Injuries & Moves: Espinal day to day with leg injury

Injuries & Moves: Espinal day to day with leg injury

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Aug. 31: 2B Santiago Espinal day to day with leg injury
The Reds' starter at second base, Espinal was batting in the fifth inning of Friday’s 14-0 Game 2 loss vs. the Brewers when he fouled a ball off of his lower left leg just below the knee. He finished the at-bat and hit a single to left field but was limping to first base. Although he remained in the game, he left before the top of the seventh inning.

“It’s not fractured but a very large hematoma. Day to day,” Reds manager David Bell said Friday.

Espinal did take infield practice before Saturday’s game.

“It's the kind of injury [where] it's not broken, and he's going to be able to play through it,” Bell said. “But he also has to [understand] those can be kind of dangerous if you don't treat it properly.

“I still have things like dents in my leg. And it's like, I think if you don't treat it properly, the blood can [clot]. So just making sure we keep him off his feet as much as possible [Saturday]. He's up, moving around. He could hit or something like that. But just keep him off his feet for a whole game. And maybe he’s back in [lineup Sunday].”

Aug. 31: RHP David Buchanan selected from Triple-A Louisville; LHP Evan Kravetz designated for assignment; RHP Casey Kelly sent outright to Louisville; RHP Yosver Zulueta returned to Triple-A Louisville
The Reds are getting some reinforcements for their depleted pitching staff as Buchanan was selected before Saturday’s game and could enter the rotation soon.

Buchanan signed a Minor League contract with the Phillies in February after four seasons with Samsung of the KBO League in Korea and three with Tokyo Yakult before that.

In 22 games (16 starts) for Triple-A Lehigh Valley this season, Buchanan had a 9-3 record and 4.82 ERA, including 78 strikeouts in 102 2/3 innings.

Desperate for arms, the Reds acquired Buchanan on Aug. 27 for cash. His contract was selected Saturday, and he got in the game, seeing his first MLB regular-season action since 2015 when he was with the Phillies.

Zulueta served as the 27th man for Friday’s doubleheader.

10-DAY/15-DAY IL

RHP (right elbow soreness)
Expected return: September
Greene, who was placed on the IL on Aug. 17 as a precaution after feeling soreness in his elbow, resumed a throwing program and has been playing catch. Manager David Bell noted on Aug. 30 that a plan was still being mapped out for Greene to return this season. The right-hander’s MRI results and opinions from three separate doctors confirmed inflammation but no damage to his UCL. (Last updated: Aug. 30)

LHP (left shoulder strain)
Expected return: September
Abbott has still felt “a pinch” in his shoulder, manager David Bell said, but he was expected to begin a throwing program sometime during the first week of September. The left-hander was scratched from his Aug. 23 start in Pittsburgh and moved to the 15-day injured list, retroactive to Aug. 20. The club is hoping that Abbott could return before the season ends (Last updated: Aug. 30)

OF (right knee sprain)
Expected return: TBD
Fraley, who was scratched from the lineup before the Reds' series finale against the Blue Jays on Aug. 21 with the right knee sprain and placed on the injured list the next day, has been hitting on the field and taking live at-bats in simulated action. (Last updated: Aug. 29)

LHP (left middle finger sprain)
Expected return: Possibly late September
Lodolo, who went on the injured list on Aug. 27, will have his finger in a splint for an expected two weeks. Manager David Bell noted that he could be dealing with a season-ending injury. Lodolo has had four different stints on the IL this season with four different injuries. (Last updated: Aug. 27)

LHP (partial tear of left teres major muscle)
Expected return: TBD
Suter, who threw a bullpen session on Aug. 19 in Toronto, began a rehab assignment on Aug. 22. The plan is for the lefty to make three appearances for the Bats. An MRI exam on July 20 revealed that Suter had a partial tear of his teres major muscle, but he began throwing ahead of schedule on Aug. 2. (Last updated: Aug. 22)

1B/DH (fractured left big toe)
Expected return: TBD
Candelario was injured when he got hit by a pitch on Aug. 18 vs. the Royals, but when pain persisted the following day in Toronto, X-rays taken on Aug. 19 revealed the fracture. Candelario is wearing a walking boot, but the club will not have a timeline for the 30-year-old’s return until a team doctor examines him in Cincinnati. (Last updated: Aug. 20)

