Organizational Injury Report 7/14/14 - So Many Injuries

The 2014 Reds are just getting slammed by injuries; I don't think I have ever had so many injuries to report on over the course of a single week.  So, diving into this mess in order of severity, we come first to Brandon Phillips, who tore a ligament in his left thumb making a diving play on July 9.  He is expected to miss 6-8 weeks (though arch-foil Yadier Molina suffered the same injury on the same day, and is expected to miss 8-12, so perhaps the Reds' timetable is on the optimistic side).  If he can make it back on the Reds schedule, look for him to return when the calendar flips to September.  The longer timetable puts him right about on schedule for the start of postseason play.  If the Reds don't contend for a postseason spot, that means BP's season could be finished.  For those who've been paying attention to the state of the Reds system, the middle infield is the place where the Reds are truly least prepared to suffer a long-term injury to a starter.  The team will try to cobble acceptable production from the currently red hot Ramon Santiago and journeyman Kris Negron, who at least made a great first impression in his start on Sunday.

Two starters left the game early in the past week due to injury.  Homer Bailey had to leave his start on July 10 with pain in his knee, later diagnosed as a problem with his patellar tendon.  The All-Star break is happening at an opportune time as far as Bailey's injury is concerned, as the hope is he will not have to miss a turn in the rotation once the Reds shuffle the order post-break.  The same optimism surrounded Latos' knee in spring training, and that didn't work out as planned.  Speaking of Mat Latos, he left his start early on July 11 after suffering back spasms.  He also hopes to not miss a turn in the rotation.  Neither Bailey nor Latos are currently on the DL.

Skip Schumaker is on the 7-day DL from a concussion he suffered on July 10 when running into the outfield fence trying to make a catch.  Concussions can be very tricky, but let's hope Schumaker doesn't experience setbacks, side effects, or lingering issues and can return soon.  An idea about Joey Votto's timetable was also revealed by Jocketty this week, saying he thinks Votto will miss only 5-6 weeks.  That puts him at a mid-August return.  Lastly for the MLB club, infielder Jack Hannahan began a rehab assignment with A- Dayton on July 8.

The Reds minor league affiliates also experienced a cavalcade of injuries as we head into the All-Star break.  At AAA Louisville, SP Tim Crabbe was placed on the 7-day DL on July 4 with a strained right elbow.  3B Juan Silverio returned from the 7-day DL on July 11, after missing 6 days.  Ah, the glories of minor league transaction reporting.  Or maybe the league offices really just don't care very much down there, I don't know.  Either way, these sorts of shenanigans simply aren't that uncommon in minor league transaction reports.  RP Nick Christiani was placed on the DL on July 8 with right elbow impingement.

At AA Pensacola, 2B Ray Chang returned from the DL on July 7 after missing 20 days with an undisclosed injury.  The very next day, he went back on the DL with a strained oblique.  OF Josh Fellhauer returned to action on July 10 after missing 23 days.  RP Brooks Pinckard returned on July 11 after missing 12 days with a strained lower back.  RP Carlos Gonzalez returned on July 8 after missing 9 days with a forearm contusion.  C Chris Berset returned (and moved to AAA) on July 9 after missing the minimum with a sprained left wrist.

At A+ Bakersfield, 2B Robert Ramirez was assigned to the Blaze on June 11 and began a rehab assignment on June 22, which means he was injured at some point between those two dates.  Again with the shenanigans.  RP Layne Somsen was placed on the 7-day DL on June 22, and 2B Brent Peterson returned from the DL on July 8 after missing the minimum.  2B Sammy Diaz was placed on the DL on July 7, 6 days after coming off the DL for a sprained ankle which sidelined him for 19 days at Dayton.  OF Beau Amaral was placed on the DL on July 10.  2B John Tolisano was released from the organization on July 7.

Dayton and Billings had no injuries to report on over the previous week.  The Reds' current injury situation can be found via the link.