- GM Dick Williams says the Reds will be creative in addressing their beleaguered pitching staff, but they have limited resources with which to pursue solutions, Zach Buchanan of the Cincinnati Enquirer writes. The team now has six starting pitchers (Homer Bailey, Raisel Iglesias, Anthony DeSclafani, Michael Lorenzen, Jon Moscot and Tim Adleman) on the disabled list. “We will get creative. We always do. We find a way,” says Williams. “But this is putting an incredible strain on our resources.” They don’t seem likely to turn to top prospects like Robert Stephenson and Cody Reed, and Williams says there’s no “rainy day fund” with which to pursue outside replacements.
Reds Rumors
Draft Notes: Phillies, Reds, Puk, Pint
With the 2016 MLB Draft approaching on June 9, here’s a quick roundup of links on how the first round might play out.
- The Phillies will take Florida lefty A.J. Puk with the top overall pick, MLB.com’s Jim Callis projects. Callis also suggests California high school outfielder Mickey Moniak or Mercer outfielder Kyle Lewis could also be possibilities, with the team likely saving significantly against their draft pool regardless of who they select. If the Phillies do pick Puk, Callis suggests, the Reds could go with Tennessee third baseman Nick Senzel. (Puk, by the way, left early in his start against LSU yesterday, but as Ross Dellenger of the Advocate writes, that was due to a stomach illness, not an injury.)
- ESPN’s Keith Law (Insider-only), meanwhile, predicts the Phillies will take Puk, with the Reds taking Lewis. Law also lists Louisville outfielder Corey Ray and California high school outfielder Blake Rutherford as possibilities with the top pick.
- Baseball America lists Puk as its top talent on its list of the draft’s top 500 prospects, noting his mid- to high-90s fastball, which plays up due to his 6’7 frame. Coming in second is Kansas high school pitcher Riley Pint, suggesting in the accompanying subscriber-only scouting report that he’s a “much better version” of Marlins prospect and former second overall pick Tyler Kolek. Pint throws 97-98 MPH, can hit 102, and has a changeup, curve and slider that could all potentially be good pitches.
Reds Outright Drew Hayes
11:32pm: Hayes has already cleared outright waivers and been assigned to Triple-A, MLB.com’s Mark Sheldon tweets.
2:35pm: The Reds have designated right-hander Drew Hayes for assignment, MLB.com’s Mark Sheldon tweets. His roster spot will go to outfielder Steve Selsky.
Hayes, 28, has struggled in his first taste of the majors this year. Over 9 2/3 innings, he’s allowed nine earned runs on 15 hits, including three long balls. Hayes has struck out eight while issuing six walks in that small sample. He did turn in a nice season last year, tossing 58 innings of 2.95 ERA ball at the Triple-A level with 8.7 K/9 against 4.7 BB/9.
As for Selsky, 26, this represents his first crack at the big leagues. He was carrying a .275/.380/.383 slash line in 142 plate appearances for Triple-A Louisville. Though he did show greater pop in the lower levels of the minors, Selsky seems to have settled in as more of an on-base threat than a source of power as he’s moved up the ranks.
Anthony DeSclafani Showing Progress
- There’s some cautious optimism on Reds righty Anthony DeSclafani, as MLB.com’s Mark Sheldon writes. He felt good in a 40-pitch pen session yesterday, and says that he believes his oblique issue may now be behind him. Next steps remain to be determined, and the club will be careful after a previous rehab effort resulted in a setback, but hopes are that DeSclafani can begin making his way back toward the major league rotation in earnest.
Reds' Start Will Not Dictate Bryan Price's Future
- The Reds’ poor 14-21 start will not be the primary determinant in whether the team keeps manager Bryan Price, GM Dick Williams says in an interview with MLB.com’s Mark Sheldon. “I think Bryan is being evaluated on his whole body of work over the course of three seasons,” says Williams. “There are a lot of things that Bryan is continuing to be evaluated on. Right now, he is totally busy doing what he needs to do day-to-day.” Williams says that the team’s injury struggles (they’ve lost catcher Devin Mesoraco for the season, and have also suffered a number of losses to their pitching staff) won’t cause the organization to deviate from its long-term vision.
