Reds catcher Tyler Stephenson is undergoing surgery to repair his fractured collarbone, manager David Bell announced this afternoon (via C. Trent Rosecrans of the Athletic). Bell indicated the surgery isn’t expected to affect Stephenson’s timetable, although the club nevertheless transferred him from the 10-day to the 60-day injured list to clear a roster spot for the reinstatement of outfielder Albert Almora Jr. from the COVID-19 list.
That suggests that, in any event, Stephenson was always likely to miss two-plus months. That’s little surprise after the young backstop suffered the clavicle fracture last week when he was hit by a foul tip. The earliest he’ll now be able to return is late September. Bell wouldn’t rule out seeing him again this season, but it’d be for a few games late in the year at best.
The Reds will be playing out the string at that point, although they’d presumably prefer to get Stephenson some game action to head into the offseason on a better footing. He’s had a trio of IL stints this year, all on generally freak plays. Stephenson suffered a concussion in a home plate collision, then twice was hit with foul tips that resulted in fractures. That’s kept him to 183 plate appearances, although he’s been a rare bright spot for the club when healthy. The 25-year-old (26 next month) has an excellent .319/.372/.482 showing, locking him in as a core long-term piece for the retooling franchise.
Poor guy is so good but so unlucky.
Cincinnati fans don’t want to think about a world without Joey Votto (even if he’s past his prime, he’s a great dude) but Stephenson is probably the first baseman of the future in the queen city.
Agreed. They should have pursued catching in the trades they made, since any backup at present has holes you can drive a bullpen buggy through.
Austin Romine is coming to save the day.
Sounds like a real pain in the neck
It infuriates me that the Reds did not move him to 1B!
It infuriates me that the Reds did not move him to 1B!!!!
He didn’t want to move and he’s the best option jat catcher
I agree!
The man isn’t about to move to first base anytime soon. He’s a catcher, and one of the best in baseball. He’s been unlucky and he’s had a tough season. He’ll be behind the dish for quite a few years to come. I’ll pose this question to you all since it’s trade deadline eve. If he had remained completely healthy throughout this season, what would his trade value be? I can promise you it would be more that Contreras…
Unfortunately, he is one or two concussions away from being a first basemen.
For his health, he needs to love if anything else. Just like a catcher who develops knee issues.