CINCINNATI -- The Reds will be without reserve outfielder and power bat Aristides Aquino for five to six weeks because of a fractured hamate bone in his left hand. Aquino was placed on the 10-day injured list and had surgery on Friday to remove the hook of the hamate.

Aquino was injured during Tuesday’s game vs. the Giants. He was used as a pinch-hitter and called out on strikes against Jake McGee.

“It was on a swing,” Reds manager David Bell said. “I don’t know if it was the second to last swing he took or the last swing he took in the game in a pinch-hit at-bat off McGee. I didn’t find out about it until the next day. It was in the last inning. We were pretty concerned on the last day in San Francisco he wasn’t going to be available that day and we got it checked out yesterday and it confirmed what we thought it would be.”

Over 10 games, but only 14 plate appearances, Aquino was batting .231 with a 1.055 OPS and two home runs.

“It’s unfortunate, obviously. He’s been swinging the bat well,” Bell said. “He wasn’t getting a ton of playing time. I was looking forward to getting him more playing time. But it’s not season-ending either. Six weeks seems like a long time now, but we’ll still be in the first half of the season.”

Schrock called up
To take Aquino’s spot on the 26-man roster, infielder Max Schrock was recalled from the alternate training site in Louisville. Schrock had a strong Spring Training while batting .440 in 12 games, but he also missed time with a right calf strain and left hamstring strain.

The hamstring injury left Schrock unavailable for the final five Cactus League games.

“I had a couple of those little nagging injuries, but yeah, the body feels as good as it's felt,” said Schrock, who was a waiver claim from the Cubs on Feb. 10. “I'm looking forward to the opportunity.”

Schrock is the opposite of Aquino in that he’s a left-handed hitting infielder rather than a right-handed hitting outfielder.

“Certain games, we’re a little bit short on the left-handed bat off the bench, and Max, we’re hoping to get him some starts too, but I think we’re excited to see him continue what we saw in Spring Training,” Bell said. “He was having really solid at-bats, and the kind of at-bats that we thought would play off the bench, just because it was very simple.”

Lorenzen aims for June
Injured Reds starting pitcher Michael Lorenzen has been resting his throwing arm since he received a platelet-rich plasma injection for his right shoulder strain on Tuesday.

“It’s super early, so I’m just trying not to move it around, let the PRP kind of soak into the right places,” Lorenzen said. “I haven’t done much. It was a couple of days ago. I was sore the day of and have been feeling fine since, but just trying to limit the movement.”

Lorenzen was transferred to the 60-day IL on Wednesday and will be eligible to return on May 31. The hope is he would be ready in early June, if there are no setbacks.

In 2018, Lorenzen suffered a teres major strain in camp while competing for a rotation spot. He ended up joining the bullpen when he returned back then, but believed he will still be a starter once he’s activated this time around.

“For me to come back in a way that gives the team the most amount of innings is going to be the best way, and I think that’s out of the rotation,” Lorenzen said. “I think it’ll be a good boost. That’s where my mind is and where I’m staying positive as well. There won’t be any need to hold me back and I’ll just be able to go and go, and go through October even, and have nothing hold me back because sadly enough, I didn’t start the first two months. Be able to finish strong.”

De León excited for bullpen work
When Bell and pitching coach Derek Johnson told José De León on Wednesday that he would be moved from the rotation the bullpen with Sonny Gray coming off the 10-day IL on Saturday, they got an unexpected response from the pitcher.

“D.J. asked me how I felt about it and I said, 'I’m extremely happy.' He was shocked and asked me why,” De León said. “I said, 'This is the first time I’ve been called into the office and not gotten sent down.' It’s a win. I’m really excited about being a reliever now and being the best version of myself in shorter stints.”