Last month, Cincinnati Reds infielder Mike Moustakas felt like he was close to coming back from a heel injury and returning to the Reds starting lineup.
After he had a lateral tear in his plantar fasciitis in May, Moustakas missed a month. But in the middle of June, he started a Triple-A rehab assignment and played in a game with the Louisville Bats.
On that rehab assignment in June, Moustakas tore the medial side of the plantar fasciitis. Moustakas has played through injuries before, but this one required extra time.
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Moustakas had to be patient, but now he’s closer to coming back to the Reds.
“It’s all about patience, being ready to go out there and play when you’re ready to go,” Moustakas said on Saturday. “I’ve talked to a bunch of trainers. I’ve talked to our staff and other staffs I’ve played with before. Working hard and getting ready to go is all you can do. You can’t rush it.”
Over the last few days, Moustakas has started running on the field, fielding ground balls at third base and taking batting practice. On Saturday afternoon, Moustakas consistently hit long home runs into the right field seats.
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There isn’t a set date for Moustakas to return, but he will travel with the team on its upcoming road trip.
“I can just tell talking with him that he’s getting close,” Reds manager David Bell said. "He’s anxious. He’s excited to get back with our team. He has been the whole time, but also starting to sense the anxiousness and it feels like it’s getting close, and I know he’s feeling a lot better.”
Before his injury, Moustakas was an everyday starter. He entered spring training as the Reds starting second baseman, became the Reds starting third baseman when Eugenio Suárez moved to shortstop and then became the starting first baseman when Joey Votto went on the injured list.
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Through 28 games, Moustakas had a .773 OPS, which would rank fifth among the Reds starters. When he returns, Moustakas is expected to play a significant role down the stretch of the season as the Reds try to make a run at the playoffs.
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“With injuries we’ve had and what’s been going on, we’re in a great spot,” Moustakas said. “We’re about to get hot right now and get on a little bit of a roll and see where we’re at. All the cliches always apply – one game at a time, one pitch at a time, we’ll get where we are at the end of the season and see where we are at. All we have to do is make it to the dance. Anything can happen then.”
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