Reds Had Trade Inquiries On Straily
- Waiver claim Dan Straily has been an early success story for the Reds, writes Zach Buchanan of the Cincinnati Enquirer. The right-hander has benefited from pitching coach Mark Riggins, who taught him a grip for a two-seam fastball with which Straily is comfortable. Straily tells Buchanan that he’d never used a two-seamer much in the past because he hasn’t been successful with the pitch, but his new grip is helping him keep left-handed opponents off balance. Interestingly, president of baseball operations Walt Jocketty tells Buchanan that his team actually got some trade inquiries on Straily earlier this year but elected to hang onto him. “We felt we needed him more than what we could get in return for him,” said Jocketty. Straily has walked 10 of the 66 lefties he’s faced, so he could still stand to improve his control, but he’s locked down a rotation spot for the time being with a 3.47 ERA in 36 1/3 innings. And, as Buchanan points out, he has four more years of club control remaining beyond the 2016 campaign if he can continue his success.
Bailey "Taking A Step Back" In Rehab
- Reds right-hander Homer Bailey is “taking a step back” in his rehab from Tommy John surgery, writes C. Trent Rosecrans of the Cincinnati Enquirer. Bailey explains to Rosecrans that he had a second opinion on his elbow on Monday, 366 days after his surgery, and is slowing his pace as a precaution. Bailey recently experienced some pain and took 10 days off from throwing and is being extra cautious. “One of the things that was brought to my attention was there’s a lot of research about guys who come back at the 12-month mark have a higher probability of it happening again, as opposed to maybe 14 months then the numbers are (better),” he adds. Bailey made throws of 110-120 feet on Tuesday without pain, but he tells Rosecrans he’s still about a month away from a rehab assignment.
Reds Pitching Injury Updates
- It was always expected to be a difficult season for the Reds, but the organization has dealt with more injuries than might’ve been hoped. C. Trent Rosecrans of the Cincinnati Enquirer provides updates on several situations. Righty Michael Lorenzen is just now returning to the hill after experiencing elbow issues this spring and then suffering a bout with mono. Fellow pitchers Anthony DeSclafani, Raisel Iglesias, and Jon Moscot are all making progress with their own injury matters, but certainly that’s not a list of arms that the club hoped to see on the DL at this stage of the year. DeSclafani, like Lorenzen, has yet to appear in the majors this season.
Devin Mesoraco Undergoes Shoulder Surgery
MAY 10: Surgery revealed more significant damage than had been anticipated, manager Bryan Price told C. Trent Rosecrans of the Cincinnati Enquirer (Twitter link). Expectations now are that Mesoraco will require a six-month recovery timeline.
MAY 6, 2:54pm: Mesoraco says he expects to be out for a minimum of four months, which essentially means he’l be down for the rest of the year, C. Trent Rosecrans of the Cincinnati Enquirer reports on Twitter.
2:36pm: The Reds announced this afternoon that catcher Devin Mesoraco, who was placed on the DL earlier this week, will undergo surgery next Tuesday to repair a torn labrum in his left shoulder (Twitter link). While Cincinnati did not give a definitive timeline for Mesoraco’s recovery, there would seem to be a chance that the injury ends up costing him the remainder of the season. Pablo Sandoval, for instance, underwent the same procedure just last week and has been announced as out for the duration of the season.
This marks the second consecutive season in which Mesoraco will lose most of the year to an injury that ultimately requires surgery. Last year it was a balky hip that ultimately needed surgical repair. The Reds briefly experimented with using Mesoraco in the outfield before conceding to the surgery, but that didn’t last long, and he was ultimately limited 23 games and 51 plate appearances. The 2016 campaign will be even more brief for Mesoraco, who has appeared in just 16 contests this season and collected just 43 plate appearances.
Suffice it to say, this isn’t what the Reds had in mind when signing Mesoraco to a four-year, $28MM contract on the heels of a 2014 breakout, though there weren’t any signs that he’d suffer through a breakdown of this magnitude. Mesoraco hit .273/.359/.534 with 25 home runs in that breakout ’14 season, and as a former first-round pick and widely regarded Top 100 prospect in his age-26 season, it seemed like he’d finally tapped into the potential scouts always saw in him. Now, he’ll hope to once again work his way back to health and give the Reds a healthy, productive season in 2017. Mesoraco earned $2.4MM last season and is earning $4.9MM in 2016. He’ll take home another $7.2MM next season and $13MM in 2018 before hitting the open market as a free agent.
Dodgers Acquire Pin-Chieh Chen From Reds
- One more from Eddy, who adds that the Reds traded outfielder Pin-Chieh Chen to the Dodgers in exchange for cash considerations. The 24-year-old Chen, signed by the Cubs as a free agent out of Taiwan prior to the 2010 season, has climbed as high as Double-A in the minors, spending parts of four seasons at that level and compiling a .236/.344/.327 batting line there. Baseball America rated him as Chicago’s No. 31 prospect prior to the 2012 season but didn’t rise higher than that on their prospect rankings.
