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New York Times
14 hours ago
- Sport
- New York Times
Reds stock report: Chase Burns, Matt McLain are up. Who is down?
CINCINNATI — Thursday's 12-5 loss to the Minnesota Twins notwithstanding, the Cincinnati Reds are trending in the right direction. The loss to the Twins snapped a four-game winning streak, but the Reds have still won 10 of their last 14 and are just a game out of the third wild-card spot. The Reds sit fourth in the National League Central, but the three teams between the division-leading Chicago Cubs and the cellar-dwelling Pittsburgh Pirates were separated by just a game after the Reds' loss. Advertisement With a 39-36 record after 75 games, the Reds' overall stock is up, but which players are trending up and which are trending in the wrong direction? You'd think stock couldn't rise that much after being selected with the second pick in the MLB Draft less than a year ago, but the right-hander has made the minor leagues look like a walk in the park, already advancing from High-A Dayton to Triple-A Louisville without appearing to break a sweat. The Reds' player development staff followed the same game plan it used the year before when the team took a right-handed pitcher out of Wake Forest with its first pick in the draft. After taking Rhett Lowder in 2023, the team decided not to have him pitch in the minors that season, instead inviting Lowder to big-league camp, then having him start the 2024 season at High-A Dayton. Lowder made quick work of the Midwest League and was promoted to Double A after just five dominating starts. He struggled in his transition to Double A but was promoted to Triple A after 16 starts. He made one start in Triple A before he was called up to Cincinnati, where he went 2-2 with a 1.17 ERA in six big-league starts. Burns made just three starts in Dayton before heading to Chattanooga. In six starts with the Lookouts, the 22-year-old made it look easy, striking out 55 of the 151 batters he faced and walking just four. The eight runs he surrendered in 42 Double-A starts were two fewer than Lowder surrendered in just his first two Double-A starts. Burns walked as many batters (four) in his first Triple-A start as he did in all of his Double-A starts, but in his second start Wednesday, he didn't walk anyone and struck out seven in seven innings. It took Lowder just 416 days from the day he was drafted to debut in the big leagues, and Burns could beat that timeline. Advertisement McLain missed all of the 2024 season after suffering a shoulder injury in spring training. He even looked better last season than through the first two months of this season. McLain entered June hitting just .178/.273/.300, moving from second in the batting order most days to ninth. Reds manager Terry Francona kept McLain in the lineup, in part because he said McLain never looked like he was struggling. 'He was playing the rest of the game always (the same) — defensively, running the bases,' Francona said. 'He wasn't throwing (stuff) in the dugout, panicking. He handled it. He doesn't look any different when he's getting a hit or he doesn't.' McLain has started getting hits. He's hitting .271/.364/.417 this month and extended his hitting streak to seven games Thursday. Last year, the Reds had two first-time All-Stars: Elly De La Cruz and Hunter Greene. It seems like a near-certainty that De La Cruz will head to Atlanta for his second All-Star appearance, but will he be the only Red at Truist Park? With Greene on the injured list, the Reds' best hopes for a second All-Star could lie with a pair of players who have little national profile and haven't been All-Stars yet: lefty Andrew Abbott and center fielder TJ Friedl. With a week left in All-Star voting, it's not that either of the two hasn't proved he has earned a spot; it's whether a spot will be available. It's difficult to make a case for Abbott not making the team, but the 26-year-old's stuff is as unassuming as his 6-foot, 192-pound frame. Abbott looks like a regular Joe, and his average fastball velocity of 92.2 mph is in just the 19th percentile in baseball. Proving that velocity isn't everything on a fastball, however, it's in the 86th percentile, according to Baseball