ATLANTA – When Tyler Stephenson took batting practice before Tuesday’s game against the Atlanta Braves, he had his own cheering section behind the dugout with his family arriving early.
It was Stephenson’s first Major League game in Atlanta. He grew up about 25 minutes from Truist Park, a Braves fan throughout his childhood. His sister, Morgan, and brother-in-law, Jamie, came equipped with giant cutouts of Stephenson’s face, which included a couple of photos from his high school days.
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“I was telling somebody that I think I was more nervous tonight in my first at-bat than I was in my debut,” Stephenson said after the Reds’ 3-2 loss to the Braves. “Now granted, we obviously didn't have fans (last year), but it was truly something special. I'll cherish this for a long time. It was fun.”
Stephenson, who will turn 25 on Monday, reached base on an error in the third inning and drew a one-out walk in the sixth inning.
The Reds played against the Braves in Atlanta during the wild-card series in the playoffs last year, but Stephenson was on the taxi squad. Plus, players were under stricter protocols, so he couldn’t meet with family and friends.
He planned to sleep at his parents’ new home Tuesday night.
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“Playing catch pregame was pretty surreal,” Stephenson said. “Like, warming up with (catching coach) JR House and got some of my friends behind JR just like yelling at me. I'm just like, 'Golly, let me focus and get ready for this game.' And same thing, warming up Sonny (Gray) in the bullpen pregame, and some of my buddies sitting out there in the bullpen.
“Sure enough, getting in there and then going up first at-bat. My heart rate was just probably sitting at 200. It was insane. It was all worth it, though.”
The Reds have three Atlanta natives on their 26-man roster. Shortstop Kyle Farmer grew up about 20 minutes away, a dream come true for him to play shortstop against the Braves. Reliever Lucas Sims went to high school about 40 minutes away from Truist Park and he debuted with the Braves in 2017 before he was later traded to the Reds.
What was special for Stephenson is there were more people at Tuesday’s game to support him than he even expected. He stood outside the dugout after the game to meet with family and friends, and the line of people waiting to talk to him kept growing.
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“I had a whole bunch of support from my high school, which was awesome,” Stephenson said. “I mean, people that I haven't seen since I graduated just because they went off to college, and obviously, I've been traveling around throughout the minor leagues.
“After the game, they kind of had a little section that we blocked off. knew a good amount of people and we all came down, and then just like random faces were showing up and I was just bringing everybody down. It was awesome.”
Tejay Antone nearing Reds return
Tejay Antone pitched a scoreless inning on his rehab assignment with Triple-A Louisville on Tuesday, striking out two of the three batters he faced.
Antone was sitting at 95 mph with his fastball, according to the stadium’s radar gun, and touched 97 mph. It was just his second rehab appearance and he’s expected to make at least a couple more before returning to the Reds bullpen.
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"It sounded like he had an easier inning," Reds manager David Bell said. "He’s still not quite there. It’s good that he’s still pitching in Triple-A and will be for the next week or so, at least."
Antone hasn’t pitched in the Major Leagues since June 24 because of a right forearm strain.
First-round pick Matt McClain, now with Dayton Dragons, moving quick
Reds first-round pick Matt McLain, the No. 17 overall pick in last month’s MLB Draft, made his High-A Dayton Dragons debut Wednesday.
McLain started at shortstop and was second in the Dragons lineup. He made quite the impression with two singles and a homer in his first three at-bats.
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The UCLA product played two games in the Arizona rookie league to begin his pro career last week and he had two doubles and a triple in seven at-bats. He’s ranked as the No. 4 prospect in the Reds’ farm system by Baseball America.
Alex Blandino back on Reds 40-man roster
The Reds made a 40-man roster move Wednesday, activating infielder Alex Blandino from the injured list and optioning him to Triple-A Louisvillle.
Reliever Art Warren, sidelined with a left oblique injury, was transferred to the 60-day injured list. Warren is rehabbing at the spring training complex in Goodyear, Arizona, and could return sometime in September.
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