After rainout, Reds tab Reed as 5th starter

CINCINNATI -- The Opening Day rainout for the Reds and Nationals on Thursday eliminated an off-day on Friday. That means that Cincinnati's rotation will need a fifth starter earlier than planned to face the Cubs on Tuesday.
Cody Reed was recalled from Triple-A Louisville after he had been cut from the spring roster on Sunday. Reed was selected to face Chicago over Amir Garrett, who was originally expected to start on April 9 in the fifth spot if Brandon Finnegan wasn't ready to return from the disabled list (left biceps strain).
"Our message to him at the end of spring was that he was our first line of defense as a starter. That was apparent by the way he threw," Reds manager Bryan Price said before Thursday's workout. "With some of the injuries we had, we felt we needed more depth at Triple-A, and if we had any issues, that Cody could slide into that spot. Right now, he's our fifth guy, and we'll see how things develop with Finnegan."
Reed had a 5.11 ERA in six Cactus League games, including one start. In his final spring outing on March 23, he pitched five innings in a Minor League game. When camp opened, Price told Reed he would compete for a bullpen spot. Injuries to Finnegan and Anthony DeSclafani opened the rotation competition a little wider.
Price explained why the club went with Reed over Garrett in the fifth spot.
"With the heavy left-handed influence with both the Nationals and the Cubs, my feeling is, especially with a right-handed-heavy rotation, that Amir could get an awful lot of work after the starter in these series if things line up," Price said. "I find his value right now more valuable in our bullpen than our rotation at the moment, especially with the pending addition of Finnegan if everything goes well with his rehab."

Garrett had a 3.18 ERA in his six Cactus League games, but he understood the direction the team chose.
"I don't really care where I'm at. I'm just happy to be here," Garrett said. "I feel they put me in a position where they know I can succeed and do the best I can for the team. I wasn't really setting my sights on starting anyway. In spring, I came out of the bullpen the whole time and got one start. I pitched pretty well but knew where I was going to be."
Rotation changed
In part because of the rainout, Sal Romano will now start the third game vs. Washington on Sunday, and Tyler Mahle will pitch on Monday vs. the Cubs. The two were swapped because Romano's final preseason outing was rained out in Texas on Tuesday.
"We wanted Romano to stay as fresh as possible and not put in extra rest," Price said. "He was a guy who missed a start. He was able to throw two bullpens in between. He just seemed to make sense."
Hernandez to DL
As the Reds set their 25-man roster on Thursday, reliever David Hernandez was placed on the 10-day disabled list with right shoulder inflammation.
"It's definitely not the way I wanted to start my Reds tenure, but it's a long season," Hernandez said. "The recovery after each outing was the difficult part. It was best to finally let it relax and shut it down for a little bit."
The DL move is retroactive to March 20 since Hernandez last pitched on March 19. He received a cortisone shot on Wednesday.
"We're hoping it's not real long," Price said. "They identified the impingement in his shoulder and addressed it. Now it's just a matter of seeing how he recovers. He only needs 48 hours or so before he can initiate throwing, if everything has gone perfectly."
Hernandez will likely have to pitch during a Minor League rehab assignment before he is brought back, Price noted.
With Hernandez going on the DL, and Raisel Iglesias being placed on three-day paternity leave, it opened spots in the bullpen for Zack Weiss, Austin Brice and Jackson Stephens to all make the club.
DeSclafani to 60-day DL
Placing DeSclafani on the 60-day DL because of a left oblique strain cleared a spot on the 40-man roster for backup infielder Cliff Pennington to be added. It also showed that DeSclafani, who was injured during his March 9 start vs. the Rangers, isn't coming back anytime soon.
"[Late May is] a best-case scenario -- no setbacks, the date he may be able to begin a throwing program and then protocols that will lead to him getting off the mound and stretched back out to be able to throw 90 to 100 pitches. It looks like with that schedule, an optimistic schedule, he'd be ready sometime in May."