Jake Roth-USA TODAY Sports
Ryan Ludwick‘s rehab stint is up Sunday, and he may return sooner than that. That’s music to the Cincinnati Reds‘ – and their fans’ — ears.
Ludwick tore cartilage in his shoulder on opening day sliding into third base, but should offer the Reds some much needed right-handed pop in the middle of their lineup. The Reds’ left-fielder hasn’t exactly hit the cover off the ball with the Reds’ AAA affiliate Louisville Bats during his rehab, going just 2-for-28 through Wednesday. However, Ludwick is a perennial slow-starter and has been going through what amounts to be his spring training.
In a resurgent 2012 season, Ludwick hit 26 home runs in just over 120 games as the team’s cleanup hitter. That’s twice what the Reds have been able to muster out of their cleanup spot through 114 games this season. All-Star second baseman Brandon Phillips has filled in admirably in the four-hole, but is not a natural cleanup hitter, and his numbers this year have demonstrated that.
Phillips comes into Friday’s game batting just .261, and has been overly aggressive early on in the count all year. He has seen his WAR drop from a career high 4.7 in 2011, to a minuscule 1.1 this season. With Ludwick set to return, Phillips can slide back into the No. 2 slot behind the surging Shin-Shoo Choo, potentially making this team formidable offensively again. Since the All-Star break, the Reds have batted under .250 as a team and have scored just over three runs a game.
Over the last two years, manager Dusty Baker has had to ask Phillips to move all over the lineup in order to fill voids left by injury or lack of production, which again, Phillips has done admirably. While some of his numbers are down this season, the always chatty defensive wizard has driven in 84 runs to rank him third in the National League to keep his team in the NL Central hunt.
Ryan Hanigan has been suffering from a wrist ailment, but should be available off of the bench by the weekend as well. Third-year catcher Devin Mesoraco has filled in nicely offensively, but has thrown out just 27 percent of runners, to Hanigan’s 52 percent.
Baker is excited about his squad finally starting to get healthy.
“Hanny’s close, Ludwick’s close,” Baker told Fox Sports Ohio. “By week’s end, this could be a very good week. We’ve been operating with less than our team. The guys who [have] taken their place have done a good job. But it’s time for the big boys to come back.”
The speedy left-fielder Derrick Robinson and veteran catcher Corky Miller will likely be sent down to make room for the two on the Reds’ roster. For more information on roster moves read Coop Ledford’s column.
Will Reeve is a Cincinnati Reds writer for Rant Sports. Follow him on Twitter @WillReeveJr, “like” him on Facebook, or add him to your network on Google.