60-DAY IL

OF (torn left thumb ligament)
Expected return: 2025
Fairchild had been grinding through pain in his thumb for a while and could no longer play, as the injury was affecting his swing. He is expected to undergo season-ending surgery with the expectation that he will be healthy in time for Spring Training next year. (Last updated: Aug. 28)

RHP (right elbow strain)
Expected return: 2025
Ashcraft resumed a throwing program recently, but manager David Bell conceded that the right-hander isn’t expected to return to pitch in 2024. The expectation is that if all goes well with his throwing, that he could enjoy a normal offseason routine. (Last updated: Aug. 27)

2B (left shoulder surgery)
Expected return: Potentially September
McLain's shoulder was previously cleared for swinging but manager David Bell noted he is still getting tested to “determine the root cause” of pain he is still having in his side. An Aug. 12 rehab assignment was delayed because of a ribcage stress reaction. He is trying to come back from March surgery that repaired the labrum and cartilage damage in his shoulder. (Last updated: Aug. 27)

LHP (left shoulder strain)
Expected return: September
After pitching two innings at the team complex in Arizona on Aug. 22, Williamson is scheduled to begin his rehab assignment by throwing three innings with Triple-A Louisville on Aug. 27. Williamson was diagnosed with a Bennett lesion in his shoulder in June. He opted against a season-ending surgery to repair it. After meeting with a specialist, Williamson received injections on his left shoulder. (Last updated: Aug. 23)

C (right teres major tear)
Expected return: Possibly late September
Wynns was injured trying to make a throw to third base against the Rays on July 28. The backstop, who appeared in just seven games this season for Cincinnati, was transferred to the 60-day injured list on Aug. 23. (Last updated: Aug. 23)

RHP (right shoulder sprain)
Expected return: 2025
Roa has yet to make his big league debut, but he was called up and placed on the 60-day IL on Aug. 19 to free up a spot on the 40-man roster when the Reds selected righty Julian Aguiar's contract. The 25-year-old Roa has been sidelined since Aug. 11 due to a shoulder sprain. He owns a 5.55 ERA in 48 2/3 innings and 23 appearances (four starts) with Triple-A Louisville this season. (Last updated: Aug. 19)

RHP (right forearm strain/right calf strain)
Expected return: Potentially September
Gibaut had a setback when he suffered a Grade 1 right calf strain in early August while working his way back from his forearm strain. According to manager David Bell, Gibaut still has not been able to “get over the hump” to move past the latest injury. He was originally expected to begin a rehab assignment on Aug. 8, with the goal to have him back near the middle of the month, but that timeline now looks unlikely.

Gibaut underwent surgery on May 9 to relieve a compression in a forearm nerve called the anterior interosseous nerve, or AIN. (Last updated: Aug. 14)

1B (right hand fracture)
Expected return: Possibly postseason
Encarnacion-Strand underwent surgery on July 11 to repair ligament damage in his hand. His recovery is expected to take three months, making him unlikely to return during the regular season.

"We're still pushing him,” manager David Bell said on Aug. 12. “All of our guys, we’re going to try to get them back as quick as we can to see where we are. [Encarnacion-Strand] has a chance still to impact our season, and if not, it'll be to get him healthy and go to Spring Training ready to go."

Encarnacion-Strand was diagnosed with a right ulnar styloid fracture on the inside of his hand near his wrist on May 8, and he also has ligament damage in the same area. (Last updated: Aug. 12)

OF (left thumb sprain)
Expected return: September
Martini, who had surgery on July 9 to repair a torn ulnar collateral ligament inside his thumb, was transferred to the 60-day IL on July 13. Manager David Bell hoped that Martini could return this season, but noted it would likely be no earlier than September. Martini jammed his left thumb on a head-first slide on a failed stolen-base attempt in the second inning on July 6. (Last updated: July 13)

SS (left shoulder surgery; No. 3 on Reds' top prospect list, No. 71 overall)
Expected return: 2025
Arroyo is out for the season after having surgery to repair a torn labrum in his left shoulder during Spring Training. In a March 13 Cactus League game vs. the Giants, the 20-year-old was injured diving back to first base during a pick-off throw. (Last updated: May 17)

RHP (right elbow surgery)
Expected return: 2025
Antone was moved to the 60-day IL on April 19 after he had right elbow and arm surgery on April 12 that repaired tears in his ulnar collateral ligament and flexor mass tendon. It was performed in Cincinnati by team orthopedic surgeon Dr. Timothy Kremchek. The 30-year-old Antone owns a 2.47 ERA over 45 big league games since 2020. (Last updated: April 19)

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