Knee surgery saddles Senzel indefinitely

WASHINGTON -- Nick Senzel’s injury woes continue. The outfielder is scheduled to undergo arthroscopic knee surgery Friday to clean up meniscus tissue in his left knee and assess any further damage.

“Once they go in and they know the extent of it, we'll have a better idea of that,” said Bell of Senzel's timeline to return to action. “From all indications -- obviously surgery is always a big deal -- but nothing too serious, more of a cleanup. We fully expect to have him back with a big part of the season remaining.”

The centerfielder -- recently turned infielder -- last played on May 17, which was the day his skipper was made aware of the injury. The anticipated timeline is four to six weeks for this type of surgery, however, the Reds are waiting for the results before making any decisions.

The 25-year-old has not had the start in the Majors that he had hoped since his 2019 debut, having had multiple injuries cause him to miss time. The former second overall pick is anxious to return to play, but he made the decision to take care of his knee now, rather than allow the injury to continue causing discomfort over the entire season.

“One of these days, all of this is going to be behind him and he's going to be able to play and not worry about any of these injuries,” said Bell. “He's just worked too hard and he has a long way to go. He's still young. I'm very positive that he's going to get to a point where he's healthy and will not have to worry about any of this. He deserves it.”

Senzel’s season was off to a .252/.323/.315 start this year with one home run and two steals in 36 games. After beginning the season in center field, he made starts at both second and third base, filling in where needed while other members of the roster rehabbed their own injuries.

“I think we all got a taste of it on the Major League field, watching what he was doing at multiple positions,” Bell said. “So athletically, gracefully making all the plays and contributing offensively, running the bases -- just really seeing the full picture of what he can do on the field. It's very rare.”

Gutierrez scheduled for Major League debut

Vladimir Gutierrez will have his own personal cheering section at Wrigley Field on Friday. His wife, child, mom, agent and a couple of other family members will watch the right-handed pitcher make his Major League debut when he starts for the Reds.

“I just became very emotional,” said Gutierrez from Louisville Slugger Field, upon finding out the news of his callup. “Tears were running down my eyes, and I then proceeded to call my mom, my coach that I worked with down in Miami as well. I just had full emotions going on and I just couldn't have been more excited to do this.”

The road to the Majors was bumpy for the Cuban prospect, who signed with the Reds in 2016. The team had been waiting for him to click, but an 80-game suspension in '20 for a violation of MLB’s drug policy put his dream on hold a little longer. The righty had a strong spring, impressing Bell and the team's scouts with his aggression and “attacking” nature that they hadn’t seen before.

“Everything I’ve done in the past has been to get to this moment,” said Gutierrez. "I’m just glad that I’ll be able to pitch for Cincinnati. I’ll give it 100% of my ability to go out there and throw the best that I can. This is very important to me and my family. It’s like it’s opening doors for us.”