Savant's fastball run value. Entering Thursday's games, Abbott was 21st in the NL in FanGraphs' version of WAR (1.6) but sixth in Baseball Reference's pitcher WAR (2.6). FanGraphs' WAR (fWAR) is more dependent on fielding independent pitching factors such as strikeouts, while Baseball Reference's version (bWAR) favors actual outcomes over expected outcomes. Advertisement Abbott improved to 6-1 with a 1.84 ERA on Tuesday and 4-1 with a 1.35 ERA in nine starts since May 1. Abbott has allowed more than one earned run in just two of his 12 starts. He and the New York Mets' Kodai Senga (1.47) haven't pitched enough innings to qualify for the ERA title, which is being led by the Pittsburgh Pirates' Paul Skenes (1.85). Among qualified National League outfielders, Friedl ranks second in hits (80), second in batting average (.294), third in on-base percentage (.384), sixth in runs (47), sixth in walks (38), seventh in OPS (.829) and 10th in stolen bases (nine). Encarnacion-Strand came off the IL and made an immediate splash, hitting a tying homer in his first game back. Then, in the continuation of the game against the Arizona Diamondbacks, he notched the team's first walk-off win with a double in the 10th inning. In each of his first three games back, Encarnacion-Strand recorded multiple hits and home runs. He had a hit and an RBI in his fourth game. In the seven games since then, he's gone just 3-for-25 with no extra-base hits, no walks and seven strikeouts. Encarnacion-Strand has power, but with Spencer Steer heating up and Noelvi Marte, Austin Hays and Jeimer Candelario potentially coming back soon, his at-bats could be limited. The Reds' two big right-handed relievers, Luis Mey and Zach Maxwell, were the talk of spring training. They were impressive in Cactus League performances and the Spring Breakout, in which Mey and Maxwell pitched the eighth and ninth innings, respectively, each striking out two of the three batters they faced in their perfect innings. Mey is in his second stint with the big-league team and has had mixed results. He has appeared in 15 games, throwing a total of 14 1/3 innings, striking out 15 and walking 10. He has allowed seven runs on eight hits, good for a 4.40 ERA. He has been better at Triple A, where he has thrown 16 1/3 innings over 17 appearances with a 2.76 ERA and three saves. He has struck out 17 and walked 10 for the Louisville Bats. Maxwell has a 4.88 ERA in Louisville, walking 17 and striking out 26 over 29 appearances and 27 2/3 innings. He has five saves in six opportunities but allowed 15 earned runs. Advertisement Both are young enough and have the kind of stuff that can make them dominant at times, but they need to throw strikes to have their production match their stuff. Martinez lasted just 2 2/3 innings Thursday, and in four starts this month, he has amassed just 18 1/3 innings and is 1-3 with an 8.35 ERA. Martinez gave up four home runs through his first 10 starts and nine in his last five. Martinez isn't in danger of losing his spot in the rotation anytime soon, but he could be an attractive trade piece, especially with a possible return from Greene after the All-Star break and a possible Burns call-up. (Top photo of Matt McLain and third-base coach J.R. House: Dylan Buell / Getty Images)
Reuters
04-06-2025
- Business
- Reuters
Reds put RHP Hunter Greene on IL, sign LHP Wade Miley
June 4 - The Cincinnati Reds placed ace right-hander Hunter Greene on the 15-day injured list Wednesday, citing a right groin strain. Greene started for the Reds on Tuesday in their 4-2 home win over the Milwaukee Brewers. He told the staff that he felt discomfort and left the game after five innings. The outing was just his third since being activated from the injured list on May 23 after missing two weeks with the same ailment. "We stayed here for a while last night, we talked to him, we talked to trainers," Reds manager Terry Francona told reporters Wednesday, per The Athletic. "Since it happened once and this is twice, we've got to figure this out. And then his lower back was starting to (affect him) and we're trying to figure out if it's related. We've got to get him healthy. It was kind of an easy decision even without seeing the MRI." An MRI was scheduled for later