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The Latest On Jonathan India, Mark Payton, Michael Lorenzen

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The Reds will activate Jonathan India and return him to their active roster today. Mark Payton will be optioned back to their alternate site, per Bobby Nightengale of the Cincinnati Enquirer (via Twitter). While on the roster, Payton has been utilized more-or-less solely as a pinch-hitter, going one-for-seven with a walk and a strikeout in ten games.

India has been out for just a couple of days, last appearing in a game on April 26th. India just went on the injured list on April 30th without an injury designation, which suggests his placement could have been COVID-19 related. India also took a pitch to the head last Sunday, but he passed all the necessary medical tests at that time, per Nightengale. The Reds’ rookie second baseman has hit .239/.316/.358 over 79 plate appearances.

In his absence, Nick Senzel has returned to second base with Tyler Naquin stationed in center. While there was a time when it seemed Senzel would be the Reds’ second baseman of the future, Friday’s game was his first-ever start at the position in the Majors. Senzel is slated to start at second again today, though presumably, India will take the position back shortly.

In other Reds’ news, Michael Lorenzen will begin his rehab shortly after responding well to PRP treatment (platelet-rich plasma). It’s still a long road back for Lorenzen, however. Manager David Bell set a timeline of a couple of months for Lorenzen’s return, per Nightengale (via Twitter). The athletic 29-year-old was moved to the 60-day injured list in mid-April because of an ongoing shoulder strain.

Reds Sign Tim Adleman To Minor League Deal

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The Reds announced this morning that they’ve signed righty Tim Adleman to a minor league contract and assigned him to their alternate training site. He’ll presumably open the year with their Triple-A club.

It’s a blast from the past for Cincinnati fans, who likely recall that the now-33-year-old Adleman pitched in 43 games (33 starts) for the Reds back in 2016-17. Adleman racked up 192 innings in that time, logging a combined 4.97 ERA with an 18.9 percent strikeout rate and an 8.7 percent walk rate. He spent the 2018 season with the Samsung Lions of the Korea Baseball Organization and split the 2019 season between the Atlantic League’s Long Island Ducks and the Tigers’ minor league system.

That 2016-17 run with the Reds is the only big league experience Adleman has to date. He does own a career 2.97 ERA in parts of three Triple-A seasons (166 2/3 innings), however, to go along with a similarly strong 2.70 mark in parts of three Double-A campaigns (243 innings).

Yonder Alonso Joins MLB Network

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Recently retired slugger Yonder Alonso has joined the MLB Network as an on-air analyst, the network announced in a Tuesday press release. He’ll debut as a guest co-host on Intentional Talk this Friday.

“I am beyond thankful to be joining MLB Network’s team, and I can’t thank everybody enough that has helped me get to this point,” Alonso said in today’s press release. “Having just retired, I look forward to having fun and contributing new insights about the game to baseball fans all over the world.”

The 34-year-old Alonso announced his retirement back in November after a 10-year big league career split between the Padres, Athletics, Reds, Rockies, Indians, Mariners and White Sox. The No. 7 overall pick in the 2008 draft, Alonso finished sixth in Rookie of the Year voting with the Padres in 2012 and was an All-Star with the 2017 A’s. He finished up his playing days with a career .259/.332/.404 batting line and an even 100 home runs.

Minor MLB Transactions: 4/25/21

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The latest minor moves from around baseball…

Latest Moves

  • The Pirates assigned Anthony Alford to their alternate training site after the outfielder cleared waivers.  Alford was designated for assignment earlier this week.  Claimed off waivers from the Blue Jays last August, Alford looked great in a five-game stint with Pittsburgh last season but got off to a rough start in 2021, posting a .325 OPS over his first 29 plate appearances.

Earlier Today

  • The Reds reinstated Vladimir Gutierrez from the restricted list and assigned the right-hander to their alternate training site.  Aristides Aquino (who underwent hamate surgery earlier this month) was moved to the 60-day injured list to open up a 40-man roster spot.  Gutierrez was the centerpiece of the Reds’ 2016-17 international signing class, though the righty hasn’t been overly impressive in 387 minor league innings, posting a 4.98 ERA and 21.34% strikeout rate.  Gutierrez was issued an 80-game PED suspension last June.

Reds Select Heath Hembree

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The Reds announced Friday that they’ve selected the contract of veteran right-hander Heath Hembree from their alternate training site and recalled righty Ryan Hendrix for his big league debut. Infielder Max Schrock and southpaw Cionel Perez were optioned in a pair of corresponding moves (Schrock to the alternate site and Perez to the taxi squad).

