The Reds introduced at present that infielder Noelvi Marté has been activated from the suspended checklist, having now served his 80-game PED suspension. In corresponding strikes, they optioned infielder Liván Soto and transferred right-hander Emilio Pagán to the 60-day injured checklist.
Marté, 22, had a wonderful debut for the Reds final yr. Lengthy thought-about one of many prime prospects within the league, he was referred to as up in August of final yr and hit .316/.366/.456 in his first 35 video games on the main league degree. That set him as much as be a key a part of the 2024 membership however he was hit with an 80-game suspension in early March after testing optimistic for Boldenone.
That has been simply one among a number of notable absences for the Reds this yr. Matt McLain, TJ Friedl and Christian Encarnacion-Strand have all missed important time resulting from damage, with a number of pitchers having frolicked on the IL as properly. These well being issues and Marté’s suspension have left the membership pretty hamstrung to this point on the season.
These points have contributed to a reasonably lackluster efficiency from the membership, because the Reds are at present 37-43. That leaves them solely 4.5 video games out of a playoff spot within the pretty weak Nationwide League Wild Card race, however many anticipated higher outcomes this yr after the membership gave the impression to be overflowing with younger expertise in direction of the tip of final yr.
The return of Marté might maybe give them a lift, although for what it’s value, he hasn’t been in good kind after his layoff. He started a rehab task a few weeks in the past and hit .151/.151/.170 in 15 Triple-A video games. That’s a small pattern measurement and maybe some rust is predicted after lacking time, however the Reds will clearly hope for higher than that going ahead.
The Reds nonetheless have McLain, Friedl and Encarnacion-Strand on the injured checklist whereas Jake Fraley and Jeimer Candelario are every coping with minor illnesses. Regardless of Marté’s poor kind throughout his rehab, he would possibly get some runway to get in a great place with so many different gamers ailing. He was primarily taking part in third base throughout his rehab, which has been Candelario’s residence for a lot of this season. Santiago Espinal has been overlaying that spot recently however is hitting simply .203/.253/.297 on the yr. Even when Candelario is wholesome once more, he’s able to shifting over to first base, whereas common first baseman Spencer Steer might maybe transfer into the nook outfield combine.
As for Pagán, he landed on the 15-day injured checklist June 9 resulting from a proper lat pressure. This switch suggests the Reds don’t count on him again till early August in a best-case state of affairs. He signed a two-year, $16MM deal within the offseason, with the possibility to decide out after one yr. He has a mediocre 4.43 earned run common on the yr and seemingly received’t have a ton of time to enhance that quantity after this IL stint. The Reds might look to enhance their bullpen previous to the commerce deadline, however their aggressiveness in that division will rely on how the membership performs over the following month.
