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Reds Place Nick Senzel On Injured List, Recall Daniel Duarte

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The Reds announced a pair of corresponding roster moves today. Nick Senzel has been placed on the COVID-related injured list, though he has not tested positive, per C. Trent Rosecrans of The Athletic (via Twitter). To take his roster spot, they recalled right-handed reliever Daniel Duarte. They now have an 11-man bullpen with just three extra position players on the bench.

Duarte made his big league debut already this season with a pair of appearances spanning 1 2/3 innings. The 25-year-old right-hander played across four different levels of the Reds’ system in 2021, totaling 23 2/3 innings over 19 outings with a 4.56 ERA.

But this move is more about Senzel, who has struggled to stay on the field in his young career. Jonathan India is also suffering from a sore hamstring, leaving the Reds pretty severely short-handed on the bench. They clearly aren’t all that concerned about it in the short-term, however, given their decision to add another arm to the bullpen. Given the COVID designation, there is no minimum length of stay on the injured list, so the Reds may expect to get Senzel back sooner than later. For today, Brandon Drury is getting the start for India again, while Jake Fraley steps in for Senzel as the center fielder of record.

Reds Select Nick Lodolo, Designate Riley O’Brien For Assignment

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The Reds formally announced top pitching prospect Nick Lodolo’s widely expected promotion to the big leagues yesterday, and they’ve now officially added him to the Major League roster by selecting his contract from Triple-A Louisville. Right-hander Riley O’Brien was designated for assignment in a corresponding 40-man move, and Cincinnati optioned righty Daniel Duarte to Louisville to open a spot on the active 28-man roster.

The 27-year-old O’Brien will now be traded or placed on outright waivers within a week’s time. An eighth-round pick by the Rays back in 2017, O’Brien came to the Reds in a 2020 trade that sent southpaw Cody Reed to Tampa Bay. He made his big league debut in 2021 but pitched just 1 1/3 innings in his lone start before being sent back to Louisville, where he otherwise spent the entirety of his 2021 season.

In 112 2/3 innings with Louisville last season, O’Brien pitched to a 4.55 ERA with generally similar marks from fielding-independent pitching metrics. He fanned a solid 24.7% of his Triple-A opponents and induced grounders at a similarly sound 45% clip, but O’Brien walked 11.2% of his opponents and plunked 10 more. O’Brien also walked three of the nine big league hitters he faced last year and allowed a pair of homers, illustrating that he’ll need to refine his command if he’s to find success at the big league level.

That said, O’Brien only turned 27 a couple months ago and has a pair of minor league option years remaining (2022 included). He’s shown an ability to miss bats in the minors and, as Eric Longenhagen and Tess Taruskin wrote when ranking him 29th among Cincinnati prospects, he’s shown three pitches that have all, at times, looked like potential plus offerings: his fastball, curveball and changeup. A club with some 40-man flexibility and a need for pitching depth could certainly take him on as a project.

As covered in greater detail yesterday, Lodolo will join fellow top prospect Hunter Greene in a youthful and high-upside Cincinnati rotation. The No. 7 overall pick in the 2019 draft, Lodolo is widely considered to be among the sport’s 100 best prospects and will give Reds fans a pair of young hurlers on which to dream.

Lodolo, Greene, 2021 Rookie of the Year Jonathan India and promising young backstop Tyler Stephenson could well be integral parts of the Reds’ core moving forward, and the organization undoubtedly still has high hopes for former No. 2 overall draft pick Nick Senzel, whose career to date has been continually derailed by injuries. Cincinnati surely still hopes to contend in 2022, but in order to do so they’ll need big performances from several young players, as the club also subtracted a number of productive veterans over the winter while cutting payroll (e.g. Jesse Winker, Sonny Gray, Wade Miley).

Reds Select Hunter Greene, Four Others

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The Reds selected the contract of top pitching prospect Hunter Greene, adding him to the 40-man roster, per a club announcement. Also selected to the 40-man roster were outfielder Allan Cerda and righties Alexis Diaz, Daniel Duarte and James Marinan. All five prospects are now protected from the Rule 5 Draft, and Cincinnati’s 40-man roster is now full.

Greene, 22, was the No. 2 overall pick in the 2017 draft as a shortstop/right-hander with a fastball that could run up to 102-103 mph. He’s undergone Tommy John surgery since that lofty selection but enjoyed a nice return campaign in 2021, tallying 106 1/3 innings of 3.30 ERA ball between Double-A and Triple-A. The 6’5″, 230-pound Greene fanned 31.7% of his opponents against an 8.9% walk rate and a 43.8% walk rate. Regarded as one of the 50 best prospects in the game, Greene should be in line to make his big league debut at some point in 2022 — particularly if the Reds part ways with a starter via trade this winter (e.g. Luis Castillo, Sonny Gray, Tyler Mahle).

The 21-year-old Cerda is the only other one of today’s additions who ranks as a consensus top-30 farmhand in the Reds organization. Cerda hit .250/.361/.523 with 17 homers, 22 doubles, five triples and a pair of steals (albeit in a concerning 10 tries) through 363 plate appearances between two Class-A levels. A right-handed hitter with big raw power and above-average speed, Cerda can handle center field but also has questions about his hit tool.

Marinan, 23, was the Reds’ fourth-round pick in 2017 and logged a 4.31 ERA with a 22.3% strikeout rate but an alarming 14.4% walk rate in 64 2/3 innings this season — mostly spent as a starter. FanGraphs’ Eric Longenhagen gives him credit for three potentially average (or better) offerings, but questions about the 6’5″ right-hander’s command drag his stock down.

Both Diaz and Duarte are relievers heading into their age-25 seasons. Diaz posted a 3.83 ERA with a huge 38.9% strikeout rate through 42 1/3 Double-A frames, but he also walked 11.1% of his opponents. Duarte began the 2021 season pitching in the Mexican League but impressed upon joining the Reds, posting a 31.4% strikeout rate in 23 2/3 frames across multiple levels. Like Diaz and Marinan, walks have been an issue.

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