MLB's No. 6 overall prospect Senzel out for year
Infielder to undergo surgery for torn tendon in right index finger
CINCINNATI -- Reds top prospect Nick Senzel will undergo surgery on Tuesday to repair a torn tendon in his right index finger and will miss the remainder of the season. Senzel suffered the injury in a game with Triple-A Louisville on Friday night.
Senzel was pulled in the first inning after fielding a ball and making a throw. Reds interim manager Jim Riggleman seemed to think Senzel suffered the injury during the throw.
"I don't think it was a bad hop," Riggleman said. "I think he did it throwing."
Senzel hit .310 with 12 doubles, two triples, six home runs, 25 RBIs and eight stolen bases in 44 games for Louisville this season. He missed nearly a month earlier this season while dealing with vertigo. Senzel, 22, is rated as baseball's No. 6 overall prospect, per MLB Pipeline.
"It had been a challenging season from the start, but it helped me grow," Senzel said in a statement on social media. "I had a goal this season, and it was to make it to the big leagues and help the Cincinnati Reds win ballgames. Although I did not fulfull this goal, it will not stop my drive to continue to fulfill my dream."
While there were no plans in the immediate future to bring Senzel to the Major Leagues, it was thought to be a strong possibility he'd be up with the Reds toward the end of the season.
"It was never anything specific, and I never talked to [Reds general manager] Nick [Krall] about when do we think he will be here or anything like that," Riggleman said. "Just hearing about his progress, you got a sense that he might be here before September and certainly in all liklihood in September, at least. I am not sure where that stands now."
Schebler set to be be reinstated
Scott Schebler was back at Great American Ball Park on Saturday, and Riggleman said the team will make room to activate the outfielder on Sunday. Schebler was placed on the bereavement list on Thursday and is eligble to be reinstated after three days.
Schebler is batting .281 with nine home runs and 28 RBIs in 57 games this season and is part of a four-man outfield Riggleman has been navigating with Billy Hamilton, Adam Duvall and Jesse Winker. Phillip Ervin was called up from Louisville on Thursday in Schebler's abscence.
Crockett gets job done in Reds debut
Kyle Crockett made his Reds debut in an important spot in Friday's 6-3 win over the Cubs. The left-hander was brought in to face Chicago slugger Kyle Schwarber with two men on base and two outs in the sixth inning as Cincinnati clung to a 4-3 lead. Schwarber had already hit a home run off starter Luis Castillo, but Crockett froze Schwarber with a 2-2 slider for a strikeout to end the threat.
"Just go out there and attack the zone," Crockett said. "I am up here to throw strikes and get guys out. I wanted to get ahead in the count and then was able to work some swings and misses to get the punchout."
Crockett, 26, was called up from Triple-A on Thursday in a move that sent struggling reliever Wandy Peralta to Louisville. Riggleman said on Thursday that Crockett is a guy he'd like to use against left-handers in matchup situations, and that was precisely the case against Schwarber on Friday.
"I felt that it was the move that needed to be made in the game, but I had no real idea about what to expect," Riggleman said. "He obviously found a way to relax himself and let his talent come out because he threw three pretty good pitches."