Wednesday. In corresponding moves, the Reds signed left-hander Wade Miley and transferred right-hander Rhett Lowder (right forearm, left oblique strains) to the 60-day injured list. Miley opted out of his minor league deal with the Reds on Sunday and became a free agent. He is coming off ulnar collateral ligament surgery and has not pitched in the majors since April 16, 2024, with the Milwaukee Brewers. The 25-year-old Greene, an All-Star in 2024, has made 11 starts this season and is 4-3 with a 2.72 ERA. He has struck out 73 batters and walked just 14 in 59 2/3 innings. He has a 22-28 record and a 3.74 ERA in 83 career appearances (all starts). The Reds selected him with the No. 2 overall pick in the 2017 MLB draft out of high school in the Los Angeles area. Miley has a career 108-99 mark with a 4.07 ERA in 317 games (310 starts) with eight different teams since making his major league debut in 2011. This is his second go-round with the Reds. He was with the team in the 2020 and '21 seasons, going 12-10 with a 3.55 ERA in 177 1/3 innings over 34 starts (32 innings). Miley, 38, is expected to step into the starting rotation, perhaps as soon as Monday against the Guardians in Cleveland. --Field Level Media
New York Times
04-06-2025
- Business
- New York Times
Cincinnati Reds place starter Hunter Greene on IL, sign veteran lefty Wade Miley
CINCINNATI — Just minutes before a scheduled MRI, the Cincinnati Reds placed starter Hunter Greene on the injured list with a right groin strain. Greene said he felt discomfort on his last two pitches in the fifth inning of Tuesday's victory over the Milwaukee Brewers and left the game. Tuesday was his third start back from the IL, which was one of the reasons the team returned him to the IL. Advertisement 'We stayed here for a while last night, we talked to him, we talked to trainers,' Reds manager Terry Francona said. 'Since it happened once and this is twice, we've got to figure this out. And then his lower back was starting to (affect him) and we're trying to figure out if it's related. We've got to get him healthy. It was kind of an easy decision even without seeing the MRI.' The Reds signed veteran left-hander Wade Miley to fill Greene's spot in the rotation and transferred right-hander Rhett Lowder to the 60-day injured list. Sunday, Miley exercised the opt-out of his minor-league deal and became a free agent. The 38-year-old is coming back from a hybrid ulnar collateral ligament surgery, which combines traditional Tommy John surgery with an internal brace, that he underwent last May while with the Brewers. Miley made seven minor-league starts this year, including a five-inning, two-run performance last Friday for the Triple-A Louisville Bats. Because he wouldn't be ready to pitch again until Wednesday, Miley said Reds president of baseball operations Nick Krall told him he'd have a place in the team's bullpen, but wanted to let Miley explore an opportunity to start elsewhere. Miley said he talked to a couple of other teams, but was happy to return to the Reds. Miley's family is in Cincinnati for the season, so he spent the time 'being dad' and coaching baseball games and practice for his son Jeb. Miley was already expected to be in the Reds' bullpen on Wednesday, but Greene's injury created an opening for him in the rotation. Francona said Miley would be available to pitch out of the bullpen Wednesday, but if he didn't, he'd start Monday in Cleveland. In 2021, Miley threw a no-hitter for the Reds against then-Cleveland manager Francona's Guardians at Progressive Field. Advertisement 'It was a situation where the five starters here were throwing the ball great, and I was pretty open with Nick, like I don't want to mess with that,' Miley said. 'Physically, I think I'll be fine in the bullpen, but they allowed me to see if there were any starting jobs out there, and at the end of the day, here we are.' Miley, a Red in 2020 and 2021, was a consistent and popular figure in spring training, and Wednesday's news generated excitement in the Reds' clubhouse. 'He was in full uni at 8:30 this morning when I thought I was the only one here,' Francona said. 'It's really welcome. We've been waiting for him, there's no getting around it. He's a bright light, man.'
