Cincinnati Reds activate Jonathan India from Injured List

Of all the things that have punched the Cincinnati Reds (and their fans) in the gut in the last half-year, losing Jonathan India to the Injured List courtesy of a bad hamstring in the first week of the 2022 MLB season might well have been the worst.

Yes, the team gave away tons of their players.

No, the team refused to spend money unless they shed money, a mathematic equation that makes no sense under the rationale of ‘winning.’

No, they did not field a team good enough to make a run in 2022.

All that aside, though, the moves they made all winter were geared towards building (again) around their latest young core, and India - the reigning NL Rookie of the Year - was absolutely chief among them. Losing him for any amount of time, let alone right as the keys had been turned over to him, was such a massive blow to an already depleted club, and I don’t doubt the team’s reeling in that wake was due in large part to said injury.

As of today, though, he’s back. The Reds themselves announced the move on Twitter on Tuesday in a series of roster moves.

Indy’s back atop the lineup to open the series against the San Diego Padres, too, giving hope to the idea that this homestand could finally turn things around in some sense of that definition.

That Matt Reynolds has joined him on the roster at the expense of both Alejo Lopez and JT Riddle is, in my opinion, just about the most minute of details in a season already filled with such. For as much as some seem to like Lopez - and there’s some stuff to like, I suppose - the Reds, when healthy, won’t feature any of Lopez, Riddle, or Reynolds.

There’s finally some good news around these parts, at least. Now, if only they could get Luis Castillo, Tyler Stephenson, Mike Minor, Tejay Antone, Justin Dunn, Mike Moustakas, Jose Barrero, Max Schrock, and Donovan Solano back sometime soon...