MILWAUKEE –– Cincinnati Reds shortstop Kyle Farmer pointed to all of the places he has been hit by a pitch this season.
He rolled up his sleeve to show the circular bruise on his left tricep. Then he pointed to his elbow, his wrist, his ankle and his rib cage. Entering Friday’s game against the Milwaukee Brewers, Farmer is tied for the MLB lead in hit by pitches with 13.
“I’m leading the league in something, I guess that’s a good thing,” Farmer said.
As Farmer deals with “general soreness,” a result of the most consistent playing time of his career, he has been kept out of the lineup in two games in the last week. Farmer was in the starting lineup for the first two games against the Brewers, but manager David Bell said Farmer might not start every game.
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“It's a big series, I’m just a little sore,” Farmer said. “I’m playing every day for the first time in my entire career in the big leagues, and it’s finally catching up to me. (Reds manager David Bell) is doing a good job of keeping me fresh, which is good.”
Before this season, Farmer never had more than 200 plate appearances or made more than 35 starts in a year. In 2021, Farmer already has 236 plate appearances, and he has already made 65 starts.
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Farmer hasn’t been 100% over the last week, and he said the coaching staff has developed a good plan to keep him fresh and in the lineup as much as possible.
“Sometimes matchups come into play, who’s pitching that day and who I can hit well,” Farmer said. “We’ve got a good bench and good guys. (Alejo) Lopez can play anywhere as a utility guy and we’ve got Mike (Freeman) too. The All-Star break is coming up, which will be good for all of us. We can get some rest and take it easy.”
LORENZEN LATER: Reds reliever Michael Lorenzen is nearing a return from a right shoulder strain that has kept him out all season. But Bell said Lorenzen won’t return before the All-Star Break.
Lorenzen pitched in a rehab assignment in Triple-A on Tuesday, and the plan is for Lorenzen to continue to progress in Louisville until the All-Star break. He could return to the Reds on Friday July 16 for their first game back.
“In the interest of Michael, our team, our entire season, we’ll probably let him stay in Louisville over the break,” Bell said. “Get some back-to-back outings in, so that when he comes back next Friday there are no limitations on how we’d use him. If he was to come back Saturday, we’d be potentially trading one inning and giving up those All-Star break days where he could actually get fully built up. I think in the long run, I think we’ll all be better off there, including Michael."
NO ROTATION YET: With Sonny Gray on the injured list, Bell said the Reds likely won’t have a set schedule for after the All-Star break until later this week.
When the Reds return from the break, they’ll have a decision to make with the fifth spot in the starting rotation. Jeff Hoffman is ready to return from his rehab assignment, and either Hoffman or rookie Vladimir Gutierrez will be the Reds fifth starter.
If Hoffman doesn’t get that rotation spot, Bell said Hoffman would join the bullpen.
“We’re planning on activating him,” Bell said. “It doesn’t make any sense to do that before the break, but I would anticipate him being back right after the break. As far as (his) role goes, no final determination has been made, but he is a guy that we want as one of our 13 or 14 pitchers on our staff. We’ll just have to figure that out as we get through this weekend.”
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