As the Cincinnati Reds weigh external improvements to the bullpen before the July 30 trade deadline, they have one of their top relievers nearing a return.
Lucas Sims, sidelined since June 24 with a sprained right elbow, is scheduled to begin a rehab assignment at Triple-A Louisville on Tuesday.
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“It’s been going well,” Sims said. “More than anything, just learning to be patient. I’m itching to get back. Going through the process and make sure it’s right, but it’s feeling great. I can’t wait to get back.”
Sims pitched through some soreness in his elbow throughout June, but he was placed on the injured list when it affected his availability and his performance. He allowed three hits to the three batters he faced in his last outing on June 22.
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What’s the biggest hurdle for Sims?
“Patience,” he said. “Just testing my patience. If it’s not right, you can’t really rush it. It’s not going to do anything. It’s just really been testing my patience. More than anything is just wanting to be back there and that’s definitely been the biggest hurdle.”
Sims will likely need at least a couple of appearances on his rehab assignment, but he could be back in the Reds’ bullpen shortly after the trade deadline. The Reds certainly could use bullpen help, allowing 28 earned runs in 33 2/3 innings since the All-Star break.
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There could be a wave of relievers returning from injuries from Sims, Tejay Antone, Michael Lorenzen and Michael Feliz.
Sims didn’t think a singular incident caused his injury, but it was just an accumulation of how much he was used in the first half of the season.
“It went from barking to growling and started affecting us as a whole,” Sims said. “It was going to get worse before it got better. Really, kind of nip it, stay ahead of it and get this thing right.
“If we would’ve kept going, it was definitely going to get worse before it got better."
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S.O.S. CUBA: Reds pitcher Vladimir Gutierrez showed support for the protestors in Cuba during his last start with cleats that read: “SOS Cuba” and “Patria y Vida.” The latter phrase translates to “homeland and life,” which is a play on the Cuban Communist Party’s motto of “homeland or death.”
Gutierrez, who defected from Cuba before he signed with the Reds in 2016, wrote “Patria Viva Cuba” on his hat.
“With the situation that is going on in Cuba and worldwide, everyone knows what is going on there, it’s just supporting the people and my family as well,” Gutierrez said, according to interpreter Jorge Merlos. “Just try to give them as much support as I can.”
There have been protests across Cuba against food and medicine shortages in the country and several Cuban players who have defected from the country have shown their support with messages on hats, cleats and social media.
Fellow Cuban players in the Reds’ organization, pitcher Cionel Pérez and shortstop Jose Barrero, have been active on social media to support the protestors.
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“It’s tough for me to say the stuff that is going on there, but I’m just trying to support the people as much as I can,” Gutierrez said. “Us as players are trying to put it out there as much as we can. We’re trying to support the whole Cuban community as much as possible. There is only so much that we can do. For now, this is what we can do to support our people.”
A designer in Miami, Marcus Rivero, made Gutierrez’s cleats for his last start.
“My agent just sent me a picture of what the spikes were,” Gutierrez said. “I asked him, ‘hey, how can I get these cleats?’ He’s like, ‘those are your cleats, man. I’m sending these to you.’ It’s just a designer that normally works with all the players to get these different spikes to them. I was really happy that I was able to get them.”
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JAPANESE AMERICAN DAY: The Reds signed outfielder Shogo Akiyama before the 2020 season, the first Japanese-born player in franchise history, but there were no fans in the stands last year.
On Sunday, the Reds held Japanese American Community Day at Great American Ball Park. Chisako Mikami sang the Japanese national anthem before the game, there were public address announcements and welcome messages on the videoboards in Japanese and even Asahi beer was served at one of the concessions stands.
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