Cincinnati Reds yet to make decision on Stubbs and Bray’s return –MLB News
The Cincinnati Reds’ manager Dusty Baker on Tuesday, June 19, did not seem certain if centre fielder Drew Stubbs would appear in the series against the Minnesota Twins, scheduled to kick off from Friday. Drew Stubbs who is in the disabled list due to strained
oblique has the option of activation for the game against the Twins.
But the team manager seems to be all cautious in this regard, meticulously avoiding the potential risk involved in bringing the player at this stage. The disabled list which is retroactive to June 6 has a fair chance for Stubbs to make appearance, but not
until he is shown green light.
"We're not sure yet. We have to talk to him. He still hasn't swung much," Baker said on Tuesday, June 19 who wants to see how the rehab assignment goes to make the final decision about the return of Stubbs. "There could be a rehab assignment in there, too."
As the news reports suggest, Stubbs may well be having a batting practice on Wednesday. This will be an opportunity for the team manager to see how likely and right the decision of playing can be at this point in time. If he shows visible signs of improvement,
he may get a chance soon enough.
One the other hand, the Reds are considering bringing back Bill Bray who too has been in the disabled list due to back injury. His being in the list, however, goes back to 24 April; a potentially devastating gap for any player in a regular season.
Bray has so far had five outings since the injury, representing Louisville and Class A Dayton. As to how likely is his return, the team manager has, understandably, set the quality of pitching as criterion.
"It depends on the quality of pitching," Baker said. "It depends on how he looks back to back. It depends on how many pitches he throws."
With the injuries that have recently plagued the team, the Reds are making the moves with evident carefulness so as to avoid any potential discomfiture, especially when they are performing well despite a few odds.
Tags: