CINCINNATI -- In a move that paves the way for Anthony DeSclafani's return to the rotation, the Reds optioned starting pitcher Jon Moscot to Triple-A Louisville on Tuesday. Outfielder Steve Selsky was recalled from Louisville to take Moscot's place on the 25-man roster.
On Friday, DeSclafani will be activated from the disabled list and start the series opener vs. the A's. That decision was locked in on Tuesday afternoon when he threw his side bullpen session and showed no signs of trouble with the left oblique injury that has had him out since late March.
"He's good," Reds manager Bryan Price said. "Unless there's some unforeseen circumstance, we have him scheduled to pitch Friday vs. Oakland. We look forward to having him back."
Moscot, 24, is 0-3 with an 8.02 ERA in five starts, but it was the results from his last two starts since returning from the DL that were troubling for the club.
Following the month-long DL stint for inflammation in his surgically repaired left non-throwing shoulder, Moscot allowed seven runs and eight hits with four homers over two innings at Colorado. On Sunday in a 10-9 Reds loss, Moscot blew a 5-0 lead when he gave up five earned runs over 3 2/3 innings, including two homers.
"He threw strikes, but the quality of his strikes weren't what we're used to seeing and what we saw in Triple-A before we called him up last year," Price said. "He was in his third start when he got hurt in Detroit [on June 15, 2015]. He was just beginning to settle in and compete more with better pitch quality, then he got hurt. I think he needs to go down there and rebuild his confidence and rebuild his ability to knock down quality pitches with more consistency."
Price also told Moscot to execute better with his secondary pitches, namely his changeup and curveball. The right-hander, ranked the No. 23 prospect in the organization by MLBPipeline.com, kept Washington hitless the first time through its lineup before things came apart.
It was determined that Moscot was better suited to return to Triple-A than remain in the big leagues and work from the bullpen.
"Just because he wasn't pitching well, he was getting hit hard. That doesn't fit any better in your bullpen than it does in the rotation," Price said. "He's a young guy getting his feet wet at the big league level. I don't think we need to make a commitment that he's a relief pitcher at this point in time. Better to have him getting back to throwing the ball the way he's capable of throwing in Triple-A and be someone that can support us in either role moving forward once he is throwing the ball better."
Selsky was previously up with the Reds from May 20-23, and he appeared in one game as a pinch-hitter. He's batting .284 with 14 doubles and two home runs in 45 games for Louisville.