the 10-day injured list since May 20 with a heel injury, which he said involved “a little partial tear, I guess, in the plantar fasciitis or something like that.” He sustained the injury during a road series in Colorado last month when he stepped on first base awkwardly.
He originally tried to play through the injury before it became too painful to walk. He just started running again last week.
Here are latest updates on other injured Reds players:
• RHP Tejay Antone: Antone is eligible to return from the 10-day IL on Friday, but he might be delayed by a couple of days. He’s been dealing with right forearm inflammation, but he traveled with the team to Milwaukee and has been throwing before games.
“I’m still hopeful that he comes back while we’re in San Diego,” Bell said. “The way his days lined up for bullpens and everything, I don’t think it’s going to be Friday. Depending on how many bullpens he needs, it could be like Saturday or even Monday. At this point, we want to get him back, but we want to make sure we make the most of this time off. If we have to throw in an extra bullpen, then we’ll do it.”
• RHP Sonny Gray: Sidelined with a right groin strain, Gray has missed one turn in the rotation and he’s expected to miss at least two more.
“The best feel I have for when he'd come back is almost be like maybe two starts from (Tuesday),” Bell said. “So, it might be 10 days away, right in that range. We'll know more this weekend. He's going to throw a side and we'll see where we are. It could be quicker than that, but that's my best guess.”
