When Cincinnati Reds right fielder Nick Castellanos returned to the dugout after the bottom of the third inning on Friday night against the Milwaukee Brewers, his right wrist was already swelling up.
Earlier in the inning, Castellanos was hit by a pitch square in the wrist. According to Reds manager David Bell, it would have been difficult for Castellanos to swing the bat after that. As a result, Bell pulled Castellanos from the game.
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Castellanos received good news by the end of the Reds 11-6 loss. An X-Ray showed no broken bones, and Castellanos should be back in the lineup in "a matter of a couple of days,” Bell said.
“That part of the hand, there’s a lot of bones in there that can break,” Bell said. “We really got lucky.”
After the game, Bell said Castellanos’ right wrist is sore, and it was too soon to tell whether Castellanos would be back in the lineup in the next few days.
“The great news is that it’s (not) broken,” Bell said. “It got him in a spot that it easily could have been broken… It’s just a matter of time whether it’s tomorrow or a matter of a couple of days.”
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Tough year for injuries for the Reds
In the first three months of the season, the Reds lost two players for a significant amount of time after they were hit in the hand by a pitch. In May, Reds first baseman Joey Votto missed a month with a broken thumb. Infielder Alex Blandino broke his right hand on a hit by pitch in early June, and Blandino is still on the injured list.
In 2014, when he was in the Minor Leagues with Cleveland, current Reds outfielder Tyler Naquin shattered his hand on a hit by pitch, and he explained how serious that injury can be.
“I got a plate and nine screws in that thing,” Naquin said. “Any time someone gets hit around the hand or wrist area, on either team, you don’t want to see anybody go down with a hand or a wrist or anything like that.”
The Reds avoided that worst-case scenario with Castellanos. Even though Castellanos could return soon, his hit by pitch was a part of another troubling trend with the Reds.
Reds lead the league in hit by pitches
The Reds have been hit by 70 pitches this season, which is five more than the next best team in MLB. Reds second baseman Jonathan India and shortstop Kyle Farmer rank first and third in MLB individually in hit by pitches, and four other players rank in the top 60.
Bell said he doesn’t think those hit by pitches are intentional.
“It was one of those unintentional parts of the game that we can’t control,” Bell said. “That never even crossed my mind. You never want to see your guys get hit. But there is a difference. Usually you can have a pretty good feel when it’s intentional and when it’s not. Those thoughts, that’s not what’s happening.”
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