Hembree, 32, has spent the vast majority of his career with the Red Sox, for whom he pitched from 2014-20. In parts of seven seasons with Boston, the righty pitched to a 3.70 ERA with a 24.2 percent strikeout rate and an 8.6 percent walk rate. The Red Sox traded him and former teammate Brandon Workman to the Phillies prior to the 2020 trade deadline as part of the deal that sent Nick Pivetta to Boston. Hembree’s time in Philadelphia didn’t go well, however, as was the case for just about every Phillies reliever in 2020. In 9 1/3 innings, he was clobbered for 13 runs on the strength of an alarming seven homers.

That ugly showing notwithstanding, Hembree has a solid track record in the big leagues and enjoyed better results in Spring Training, when he allowed just one run in 7 2/3 frames. The six walks he issued in that time were still an eyesore, but while his control has never been elite, Hembree’s career walk rate has hovered around the league average.

As for the 26-year-old Hendrix, he was Cincinnati’s fifth-round pick back in 2016 and ranked among the organization’s top 30 prospects from 2018-20, per Baseball America. He’s yet to pitch in Triple-A thanks to last year’s lack of a minor league season, but Hendrix has had success at each minor league stop he’s made. Through 172 2/3 frames in the minors, he’s logged a combined 2.55 ERA with an excellent 32.2 percent strikeout rate against a fairly bloated 10.5 percent walk rate. Scouting reports at BA and FanGraphs credit him with a mid-90s heater and a plus slider.

Cam Bedrosian Elects Free Agency

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The Reds announced Wednesday that right-hander Cam Bedrosian has rejected an outright assignment to their alternate site after clearing waivers. He’s now a free agent and is free to sign with any team.

Bedrosian, 29, had a rough go of it in Cincinnati. He earned a spot on the roster after striking out 16 of the 32 batters he faced in Spring Training, but his results in 5 2/3 regular-season innings weren’t up to par. The former Angels righty yielded seven runs on 10 hits (two homers) and six walks while punching out seven hitters.

Rough six-game stretch with the Reds notwithstanding, Bedrosian has compiled a solid track record over the past several seasons. From 2016-20 with the Halos, Bedrosian turned in 225 innings of 3.20 ERA and 3.74 SIERA ball, striking out 25.1 percent of his opponents against a 9.1 percent walk rate. Bedrosian’s strikeout rate did dip after a 2016-17 peak, but he was league-average in that regard as recently as 2019. He also regained a bit of life on his fastball in 2021, with his average velocity jumping from a career-low 92.3 mph in 2020 to 93.1 mph in 2021 — a figure that is closely in line with his 2017-19 velocity.

Reds Place Mike Moustakas On 10-Day IL

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The Reds have placed third baseman Mike Moustakas on the 10-day injured list, retroactive to April 17, Bobby Nightengale of the Cincinnati Enquirer was among those to report. The team reinstated infielder Alex Blandino from the COVID-19 list in a corresponding move.

Moustakas hasn’t been in the Reds’ lineup since April 14 because of what the team has called a non-COVID-related illness. Cincinnati did, however, list him in its starting lineup for Tuesday’s game against the Diamondbacks before reversing course.

Moustakas, who’s in the second season of a four-year, $64MM contract, got off to a fast start this month before his illness sidelined him. The 32-year-old has slashed an excellent .289/.404/.553 with two home runs and as many walks as strikeouts (seven) in 47 plate appearances. Since Moustakas has been out, the Reds have turned to Kyle Farmer at the hot corner.

Reds Activate Sonny Gray, Outright Cam Bedrosian

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APRIL 19: The Reds have outrighted Bedrosian to their alternate site, Bobby Nightengale of the Cincinnati Enquirer tweets. He’ll remain in the organization.

APRIL 17: The Reds are activating right-hander Sonny Gray from the injured list to start this afternoon’s game against the Indians. In a corresponding move, reliever Cam Bedrosian has been designated for assignment (via C. Trent Rosecrans of the Athletic).

Gray has long been expected to make his return at some point this week. A back injury has kept the right-hander out of action in the early going. His return should be a boon to the Reds, since Gray pitched to a 3.70 ERA/3.83 SIERA over 11 starts last season. Given the lack of a minor-league setting to build back his arm strength, though, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see the Reds be particularly cautious with his workload over his first few starts.

The return of Gray bumps the 29-year-old Bedrosian from the roster. Formerly a productive reliever with the Angels, the righty has gotten off to a disastrous start in 2021. Over 5.2 innings across six games, Bedrosian has coughed up seven runs on ten hits (including a pair of homers) with six walks and seven strikeouts.

