Reds place Ashcraft (groin strain) on IL, recall Mey

CINCINNATI -- A key reliever will be out of action for the Reds after right-hander Graham Ashcraft was placed on the 15-day injured list on Tuesday because of a right groin strain.

Rookie right-handed reliever Luis Mey was recalled from Triple-A Louisville.

A starting pitcher for three seasons, Ashcraft is a first-time reliever this season and is 5-4 with a 4.19 ERA and 1.51 WHIP in 29 appearances (34 1/3 innings). He has stranded all 10 of his inherited runners on base.

Ashcraft, 27, last pitched on Sunday at Detroit. Entering in the seventh inning of a 2-2 game, he allowed two earned runs and three hits in his one inning. He picked up the win after the Reds scored four runs in the top of the eighth.

There was no obvious sign of injury during Ashcraft's outing.

Mey is back for his second big league stint. From May 1-28 during his first callup, he was 1-0 with a 4.15 ERA. After going back to Louisville, he had a 1.23 ERA and three saves in seven games.