Reds outfielder TJ Friedl set for rehab assignment with AAA Louisville

Their leadoff hitter is slated to return in short order.

It was March 16th when Cincinnati Reds outfielder TJ Friedl dove for a ball and rolled up on his right (fielding) wrist. The next day it was confirmed to be a fracture of the distal radius in said wrist, and just like that a meaningless Cactus League fly ball devoided the Reds of both their everyday CF and leadoff hitter.

Freidl, 28, had a breakout campaign with the Reds in 2023, notching a 4.0 bWAR season (that lead the club) while establishing that he was far more than an strong-side platoon option with the bat. If anything, as the Reds attempted to move Spencer Steer to the outfield and entered spring camp at Goodyear with an incredibly malleable infield and platoon options up and down the roster, Friedl playing everyday in CF and hitting 1st in the lineup was going to be the lone real in-pen part of the daily juggle for David Bell.

Without Friedl - and the laundry list of other injured/suspended/ailing Reds - the offense has sputtered of late. To date, their collective 88 wRC+ ranks 25th among the 30 MLB clubs, and it’s been an even more dismal 75 (28th) over the last 14 days.

There’s a bright side to this tale, however. The Reds announced on Thursday morning that Friedl is set to begin his rehab assignment with AAA Louisville, putting him on-track for a return to the Reds within the next two weeks.

There’s some good news regarding lefty Alex Young in said tweet, too, though his presence on the 60-day IL means he’s going to be spending a lot more time rehabbing at the minor league level due to administrative reasons. He also has an option, so the Reds may choose to kick his can down the road a little while they carry a different trio of lefties in their bullpen.

As for Friedl, my best guess is that they’ll let him play out the string on his rehab for as long as he can, assuming he doesn’t show up and blast a dozen dingers in the first few games. Wrist injuries often need a bit longer time to ramp-up timing and strength, and as Charlie Goldsmith of The Enquirer notes this will be ‘spring training like’ for Friedl, according to David Bell.

The larger hope is that the team’s outfield depth gets un-sick while Friedl continues to get un-injured. While Friedl is still undoubtedly the most key piece out there, the likes of Spencer Steer, Will Benson, Jake Fraley, and Stuart Fairchild can hold down the fort well enough assuming they aren’t sidelined for days at a time with the sick-bug that’s been ravaging the roster of late.

See ya soon, TJ!