ATLANTA -- Already mired in a lackluster stretch of run production, the Reds were zinged by attrition to their lineup yet again on Wednesday. If they can just get through a couple of more days, a key contributor is expected to return.
Third baseman Noelvi Marte was placed on the 10-day injured list, retroactive to Monday, because of a left oblique strain. Outfielder Rece Hinds was recalled from Triple-A Louisville in a corresponding move prior to Cincinnati’s game against Atlanta at Truist Park.
“It’s difficult. Nothing you can do now," Marte said via interpreter Tomas Vera. "Now, you have to work hard to get back on the field as quick as possible. I believe in God that he will give me the strength to get back and be ready.”
Marte was scratched from Tuesday's lineup vs. the Braves shortly before first pitch when he felt pain in his left side while hitting in the batting cage. However, it was revealed that his issue with the injury goes back weeks.
"When I was down in Louisville, I got hit by a pitch in the same area," he said. "But I didn’t worry too much because it was something I was able to manage."
During Sunday's game against the Nationals, Marte felt something again when trying to make a throw to first base on Amed Rosario's fifth-inning groundout.
"But I didn’t feel anything when I was hitting," Marte said.
An MRI exam on Wednesday morning revealed a Grade 2 strain of Marte's oblique, according to manager Terry Francona. It was not immediately known how much time Marte will miss.
By comparison, catcher Tyler Stephenson missed the Reds' first 32 games with a mild left oblique strain he suffered in mid-March during Spring Training.
“He’s going to be a little while," Francona said of Marte.
Over 19 games this season, the 23-year-old Marte posted a .294/.342/.515 slash line with three home runs in 68 at-bats. Most of his production came after his second recall this season from Louisville on April 17.
Last year, after serving an 80-game suspension for steroid use, Marte hit just four homers in 229 at-bats.
Marte joined fellow hitters Austin Hays (left hamstring), Christian Encarnacion-Strand (back), Jeimer Candelario (back) and Tyler Callihan (broken left forearm) on the IL.
“That’s the game," Francona said. "I always feel like we’ll figure it out.”
Hays, in particular, was already a big loss. He missed Cincinnati's first 16 games with a strained left calf and went back on the IL last week because of a left hamstring strain, but he is on track for activation on Friday.
Marte and Candelario both play third base, which leaves the Reds thin at that position. Santiago Espinal and Gavin Lux are the best remaining options to fill in but Francona indicated there could be another addition.
"The way we’re configured right now, I don’t know if it stays that way just because we’ve got a lot of outfielders," Francona said. "And if Lux is DH-ing, we don’t have an extra infielder. We need to not panic today, get through, because we’ve got Hays coming in two days. So that’s a roster move and then kind of see how we look.”
In the Minors, the Reds have non-prospects like Davis Wendzel and PJ Higgins at Louisville who can play third base. At Double-A Chattanooga, Sal Stewart (No. 3 prospect) entered Wednesday batting .290 with an .827 OPS and two homers, and he has experience at both third base and second base.
Shortstop Edwin Arroyo (No. 5 prospect) is batting .323 with a .787 OPS and is a highly-regarded defender, but he has limited experience at third base.
Another injury surfaced on Wednesday when right fielder Jake Fraley reported left calf tenderness. Fraley felt it while grounding out as a pinch-hitter in the ninth inning of Tuesday's 2-1 loss to the Braves in 10 innings. He was scheduled to get an MRI exam late in the afternoon.
Hinds, a second-round pick by the Reds in the 2019 MLB Draft, took MLB by storm once he made his debut last July. He hit five home runs and batted .500 through his first six big league games to capture National League Player of the Week honors.
“He’s welcome to do that again," Francona joked.
After a slow start this season at Louisville, the 24-year-old Hinds is batting .281 with an .897 OPS, eight homers and 32 RBIs in 33 games.
“The first couple of weeks, it was freezing cold. It’s not an excuse but just getting my bearings with the start of the season," Hinds said. "Once that went through, it kind of clicked and I kept staying consistent and staying in my zone knowing what I can do.”