PHOENIX – When the Cincinnati Reds play their next game at Great American Ball Park on April 16, Sonny Gray might be on the mound to make his season debut.
Gray has one hurdle left before he's cleared to rejoin the Reds' rotation: He will pitch in a simulated game Saturday.
"Hopefully, everything goes smooth and then be ready to go next time around, potentially, five days from (Saturday)," Reds manager David Bell said. "There may be a chance we'd be able to use him on this road trip, but we'll see. We'll have to see how it goes (Saturday). All signs are pointing that he's healthy and ready to go."
Five days after Saturday's simulated game would line Gray up for the Reds' series opener against Cleveland on April 16. If the Reds opt for a shorter simulated game to help him return more quickly, he could pitch in Wednesday's series finale in San Francisco.
More:How Nick Castellanos' scorching-hot start compares to his other hot starts
Gray, who is on the 10-day injured list with a mid-back muscle strain, threw 60 pitches in 4 2/3 innings in a scrimmage Monday at the team's alternate site against the Kansas City Royals' alternate site squad. He allowed two runs on seven hits and struck out six, and he proudly drew a five-pitch walk at the plate.
That was Gray's first time pitching against an opposing team since his lone spring training outing on March 4. He threw a lengthy bullpen at Great American Ball Park on Wednesday.
More:'How do you do that?': Cincinnati Reds reliever Cionel Pérez impresses teammates
He's steadily ramped up his pitch count without issue over the last two weeks. He threw 29 pitches over two "innings" in a simulated game on March 26. Then it was three "innings" and 43 pitches on March 31, the team's final workout before Opening Day.
"I think it was the alternate site Opening Day, so there you go: Opening Day starter here," Gray said Monday. "But it was a normal game. It was a Triple-A, alternate site, however-you-want-to-do-it game. Umpires, fans, the only thing that was different about it was the stadium and the personnel from what has been in Cincinnati, so it was as game as a game gets."
The Reds have no plans to use a six-man rotation this season, so Gray would likely bump José De León from the rotation.
INJURY UPDATES: Michael Lorenzen played catch at Great American Ball Park before Wednesday's game, but he's still at least a couple of weeks from returning to the big-league roster.
Lorenzen opened the year on the 10-day IL with a right shoulder strain. He had a setback at the end of spring training, which has kept him from progressing to more work on a mound.
"Still moving a little slower than he would like," Bell said, "but he's getting there."
Shogo Akiyama, on the 10-day IL with a strained left hamstring, is rehabbing at the alternate site in Louisville. He's not expected to join the Reds until about mid-May.
Bell said the hope is that Akiyama will begin playing in scrimmages at the alternate site by the end of April.
"Everything is on track," Bell said of Akiyama "This is my hope, kind of reading between the lines, is that we’ll have him back sometime in early to mid-May here. He would need a bit of a spring training before that happens, so, hopefully, by the end of the month, he’ll be playing games."
EXTRA OUTFIELDER: Jesse Winker returned to the lineup after a four-game absence because of the flu on Friday.
It's created a bit of a playing time juggling act for Bell as he must keep one of the team's four outfielders out of the lineup: Winker, Nick Castellanos, Nick Senzel or Tyler Naquin.
Senzel was out of the lineup for Friday's series opener against the Arizona Diamondbacks with Naquin starting in center field.
More:How Nick Senzel quietly sparked a win for the Cincinnati Reds
"The big thing is just trying to keep everybody going," Bell said. "Nick Senzel is not in the lineup today. I don't know if you could possibly play a better series than Nick played against Pittsburgh. But a lot of guys are playing well. All the outfielders are playing really well. It's just a matter of keeping everybody going. Every now and then, no matter how well you're playing, there might be a day here and there where you don't get a start."
Source link
