Cininati Res to place c, n, Tyler Stephenson, d on Injured List

Threadbare is the word that comes to mind when doing everything possible to be polite in describing the current state of the Cincinnati Reds roster. What’s gone is gone, and that’s extensive, and what’s here is either hurt, fogged, or simply not enough.

It’s been a pretty miserable run of form for the Reds, and last night’s home plate collision between catcher Tyler Stephenson and San Diego Padres lumberer Luke Voit is only going to throw gasoline onto the simmering situation. Stephenson, perhaps the one Red who has most looked right so far in this 2022 season, exited the game immediately and was later diagnosed with a concussion.

It’s a concussion that will keep him out for a least a week, as he’ll be placed on the 7-day concussion IL today. That’s according to Bobby Nightengale of The Enquirer, and it will leave the Reds with just Aramis Garcia as a ‘catcher’ on the active roster.

Of course, Kyle Farmer can catch, but he’s already being tasked with anchoring a depleted infield while being just about the only other player on the club who can hit right now. That means that the club will have to dip into their threadbare minors to find an alternate behind the plate.

Sandy Leon was recently signed and comes with extensive MLB experience, but the Reds would have to make a 40-man roster move to get him added, something that might be difficult given the rash of other injured players on said roster. Mark Kolozsvary, meanwhile, has a 40-man roster spot already, but has barely hit since his US National Team experience and hasn’t even conquered AAA to any extent just yet.

I told myself I’d try to make it through this entire article without throwing up my hands and screaming lol nothing matters, and this admission has allowed me to finish said article without doing so. Now I am going to hit publish and, since the article is now finished, will probably throw up my hands and scream lol nothing matters.