Reds Covid woes, injury woes continue as more players go on the injured list

These Reds can not catch a break. A night after a come-from-behind victory over the Chicago Cubs, the Reds announced that two more important members of their pitching staff have hit the injured list.

With Hunter Greene getting sick earlier in the week, Brandon Williamson becomes the 4th Reds’ pitcher to hit the Covid-IL in the last few days. Seeing how this virus has acted over the last few years, he unfortunately probably won’t be the last. Another Reds’ starting pitcher, Graham Ashcraft, also went on the 15-day IL with a stress reaction in his big toe. This is the third Reds’ player with a stress injury this season, as Nick Lodolo (lower leg) and Jake Fraley (toe) have also been stricken with similar injuries. A stress injury in a toe is not as concerning as the lower leg one that Lodolo has been dealing with, so hopefully Ashcraft can come back soon.

Connor Phillips and Chasen Shreve, a player I just found out existed, both earn call-ups to the Reds to replace Williamson and Ashcraft. Phillips, who was the PTBNL in the Jesse Winker/Eugenio Suarez trade in 2022, has had an outstanding season in the minors. He’s made 24 starts between Double-A Chattanooga and Triple-A Louisville, putting up a 3.86 ERA in 105 innings of work. He has struggled a little more in Triple-A, as he’s put up a 4.69 ERA in 40 innings of work. Shreve has been a reliever who has bounced around the majors since 2014. He was signed by the Detroit Tigers this season and made 47 appearances before being released in mid-August. He was signed by the Reds to a minor league deal back on August 17.

The injury/illness bug continues to hit the Reds at the worst possible time, as they continue a pivotal 4-game series against the Chicago Cubs tonight at Great American Ballpark. Andrew Abbott gets the start for the Reds against Javier Assad. First pitch is scheduled for 6:40 PM EDT. Go Reds