BOSTON -- On a hot and humid Wednesday afternoon at Fenway Park, the Reds got a glimpse of what’s to come for both their rotation and bullpen.
An hour and a half before the resumption of Tuesday night’s suspended game against the Red Sox, Graham Ashcraft and Hunter Greene each took the mound and pitched to live hitters for the first time since their respective injuries.
“To be honest, I think every time a pitcher gets the ball, whether it's a side day, it's pretty big,” manager Terry Francona said on Monday. “You see most of them, they put their full uni on, which I think is really a good thing. But I think it'll help us gauge where he is and what we should do next. Think when [pitching coach Derek Johnson] and the guys get their eyes on him it will be really good.”
Greene faced five batters over one simulated inning, throwing around 20 pitches.
“Felt good,” Greene said. “I felt strong, feel like all my pitches were pretty solid today. Just had a lot of focus on trying to execute and get as game ready as possible.”
Greene has been sidelined by a right groin strain for the second time this season. After landing on the injured list on June 4, the Reds’ ace underwent an MRI that confirmed he’d suffered a Grade 1 strain. Greene received a second opinion from a doctor in Los Angeles before rehabbing at the Reds’ facility in Arizona.
Veteran Wade Miley was signed to a one-year, $2.5 million contract to take Greene’s place, but landed on the IL himself with a left flexor strain after just two starts with Cincinnati. The back-to-back injuries left a hole in the Reds’ rotation which led to the call-up of their No. 1 prospect and MLB Pipeline's No. 2 overall prospect Chase Burns.
The club will wait to see how Greene responds before determining next steps, but the initial plan was for the right-hander to throw a second live BP session in Philadelphia, where the Reds open a three-game set on Friday.
“When you're coming off rehab or the IL, number one is, obviously, feeling good in whatever area you've been injured or trying to come back from, so that's number one,” Greene said. “And then feel and making sure your stuff is sharp and polished, and that's really it.”
Looking to get the full game experience, Greene called for a special lefty to step into the box for his last batter: Former MLB pitcher and Cincinnati's current bullpen coach Matt Tracy.
“It was funny to see him in the box,” Greene said. “I think he got a little squibbler off of Graham. So it was cool to see that, good win for him today. But no, it was fun. I wanted him to get in there. I don't think he was going to get in at first, but obviously wanted to see a body in the left-hander’s batter’s box so I can get my eyes accustomed to that again.”
Ashcraft, who was placed on the injured list on June 17 with a right groin strain, also threw around 20 pitches. Working as a reliever for the first time this season, Ashcraft is 5-4 with a 4.19 ERA and 38 strikeouts in 29 appearances.