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GOODYEAR, Arizona – Right-hander Alexis Díaz said he feels great and that the hamstring tug he felt early in camp is not affecting him.
The Cincinnati Reds say they’re not so sure, and on Sunday they said the 2023 All-Star will start on the injured list because of left hamstring “inflammation.”
All of which means Terry Francona opens his first season as Reds manager without a closer.
Or with six closers, depending on how they look at it.
“I don’t think it’s necessary that we name a closer,” said Francona, who hasn’t “given it a ton of thought yet.”
Díaz has looked like a candidate to lose his closer job, if not his roster spot, since struggling in camp off an up-and-down 2024 season.
Even before spring training started, the Reds added former closers Scott Barlow, a right-hander, and Taylor Rogers, a lefty, in late-winter acquisitions.
Veteran right-hander Emilio Pagán also has closer experience; former starter Graham Ashcraft is in the bullpen and expressed a desire to work toward a ninth-inning role; right-hander Tony Santillan has the swing-and-miss stuff for the role; and lefty Brent Suter is versatile and experienced enough to at least fill in.
“I actually talked to the relievers already,” Francona said Sunday morning. “We’ll just see how we get there, and we’ll do it the best way we can.”
That said, “We want Díaz to be that guy,” said Francona, who added the right-hander will travel north with the team and continue to work with coaches and the training staff to fix a delivery glitch the manager said the staff attributes to the hamstring.
Maybe something was lost in the translation when Díaz spoke in Spanish after his most recent outing, Friday and proclaimed his body fit, his stuff good and the work with pitching Derek Johnson as primarily mental.
He didn’t pitch a clean inning this spring, and after his worst outing March 15, he pitched in a minor-league game before returning to a big-league mound Friday.
“I’ve just had a lot of conversations with DJ. We’ve been in constant communication,” Díaz said Friday, “and he’s putting me back in my better mental state of health. I think those have really helped out with these last two innings I’ve had.”
Díaz got a late start to his game schedule because the team said it was “slow playing” his work after a felt a “tug” of his hamstring during an early-camp fielding drill. He and team officials downplayed it as something that didn’t rise to the level of becoming an injury.
And on Friday, Díaz said, “I feel really good. I feel really healthy. Physically I feel good. Hamstring-wise there’s no issues. I’m feeling great.”
In fact, he said a sign of that good health is he throwing harder this spring than he has in previous spring trainings.
So what’s with the IL move?
“What happened was he had the hamstring issue earlier,” Francona said, “and now in his delivery – he’s got some moving parts – but his lead leg, it’s not where it needs to be, and there’s multiple concerns, that we’re sending him out there and he’s either going to get hurt or he can’t pitch the way he needs to. It’s just not fair.
“So he’s going to start on the IL, and we’re going to give him a chance to get right. That’s fair.”
Whether the closer role is still for him by the time he gets back is anybody’s guess.
Meanwhile, right-hander Ian Gibaut gets the final pitching roster spot, leaving only one cut left to be made on the hitting side between now and Thursday’s opener against the Giants.
The Reds on Sunday made two other procedural moves: reassigning non-roster catcher Will Banfield, as expected, to minor-league camp, and also reassigning Wade Miley (who’s coming off Tommy John surgery) to the minor-league side. Miley is projected to be ready to join the rotation in May.
The Reds Opening Day pitching staff:
The final two bench jobs will come down to a decision between veteran backup outfielder Stuart Fairchild, who’s out of options, and two younger outfielders who have had better springs: righty-hitting Blake Dunn and lefty-hitting Jacob Hurtubise.
With catcher Tyler Stephenson (oblique) and infielder/outfielder Spencer Steer (shoulder) opening on the IL, these are the 11 other hitters already locked into the Opening Day roster:
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Cincinnati Reds, Terry Francona open with no closer as Diaz heads to IL
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The Cincinnati Reds say they’re not so sure, and on Sunday they said the 2023 All-Star will start on the injured list because of left hamstring “inflammation.”
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All of which means Terry Francona opens his first season as Reds manager without a closer.
Or with six closers, depending on how they look at it.
“I don’t think it’s necessary that we name a closer,” said Francona, who hasn’t “given it a ton of thought yet.”
