Akiyama (hamstring) to begin season on IL

Shogo Akiyama isn’t used to sitting out of games because of injuries, but that’s what the Reds' outfielder will be doing for the next few weeks because of a left hamstring strain. He will open the regular season on the injured list, the Reds announced Monday.

Akiyama felt something while running to first base on a groundout during Saturday’s game vs. the A’s.

“I heard something before I landed on the base, and after I landed on first base, it felt like I lost some power,” Akiyama said through translator Luke Shinoda. “I knew it was going to take time from the beginning, so I wasn’t really surprised, but I am disappointed to say the least.”

Akiyama, 32, has endured a difficult spring already. He recently missed a week of camp to tend to his wife after she was struck by a falling tree and hospitalized in Cincinnati. The lefty hitter was 0-for-7 in four games after he returned.

Signed to a three-year, $21 million contract in 2020 to become Cincinnati’s first Japanese Major League player, Akiyama had a professional streak of 833 consecutive games played -- including his final 825 in Japan for Seibu. The streak ended on Aug. 2 at Detroit, when he was rested during the second game of a doubleheader.

“No one is going to work harder than he is to get back,” Reds manager David Bell said. “He can’t wait to play and be a part of the team. It will go as fast as possible.”

Without Akiyama, the Reds are still deep with outfielders. Jesse Winker can likely be the everyday left fielder while Nick Senzel mans center fielder and Nick Castellanos plays right field. Aristides Aquino could be an extra outfielder while players like Scott Heineman, Dee Strange-Gordon and non-roster invite Tyler Naquin could have improved chances to make the team out of camp.

“We hate to lose Shogo, even for a game,” Bell said. “We’ll do the best we can. We’re in as good a spot as we can be when losing a guy like Shogo.”

Miley to start on Tuesday
The Reds received better news about the hamstring belonging to pitcher Wade Miley, who was cleared to start Tuesday vs. the Rockies. Miley left his Thursday outing vs. the White Sox in the fourth inning with a left hamstring injury.

“We’re very pleased with that. It could have been worse,” Bell said. “The fact he’s back out there pitching that soon is a great sign. We’re really looking forward to seeing him pitch and having him be able to go into the season pitching quality innings for us and contributing. He’s a good pitcher. He’s a big part of our staff.”

If Miley stays healthy, he is expected to make the rotation out of camp -- especially after Sonny Gray is now expected to open the season on the IL because of back spasms.

Strange-Gordon having a good camp
During Monday’s game against the Angels, Strange-Gordon started at shortstop for the fifth time this spring. It’s a position he hasn’t played regularly since 2013.

“It’s been awesome, man. I missed it. It’s been good,” Strange-Gordon said before the game. “I think I showed a lot of people that I can play still. Circumstances led me to play second, so it’s good to show people that I can go out there and compete at a high level on defense at short.”

Strange-Gordon, 32, was 0-for-3 with a walk and a stolen base Monday, but he had hits in five of his previous six games. He will earn a base salary of $1 million this season if he makes the club out of camp.

After injuries -- including a fractured right toe in 2018 and a left quad strain in ’19 – Strange-Gordon feels more like himself this year.

“It just crushed me with my feet being how they were so messed up,” he said. “I could [run], but I want to do it every day. I want to do it like I usually do it on a daily basis. I’m back to that. If I would run two or three times in a game, the next day, I’d wake up and be just totally crushed. Like my foot was crushed. Now, it’s cool. I’m running, jumping, skipping, stepping on my daughter’s toys and not getting hurt, so it’s all good.”