Adcock to DL, could have season-ending TJ
CINCINNATI -- The Reds may have another season-ending injury on their hands, with right-handed relief pitcher Nate Adcock being bit by the injury bug.
Adcock was placed on the 15-day disabled list on Thursday, and he told reporters he will most likely have season-ending Tommy John surgery on Tuesday to repair a tear in the ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow.
"It's actually terrible news," Adcock said. "Last time I pitched in Colorado, after the game my tricep locked up on me, just felt like a big cramp, a big knot just winded up. Just felt real tight, [and I] got treatment on it hoping it'd go away, and it just kept lingering around. I go in today just thinking they'll give me a diagnosis like tricep strain or tendinitis in the tricep and come to find out I have a complete tear.
"Just in shock. I thought it would just be tricep tendinitis and just be done maybe a week [or] two weeks, and be ready to roll again. It's tough because you can't establish yourself with this team if you're not healthy, and it's kind of a huge blow. Not just to me, but your family as well and the organization."
The 27-year-old last pitched on Sunday against the Rockies, and Reds manager Bryan Price said Adcock wasn't available during the three-game series against the Cardinals this week.
Adcock is 1-2 with a 6.00 ERA in 18 innings pitched across 13 appearances after being called up from Triple-A Louisville earlier this season.
Right-hander Keyvius Sampson has been recalled from Triple-A Louisville to take Adcock's spot in the bullpen. Sampson, 24, is 3-6 with a 3.38 ERA in 16 appearances, including 15 starts, between Double-A Pensacola and Triple-A Louisville this season. Sampson made his Major League debut in Thursday's 15-5 win over the Pirates, throwing one scoreless inning while striking out two batters.
Video: PIT@CIN: Sampson fans Florimon in Major League debut
"Really just continuing what I've been doing, which is breathing and not trying to overthrow or overdo it," Sampson said of how he settled his nerves down when he was in the game. "Keep the same tempo, [that's] pretty much it."
Price got to see Sampson up close during Spring Training this year, and he said a recent scoreless eight-inning start last Friday helped cement the move to bring him up.
"He fills that need for us as a guy that is a length guy that is throwing the ball well," Price said before the game. "It's a great opportunity for him to get here and start to settle in at the big league level. I'm excited for him, as I am for some of these other guys that are getting up for the first time.
"He's a guy that's been in the mid-to-upper 90s. He's also a guy as a starter that's pitched in that 90-95 range. His last game, he was peaking velocity-wise from what we've seen this year in that mid-90s range. I think he's going to manage the strike zone."
The Reds also recalled left-hander David Holmberg, who tossed six solid innings to beat the the Pirates on Thursday, from Triple-A Louisville, and they optioned catcher Kyle Skipworth to Double-A Pensacola. Skipworth has now been called up twice this season but hasn't made an appearance for the Reds during either stint in the Major Leagues.