NL Notes: Castellanos, Pirates, Reynolds, Nationals

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Major League Baseball denied Nick Castellanos’ appeal of his two-game suspension, so the Cincinnati outfielder will serve his suspension when the Reds play the Diamondbacks on Tuesday and Wednesday.  Castellanos was suspended for his part in a bench-clearing incident between the Reds and Cardinals earlier this month, when Castellanos scored a run and then flexed over Cards pitcher Jake Woodford, who was covering the plate.  Castellanos was on base in the first place due to a hit-by-pitch that drew a heated response from the slugger, and his reaction to Woodford at home plate led to both benches emptying.

Castellanos was the only player issued a suspension, which was a little surprising given the number of players involved in the fracas.  Fines were issued to Castellanos and five other players (Jesse Winker, Eugenio Suarez, Jordan Hicks, Yadier Molina, and Nolan Arenado).

More from the National League…

  • Ke’Bryan Hayes’ return to the Pirates’ lineup could help address the team’s problem in center field, as Dustin Fowler and Anthony Alford have both gotten off to dreadful starts to the season.  As noted by Kevin Gorman of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, Bryan Reynolds made a mid-game shift to center field yesterday, marking Reynolds’ first appearances in center all season.  Reynolds has been solid (+3 Defensive Runs Saved, +3.4 UZR/150) over 322 1/3 career innings as a center fielder, though the Bucs have preferred to use him in left, believing it to be his more optimal defensive position.  Moving Reynolds to center field, however, would allow Pittsburgh to give the red-hot Phillip Evans some time as a left fielder once Hayes reclaims third base.
  • Thanks to four upcoming off-days in the schedule, the Nationals may not need a fifth starter until May 8, Jesse Dougherty of the Washington Post writes.  That counts as good news for a team that has already dealt with several injuries and COVID-related absences to starting pitchers this season.  It isn’t yet clear when Jon Lester will make his season debut, but if he still needs a couple more weeks, the Nats could ride with their current starting four of Max Scherzer, Patrick Corbin, Joe Ross, and Erick Fedde, with Austin Voth and Paolo Espino available as depth options if a spot start is required or if Washington does decide to go with a five-man rotation.  (It’s also worth noting that the Nationals have been exploring a possible reunion with Anibal Sanchez, but those plans may be on hold since Sanchez cut his finger while pitching at a recent showcase for scouts.)  D.C. won’t have its full rotation back until Stephen Strasburg returns from the injured list, and Corbin is another concern, as the southpaw was crushed in his first two outings of the season.

NL Central Notes: Hayes, Akiyama, Contreras, Hicks

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Rookie third baseman Ke’Bryan Hayes will soon compete in alternate site games, and he should thereafter return to the Pirates’ roster, per Kevin Gorman of Triblive.com. Hayes jammed his wrist in the second game of the season. The Pirates have surprisingly held their heads above water in his absence; A win in extras yesterday put their record to 7-9 on the young season. Hayes apparently left some rookie magic behind at the hot corner, as 28-year-old Phillip Evans has slashed .275/.373/.490 in 59 plate appearances as Hayes’ stand-in. Evans has already made 2021 the most prolific campaign of his career, a strong argument to keep a roster spot even after Hayes returns.

Let’s hang out in the NL Central this morning…

  • Reds outfielder Shogo Akiyama is working on running drills, per C. Trent Rosecrans of the Athletic (via Twitter). Manager David Bell wants to see Akiyama in game action at the team’s alternate site this weekend. Even with Aristides Aquino on the injured list, the Reds have no shortage of outfielders thanks to the surprising play of Tyler Naquin. Still, if Akiyami can return as he finished last season, he’s undoubtedly an asset. Akiyama posted a 135 wRC+ in September and October of last season while slashing .317/.456/.365 and providing capable defense at all three spots in the outfield.
  • Whether or not the Cubs are headed towards a rebuild, it’s a good time to work on extending catcher Willson Contreras, writes Gordon Wittenmyer of NBC Sports. Contreras continues to be one of the more dynamic catchers in the game, both in terms of his personality and his play on the field. The Cubs long-time backstop is off to a hot start at the plate, slashing .273/.400/.614 with five home runs through 55 plate appearances. Contreras will be a free agent after 2022, heading into his age-30 season. Appealing as it may be to keep Contreras in Chicago, extensions for positions players have not been part of the Cubs’ current operating procedure.
  • Jordan Hicks is on the Cardinals roster and pitching valuable innings, but he’s also still completing his ramp-up process as he returns from a 22-month layoff, per Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Hicks has tossed seven innings over six appearances, giving up just one earned run on two hits while walking six and striking out seven. More importantly, his stuff has looked as electric as ever, averaging 99.2 mph on his sinking fastball.
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