CINCINNATI (AP) — The Cincinnati Reds placed outfielder Austin Hays on the 10-day injured list because of a left hamstring strain and activated catcher Tyler Stephenson on Friday.
Hays, who is batting .365 in 13 games with five home runs and 13 runs batted in, injured himself while running the bases during Cincinnati’s 3-1 victory on Monday over the St. Louis Cardinals.
The Reds chose to retroactively start Hays’ stint on the injured list on Tuesday.
Stephenson has been sidelined by a left oblique strain since the regular season began. He played in 138 games last season, 127 of them as catcher.
“We are thrilled to have Stephenson back. He is a big part of what we want to be doing,” Reds manager Terry Francona said before Cincinnati hosted Washington on Friday night. “Especially with Hays out, he gives us that veteran right-handed bat.”
Stephenson — who had career highs with 26 doubles, 19 home runs and 66 RBI in 2024 — will share catching duties with Jose Trevino and Austin Wynns.
Trevino, signed to back up Stephenson behind the plate, is hitting .324. Wynns is hitting .394 in 12 games as Trevino’s backup.
Francona said having three catchers on the roster is “probably not going to be something that lasts forever.”
“It will allow us, if we DH one of them, we can pinch run easier,” Fancona added. “We’re very fortunate. We left camp a little concerned. You lose one of your big guns, but the guys did a good job. That helped us a ton.”
Francona rejected the idea of Stephenson playing first base.
___
AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb
