Reds slugger Aristides Aquino was placed on the 10-day injured list Friday after undergoing surgery to remove the hook of the hamate bone in his left hand, per a team announcement. Infielder Max Schrock is up from the taxi squad to take his spot on the active roster.
A timeline for Aquino’s absence wasn’t provided by the Reds in their initial announcement. A hamate fracture is a relatively common injury around the league, so we do have some historical precedent as a point of comparison; hitters typically miss somewhere in the vicinity of four to six weeks with this injury. Every case is unique, however, so we can’t simply assume that’ll be the case with Aquino. The Reds figure to have further updates on him in the near future.
The 26-year-old Aquino has found himself in a tough spot to begin the season. The Reds had hoped to secure a fourth option on the slugger, but an arbiter ruled the other way in Spring Training, meaning Aquino can’t be sent to the minors without first being exposed to waivers. Cincinnati has held onto him despite a crowded outfield mix that includes Jesse Winker, Nick Senzel, Nick Castellanos and red-hot Tyler Naquin.
The Reds’ top four outfielders — Winker, Senzel, Castellanos and Naquin — have been the most productive outfield group in Major League Baseball by a mile, leaving Aquino with minimal playing time. He’s appeared in 10 games but taken just 14 plate appearances, going 3-for-13 with a pair of homers, a double, five strikeouts and a walk.
At a certain point, one can imagine the Reds will have to make a tough call on what to do with Aquino. It’d take multiple injuries to open a path to regular playing time for him, and with Shogo Akiyama also on the mend, it’s possible that once Aquino has healed up, he’ll have yet another outfielder ahead of him on the depth chart.
The Reds surely don’t relish the idea of selling low on a slugger who mashed a remarkable 13 home runs in his first 27 MLB games back in 2019 — a rookie season that saw him bat .259/.316/.576 in 225 plate appearances. At the same time, the Reds have acquired multiple bats to play ahead of Aquino since that debut effort. He’s tallied just 70 plate appearances dating back to 2020, with a combined .183/.300/.417 line to show for it. Add in a woeful September swoon in that rookie season, and Aquino has batted just .191/.261/.395 in his past 180 trips to the dish.
Matt Olson had the same thing last year and thankfully lost 0% of his power! Can’t tell how long he was out though, because he had it on March 23 and was ready for the shortened season opening day in July.
It was actually 2019.
Hit by pitch in second game of the season at the Tokyo Dome on 3/21, back in games on May 7th.
Did he break trying to hit McGee’s FB?
Hate to see anyone get injured but especially a kid trying to break his way in. Hopes for a speedy recovery.
If his [Aquino’s] trade value is still high, they could trade him for Amed Rosario.
Who says no?
i like rosario, but you wont get him for aquino
That’s a laughable proposal
I’d be happy with it for the Tribe. Amed Rosario isn’t much though. I doubt the reds would want him for Aquino.
I think the Reds would have done that in an instant in spring.
i think the other way. i believe the indians would laugh at that deal
Aquino’s trade value is slightly higher than Miguel Andujar from the Yankees. Both have put up dreadful numbers the past couple of seasons so trading either now is the definition of selling low on a player. If I were to guess, the Reds are actively looking for a trade partner now but this latest injury diminishes his value even more. All signs point to a DFA for Aquino. Maybe they can work out a deal while he’s on waivers but it would be silly to expect much in return for him. Shogo definitely leap-frogs him on the depth chart once he returns. Too bad, he was amazing when he first broke in but pitchers figured him out in a hurry.
If a franchise wants to loose every game to pick at top of draft aquino is an excellent every day right fielder. Let that dude get 500 at bats and see if he can create some late career trade value
I wonder why many players don’t do this in the off season? I mean before it is broken. Has little value to the hand and a quick surgery. Get it done so you don’t miss time during the season.
Tough call, OF is more than good with Castellanos, Senzel, Winker and Naquin only. However, Castellanos may opt out after the season and Akiyama is under contract until 2023, leaving the path open for other four, so let’s see what’s gonna be.
Was he hurt sitting on his hands in the dugout ??