Reds left-hander Alex Wood had finally been moving toward his 2019 debut, but that’s now on hold. Wood “felt some soreness” while stretching and will see a doctor for a follow-up appointment, C. Trent Rosecrans of The Athletic reports.
Wood, out all season because of back issues, had been scheduled for his first rehab start this Thursday. He was supposed to throw a bullpen session Tuesday in preparation for that outing, but it didn’t occur because of his soreness.
This is hardly the first setback of 2019 for Wood, who has been battling back troubles since late February. Those problems have stopped the 28-year-old from helping the Reds, who landed Wood as one of their key offseason acquisitions, and from making a case for a payday in free agency during the upcoming winter. Plus, while the 36-40 Reds are potentially lining up as sellers entering the July 31 trade deadline, it appears they can forget about flipping Wood for anything remotely valuable.
Wood came to Cincinnati last winter as one of the hurlers who was supposed to fix what had been a terrible rotation. Hoping Wood would help rescue their starting staff, the Reds acquired him in a late-December blockbuster with the Dodgers. Six months later, Cincy’s rotation has taken sizable steps forward, but Wood hasn’t been able to contribute at all.
Wood, to his credit, still owns an impressive 3.29 ERA/3.36 FIP in 803 1/3 career innings divided between Atlanta and LA. However, it continues to look as if Wood will have a hard time building on his 2019 salary of $9.65MM if he reaches free agency in the coming months.
Why would the Reds be sellers? We’re 4 games out from the wildcard.
4 games out with 5 other teams ahead of them
And they show no signs of being able to hit consistently
Most likely because you don’t become buyers because you have a shot at the wildcard and I think most people have an idea on what kind of team the reds are
Not sure the Reds are “lining up to be sellers” but it is shaping up to be a sellers market and the Reds are well positioned to play on both sides of the fence.
Agreed…and I wouldn’t give up the farm to go get a frontline starter…it would set them back 3 years…
Agree,
Buy low sell high if possible.
I’d think Roark, DD, and Iglesias would be able to bring in some pretty good talent without giving up on the season or creating a lot of payroll.
Which Iglesias? R might bring back more in return.
Again?
Don’t you feel some soreness every time you stretch?
Comments stating that Reds will be desperate for SP should Wood be shelved long term are far fetched. Rotation w/o Wood is top 5. Moore offense needed to compete!
If he reaches free agency? Is someone proposing an extension scenario for him?
I would. He’s not going to bank in free agency, so toss him a three year deal like they did Gray, shelve him and have him ready to go in the Spring.
He’s very injury prone. Aside from Raisel Iglesias, Michael Lorenzen is the best choice for fantasy closers in the Cincinnati bullpen.
Just getting Wood, Kemp and Puig off their roster was a very positive move for the Dodgers.
Thought they just said the Reds were looking for a controllable bat?
The trade seems to be working out well for the Dodgers. Last night I watched Jeter Downs play some sweet SS and sting a couple hits vs Lake Elsinore. Josiah Gray is spinning it to the tune of a 2.71 era to boot.
After the weak showing in SoCal, is it clear now why they should be sellers?