The Reds got a little relief on the injury front earlier in the day when Tony Santillan was activated from the injured list, but the good news didn’t last long. By later Friday, the club was dealing with another troubling development.
Spencer Steer said he will miss the rest of the season because of the wrist injury he’s been playing through.
“I had a feeling,” Steer told The Cincinnati Enquirer's Gordon Wittenmyer. “But I’m an optimistic person.
So I figured there was maybe still a chance that I’d be able to come back on the back end of September and get in some games and at least finish the year healthy. It’s looking like that’s not the case anymore.”
Then came another scare in the game against the Diamondbacks. With Arizona up 1-0 in the bottom of the first inning, Geraldo Perdomo lined a ball to left field, where Michael Toglia made a diving catch. Toglia stayed down right away and was seen holding his shoulder in pain.
Jeff Brantley said on the broadcast that the injury appeared similar to the one suffered by Matt McLain and Edwin Arroyo, both of whom missed an entire season.
Toglia exited the game, and TJ Friedl moved into left field.
Update: The Reds announced that Toglia left the game with a right shoulder dislocation.
The injury comes at a time when Cincinnati has already spent the season fighting a frustrating trend: giving games away after building leads. The Reds have lost 27 games in which they held a lead, and 25 of those defeats have come since May 2.
That late-game issue has shown up in even harsher fashion in recent weeks. Cincinnati has also dropped eight games when it was tied or ahead after the bottom of the eighth inning. Thursday’s 10-9 loss to the Cardinals was a brutal example, with the Reds entering the ninth up 5-4, scoring nine runs for the first time this season, and still walking away with a loss.
Cincinnati entered Friday at 61-67 and sitting in last place in the National League Central Division. The Reds were also seven games behind the third and final National League Wild Card spot, leaving them with little margin for error if they’re going to keep their postseason hopes alive.
In Other News...
Spencer Steer Update Could Force A Tough Reds Decision
The Reds open a three-game series against the Arizona Diamondbacks with Nick Lodolo on the mound, but there was plenty happening around the roster before the first pitch. Cincinnati added former Braves right-hander Darius Vines on a minor-league deal, a move that gives the organization some extra pitching depth as it keeps sorting through the long grind of the season. Austin Hendricks demotion to Double-A Chattanooga also underscored how quickly the club is still adjusting pieces at the lower levels.
The more pressing watch, though, is Spencer Steer, who is due for a wrist re-evaluation that could determine whether surgery becomes necessary. Any update there would ripple beyond Steer himself, since the Reds have already had to manage lineup uncertainty and can ill afford another extended absence from a player theyve had to count on in multiple roles. For a club trying to keep momentum while navigating injuries and roster churn, this is the kind of situation that could force a difficult decision soon. [Read more 🡒]
Reds Face An Elly De La Cruz Question They Cant Ignore
Terry Francona has made it clear he would rather not keep Elly De La Cruz in the leadoff spot, even with the switch-hitting star still giving the Reds all the traits that normally make a lineup look better at the top. De La Cruz brings speed, plate discipline and the kind of dynamic threat Cincinnati can build around, but the way he has been used has also put extra pressure on both him and Sal Stewart in the heart of the order.
The bigger question is whether the Reds can find a cleaner answer before next season, because this is not a problem that looks likely to solve itself. De La Cruzs slump has come at the same time the club has struggled, and a more traditional table-setter would make sense in theory, but the available choices may not fit Cincinnatis budget or roster needs all that well. [Read more 🡒]
Tommy Pham Just Piled Onto A Reds Frustration Fans Already Feel
A dropped fly ball was bad enough for the Reds to absorb in a game against the Cardinals, but the noise around it only grew after Tommy Pham took the criticism public on social media. Pham, who spent time with Cincinnati before moving on and is now in the minor leagues in the Phillies organization, took aim at Dane Myers and suggested the outfielder had put personal numbers ahead of the team, a charge that immediately stirred debate.
For Reds fans already bracing for another round of frustration, the episode added an unwelcome layer to a loss that might otherwise have faded quickly. Phams limited role this season gives his comments a certain awkwardness all their own, but they still landed in a familiar place for Cincinnati: another distraction attached to a team trying to sort out the basics while the conversation turns somewhere else. [Read more 🡒]