Cincinnati Reds middle fielder TJ Friedl will miss the start of the common season after struggling a non-displaced fracture in his proper wrist, in keeping with Mark Sheldon of MLB.com. Friedl, who suffered the damage on a diving seize on Saturday, will probably be reexamined in three to 4 weeks. It stands to motive that he’ll require further time on high of that to get again into recreation form earlier than rejoining the big-league lineup.
Friedl, 28, loved a breakout season final 12 months. He hit .279/.352/.467 (118 OPS+) with 18 house runs and 27 stolen bases over 138 video games. These contributions have been estimated to be price 3.8 Wins Above Alternative, per the calculations at Baseball Reference. In flip, Friedl earned down poll consideration for the Nationwide League Most Beneficial Participant Award, tying him for twenty third with Nick Castellanos, Zac Gallen, and Christian Walker.
It is but to be seen who the Reds flip to in middle discipline throughout Friedl’s absence. The highest inside candidate would appear to be Stuart Fairchild, who acquired 17 begins there in 2023. Fairchild is with out choices and was slated to be a part of their bench unit anyway, having posted a 90 OPS+ final season on the big-league stage in 255 journeys to the plate. The Reds do have a number of different choices on their 40-player roster they may use to backfill Fairchild’s spot on the bench, together with Jacob Hurtubise, Nick Martini and Bubba Thompson.
Friedl is the second Reds starter to be scratched from their early season plans. Projected third baseman Noelvi Marte, one of many high prospects within the sport, was just lately suspended for 80 video games after failing a check for performance-enhancing medicine.
The Reds are slated to start their season on March 28 in opposition to the Washington Nationals.
