India faces setback in recovery; Senzel optioned

PITTSBURGH -- Earlier this week, the Reds were feeling optimistic that second baseman Jonathan India was going to return from a plantar fasciitis injury on Friday for their series vs. the Pirates. All India needed was to do some running to make sure his left foot was ready.

But the running test went poorly, and with India feeling increasing levels of pain, he has been shut down from all running for at least two more weeks. He underwent a second MRI on Thursday and is getting a second opinion.

“He tried to push it. There was a tear in the plantar fascia," Reds general manager Nick Krall said on Friday. “The MRI showed it was a little worse.”

Instead of a relatively speedy return to action, India -- the 2021 National League Rookie of the Year -- could be out until mid-September. And that's if his recovery goes perfectly.

“My message to him was, ‘Sit out the two weeks, and then [we’ll] do everything we can to get you back for the end of the season and the playoffs,’" Reds manager David Bell said. "There’s still a lot left to shoot for to get back for, even if it is towards the end of the season.”

India was initially scratched from the July 29 lineup vs. the Dodgers with left heel pain. His MRI revealed the plantar fasciitis injury and he went on the 10-day IL the next day.

In 103 games this season, India is batting .251/.336/.409 with 14 home runs and 52 RBIs while being a key leader both on the field and in the clubhouse. However, he ran into a rough stretch on offense before his injury, batting .202 with a .620 OPS and four homers over the 30 games before he went down.

“He’s a really tough player who plays through a lot,” Krall said. “When he can’t go, he can’t go."

Senzel optioned to Triple-A Louisville
Amid some roster moves on Friday, the most significant development was utility player Nick Senzel being optioned to Triple-A Louisville. The club brought back outfielder Henry Ramos from Louisville to take his place.

“Nick’s been with us for a long time in the organization and on our team. He’s helped us win a lot of games," Bell said. "Just got to the point where Nick wasn’t going to be playing a lot over the next 10 days to two weeks. He was primarily getting starts against left-handers. There aren’t a whole lot of left-handers coming up.”

Senzel, who was the second overall pick in the 2016 Draft, was batting .219 with a .658 OPS, nine homers and 37 RBIs in 80 games. He was Cincinnati's regular center fielder in 2022 while playing a career-high 110 games.

Against lefties, Senzel is batting .305, compared to .175 against right-handers.

Injuries have interrupted each of Senzel's big league seasons. A broken toe suffered last September required offseason surgery and delayed his start to this season until April 13. From June 6-16, he missed time with a right knee injury.

Senzel's option marks the first time he's been demoted to the Minor Leagues outside of rehab assignments. In August 2021, the Reds optioned him to Triple-A Louisville at the conclusion of a rehab assignment, but reversed the option after it turned out that Senzel was still not healthy enough to play, instead returning him to the IL.

Senzel lost his center-field spot to TJ Friedl and took on a utility role, playing all three outfield spots, third base and second base. But after rookies Elly De La Cruz and Matt McLain arrived, his playing time dried up.

“In June, he came back from an injury,” Krall said. “When he came back, he went from playing more regularly to a part-time role. He’s hit lefties but struggled overall in a part-time role since he came back. We felt that to get somebody else off the bench and get him regular at-bats was the best way to go for our club.”

There was a lot of speculation that Senzel could be dealt ahead of the Aug. 1 Trade Deadline.

"Obviously, the role I’m in now, I wanted the opportunity to go play," Senzel said on Aug. 2. "I’m [third-year arbitration eligible] next year. They understood that. If it was in the best interests and made sense for both parties, they were going to do something. It just didn’t happen.”

Senzel, 28, could use the regular playing time at Louisville to restore value, potentially with an eye toward being moved in the offseason with one year left before free agency. But Krall was quick to say Senzel hasn't been written off by the organization.

“I don’t want to say he’s down there for the rest of the year," Krall said. "He’s got an option. We used the option. He’s going to go play in Triple-A, and hopefully he gets himself back on track to get back up here.”