Díaz has looked like a candidate to lose his closer job, if not his roster spot, since struggling in camp off an up-and-down 2024 season.
Even before spring training started, the Reds added former closers Scott Barlow, a right-hander, and Taylor Rogers, a lefty, in late-winter acquisitions.
Veteran right-hander Emilio Pagán also has closer experience; former starter Graham Ashcraft is in the bullpen and expressed a desire to work toward a ninth-inning role; right-hander Tony Santillan has the swing-and-miss stuff for the role; and lefty Brent Suter is versatile and experienced enough to at least fill in.
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“I actually talked to the relievers already,” Francona said Sunday morning. “We’ll just see how we get there, and we’ll do it the best way we can.”
That said, “We want Díaz to be that guy,” said Francona, who added the right-hander will travel north with the team and continue to work with coaches and the training staff to fix a delivery glitch the manager said the staff attributes to the hamstring.
Maybe something was lost in the translation when Díaz spoke in Spanish after his most recent outing, Friday and proclaimed his body fit, his stuff good and the work with pitching Derek Johnson as primarily mental.
He didn’t pitch a clean inning this spring, and after his worst outing March 15, he pitched in a minor-league game before returning to a big-league mound Friday.
“I’ve just had a lot of conversations with DJ. We’ve been in constant communication,” Díaz said Friday, “and he’s putting me back in my better mental state of health. I think those have really helped out with these last two innings I’ve had.”
Díaz got a late start to his game schedule because the team said it was “slow playing” his work after a felt a “tug” of his hamstring during an early-camp fielding drill. He and team officials downplayed it as something that didn’t rise to the level of becoming an injury.
And on Friday, Díaz said, “I feel really good. I feel really healthy. Physically I feel good. Hamstring-wise there’s no issues. I’m feeling great.”
In fact, he said a sign of that good health is he throwing harder this spring than he has in previous spring trainings.
So what’s with the IL move?
“What happened was he had the hamstring issue earlier,” Francona said, “and now in his delivery – he’s got some moving parts – but his lead leg, it’s not where it needs to be, and there’s multiple concerns, that we’re sending him out there and he’s either going to get hurt or he can’t pitch the way he needs to. It’s just not fair.
“So he’s going to start on the IL, and we’re going to give him a chance to get right. That’s fair.”
Whether the closer role is still for him by the time he gets back is anybody’s guess.
Meanwhile, right-hander Ian Gibaut gets the final pitching roster spot, leaving only one cut left to be made on the hitting side between now and Thursday’s opener against the Giants.
The Reds on Sunday made two other procedural moves: reassigning non-roster catcher Will Banfield, as expected, to minor-league camp, and also reassigning Wade Miley (who’s coming off Tommy John surgery) to the minor-league side. Miley is projected to be ready to join the rotation in May.
The Reds Opening Day pitching staff:
- Starters: RHP Hunter Greene, LHP Nick Lodolo, RHP Nick Martinez, RHP Brady Singer, RHP Carson Spiers.
- Relievers: RHP Graham Ashcraft, RHP Emilio Pagán, RHP Tony Santillan, RHP Ian Gibaut, RHP Scott Barlow, LHP Brent Suter, LHP Sam Moll, LHP Taylor Rogers.
Stuart Fairchild, Blake Dunn, Jacob Hurtubise?
The final two bench jobs will come down to a decision between veteran backup outfielder Stuart Fairchild, who’s out of options, and two younger outfielders who have had better springs: righty-hitting Blake Dunn and lefty-hitting Jacob Hurtubise.
With catcher Tyler Stephenson (oblique) and infielder/outfielder Spencer Steer (shoulder) opening on the IL, these are the 11 other hitters already locked into the Opening Day roster:
- Catchers: Jose Trevino (bats: R), Austin Wynns (R).
- Infielders: SS Elly De La Cruz (S), 2B Matt McLain (R), 3B Gavin Lux (L), 1B Christian Encarnacion-Strand (R), 1B/3B Jeimer Candelario (S), IF Santiago Espinal (R).
- Outfielders: CF TJ Friedl (L), LF Austin Hays (R), RF Jake Fraley (L).
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Cincinnati Reds, Terry Francona open with no closer as Diaz heads to IL
Continue reading...