Yahoo
24-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Reds pitcher Rhett Lowder has 'fairly significant' injury. Here's what we know
The Cincinnati Reds' starting pitching depth took a hit via Rhett Lowder's latest injury. After exiting his Thursday start for Triple-A Louisville in the second inning after 12 pitches, Lowder on Friday was said by Reds manager Terry Francona to have a "fairly significant" left oblique strain. Francona added that a recovery timeline wasn't available as the team awaited further test results. Advertisement Reds signing Garrett Hampson Reds sign utility player Garrett Hampson to one-year deal Reds Chicago Cubs Hunter Greene Chicago Fire: Cubs bring early-season heat to Cincinnati Reds big hopes Lowder, the Reds' 2023 first-round draft pick and one of the organization's top overall prospects, finished the 2024 season in the Reds starting rotation and was impressive, starting six games and producing a 2-2 record and 1.17 ERA. He was thought to be in competition for a spot in the rotation during spring training, but an elbow issue delayed his progress. Rhett Lowder had a setback at Triple-A Louisville on Thursday, May 24, suffering what manager Terry Francona described as a "fairly significant" left oblique strain. His rehab assignment this spring saw him start in the Arizona Complex League, High-A Dayton, and then Louisville, where on May 17 he was hit hard and didn't survive the first inning against Indianapolis. Then came Thursday's start, which lasted just one pitch into the second inning. Advertisement As of Friday, the Reds' starting rotation was comprised of Hunter Greene (4-2, 2.36 ERA), Andrew Abbott (3-0, 1.80 ERA), Nick Lodolo (4-4, 3.22 ERA), Nick Martinez (2-5, 3.43 ERA), and Brady Singer (5-3, 4.88 ERA). That group is one of the top rotations in the National League, but if the Reds ever want or need to complement it, a prolonged absence by Lowder would limit their options. Right-hander Carson Spiers on Friday was transferred to the 60-day injured list. Wade Miley, who is on a rehab assignment, pitched five shutout innings for Triple-A Louisville on May 20. This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Reds pitcher Rhett Lowder has 'fairly significant' injury. What we know
Yahoo
24-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
'He's gonna be a while.' More details emerge on Reds pitcher Rhett Lowder's injury
When Cincinnati Reds pitcher Rhett Lowder appeared in the Great American Ball Park home clubhouse, his discomfort was visible. Lowder told reporters he was just trying to string consecutive "good" days together, and that no timeline had been set for his recovery from the left oblique strain that Reds manager Terry Francona on Friday described as "fairly significant." Advertisement Lowder exited his Thursday start for Triple-A Louisville in the second inning after 12 total pitches. Reds Chicago Cubs Hunter Greene Cincinnati Reds can't hold healthy lead as Chicago Cubs mash way to victory Reds moves signing Garrett Hampson Reds sign utility player Garrett Hampson to one-year deal Reds coaches spoke with Lowder, and Francona on Saturday, May 24 provided more details to media members about the origins of the injury. Francona spoke prior to the second game of the Reds' home series against the Chicago Cubs. "He explained that he had been feeling it for a while," Francona said. "Not terrible, but like guys do, he kind of manipulated his delivery where he could (pitch). Then, I think he got a little frustrated... Then, he went after it and he really blew it out. He's gonna be a while." Rhett Lowder, one of the top Reds prospects, finished the 2024 season in the starting rotation and was impressive, starting six games and producing a 2-2 record and 1.17 ERA. He will miss what Terry Francona called "a while." Lowder, the Reds' 2023 first-round draft pick and one of the organization's top overall prospects, finished the 2024 season in the Reds starting rotation and was impressive, starting six games and producing a 2-2 record and 1.17 ERA. Advertisement Lowder's rehab assignment this spring saw him start in the Arizona Complex League, High-A Dayton and then Louisville, where on May 17 he was hit hard and didn't survive the first inning against Indianapolis. Then came Thursday's start, which lasted just one pitch into the second inning. As of Friday, the Reds' starting rotation was comprised of Hunter Greene (4-2, 2.54 ERA), Andrew Abbott (3-0, 1.80 ERA), Nick Lodolo (4-4, 3.22 ERA), Nick Martinez (2-5, 3.43 ERA) and Brady Singer (5-3, 4.88 ERA). That group is one of the top rotations in the National League, but if the Reds ever want or need to complement it, a prolonged absence by Lowder would limit their options. This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: 'He's gonna be a while.' More details emerge on Rhett Lowder's injury
