Red Reposter - TJ Friedl’s hamstring, Christian Encarnacion-Strand to 60-day IL

Tuesday links!

It’s not too outlandish to suggest that the 2024 Cincinnati Reds are a much, much better baseball team when they have their team leader from 2023 in both fWAR and bWAR in the lineup. He’s their everyday leadoff guy against both LHP and RHP and their CF, after all, a vital two-way player who also demands respect on the bases.

TJ Friedl’s absence hasn’t been the only reason why the 2024 edition of the Reds are spiraling towards the basement of the NL Central for what seems like the billionth consecutive season, but it’s been a big one. A broken wrist in spring training cost him over a month to begin the year, while a busted finger after a HBP cost him another few weeks shortly thereafter. So when Friedl came up lame after a brilliant diving catch in CF against the Pittsburgh Pirates, it was easy to have the feeling that the Reds season was once again in danger of unraveling before our eyes.

As the latest injury roundup at MLB.com notes, both Friedl and the team are optimistic that they’ve dodged a bullet with this hamstring tightness, however.

I think I’m still jaded by ‘hamstring tightness’ after it cost Donovan Solano and Jonathan India half-seasons within recent memory, but I’m going to do my best to remain as optimistic about Friedl as he seemingly is. That said, the continuous downgrading of news about Christian Encarnacion-Strand - who was transferred to the 60-day IL with his ailing wrist earlier in the week - gives me pause about positive developments with any of these injuries.

CES last played a game on May 7th, for the record, meaning the earliest he could return at this juncture is now roughly July 7th. That’s three weeks out, more or less, though David Bell saying the following sure doesn’t make it sound like he’s going to be back anywhere close to that timeline:

“We’re going to give it maybe four or five more days to see if there’s any progress before a decision is made.”

Wrist fractures that miraculously reveal previously unnoticed ligament damage weeks after the fact don’t usually just, like, ‘progress’ over the course of a few days or weeks. They need to be surgically repaired, and I’ve resigned myself to the fact that CES will be headed that direction soon.

Should Friedl miss any more time with this hammy, the two injury developments of the week should, in theory, put that much more pressure both on a) Noelvi Marte as he nears a return from suspension and b) the ownership and front office to make an addition to the sputtering offense that remains. While I spoke of optimism earlier in this reposter, I do not remain optimistic about the latter kicking into gear.

As an update, the Reds own an 87 wRC+ against RHP for the season. That ranks as 5th worst in all of baseball ahead of only Miami, Pittsburgh, the White Sox, and the Rockies - the perennial Fearsome Foursome of Suck.