The Cincinnati Reds called up someone from AAA Louisville today, all right

The Cincinnati Reds teased us with a partial transaction on an off-day on Thursday, telling us that OF/1B Wil Myers was headed to the injured list for a stint, that Graham Ashcraft was headed to the bereavement list temporarily, and that Casey Legumina was being recalled. What they did not do at the time, though, was announce which position player would be recalled to fill the Myers-sized void left on the active roster.

Would it be a mysterious return of Joey Votto? Unlikely.

Would they tap into the immense power of some of their AAA prospects, as each of Christian Encarnacion-Strand, Elly De La Cruz, and Matt McLain had field days at the plate just yesterday while the big league Reds have struggled to hit for power all year? That sure sounds fun?

Or, would they simply do the easiest, least consequential thing for the 2023 season, stick to their long-con, and make everyone wait like they originally intended?

Here’s the news. I’ll let you draw your conclusions.

Matt Reynolds is back, and Matt Reynolds is a fine 13th position player on a roster. What he is not, though, is someone capable of filling the void left by Myers, who is someone who was, for all intents and purposes, a pretty iffy way of addressing a larger void left by the likes of Votto, Eugenio Suarez, Jesse Winker, Nick Castellanos, and such.

Reynolds, 32 years old with a career slugging percentage of .328 at the big league level, presumably pushes others up the pecking order for the time being. That means an everyday role for Nick Senzel and some more action for Stuart Fairchild, I’d wager, since they’re the righty-hitting roster components left in Myers’ stead. That could very well mean time for Senzel at 3B with Spencer Steer shifting over to 1B here and there, too, on days when Tyler Stephenson isn’t playing there since the Reds insist on carrying three catchers in their ill-fangled roster construction.

The Louisville Bats are on the road in Iowa and Omaha for the next week, for what it’s worth, in case you’re interested in watching a lineup that can actually sock the ball over the fence for the time being.