Reds Update Around The Ball Club

For the first time in his minor league career, Aroldis Chapman pitched out of the bullpen for the Louisville Bats today. The organization decided to see how he would fare out of the bullpen since Edinson Volquez had a rehab start. He pitched two innings and allowed one run, two hits and one walk with three strikeouts. Walt Jocketty, Reds GM said that this is something "We may look at" referring to using Chapman out of the bullpen. Chapman has appeared in 14 games this season for the Bats,(13 starts) and has a record of 5-5 and a 4.12 ERA. He has given up 62 hits and 41 walks while recording 79 strike outs. He is usually limited to a 100 pitch count per game which usually lasts him about 5 innings. Aroldis has struggled with consistency and command so far this season. Advice Edinson Volquez has given Chapman while rehabbing in Louisville was “I told him to be aggressive with a hitter, use the fastball, he can do whatever he wants.”


Edinson Volquez pitched 5 innings and allowed just one run and no walks with one strikeout for the Bats in his rehab start today. He threw first pitch strikes to 9 of the 19 Toledo Mud Hens batters he faced and reached as high as 98 mph on the radar gun. Overall in two starts with Class A Lynchburg and one with Louisville, Volquez has allowed just one run and no walks over 13 innings. When Reds manager Dusty Baker was asked about Volquez and asked if he was eager for his return, he said, "If you get eager, then you'll have a tendency to rush him back out of need," Baker said. "We pay attention. We monitor him. Sure, we'd like to have him back tomorrow. He has to be right when he comes back. And when he comes back, we don't want him to have to leave again." "We just want him to feel no unnecessary soreness, just normal stuff," Baker said. "It'll be nice to have him back -- not just pitching, but to have him here. He's good for your team." Here's what Edinson Volquez had to say, “I feel great right now over there on the mound,” he said. “My arm is ready to go.” Volquez last pitched for the Reds on June 1, 2009. He underwent Tommy John surgery on his right elbow in August. The Reds plan to give Volquez three more rehab starts in AAA Louisville and a return is not set but is possible he could return just after the all-star break as long as he has no unnecessary soreness.


The Reds will push back Mike Leake's next start from Sunday to Tuesday when the Philadelphia Phillies come to town. "We just did it this morning," Reds manager Dusty Baker said Wednesday of the change. "We knew we were going to do that with him. We made a promise to ourselves."  The upcoming pitchers for the Cleveland series will be Aaron Harang starting Friday, Sam LeCure on Saturday and Bronson Arroyo on Sunday. Johnny Cueto will start the series opener on Monday vs the Phillies. Mike Leake's following start will be on the 4th of July vs the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field. The Reds aim to keep the rookie pitcher at around 170 innings pitched on the year since he has not pitched much beyond that amount of innings before in his college career and he has no minor league baseball experience after making the jump straight from college to the MLB. Reds GM Walt Jocketty said that number of innings they want to limit Leake to is not set in stone as of yet.


Ryan Hannigan will begin a rehab assignment in AAA Louisville on Thursday where he is expected to be there from a week to 10 days. "He's on a program to DH a couple of games and catch a game," Reds general manager Walt Jocketty said. "We've patterned it like that."  Hanigan has been on the DL since May 29 with a broken left thumb. He has been able to hit for several days, but still has pain while trying to catch. He caught Johnny Cueto's side bullpen session this week and warmed up Reds relievers in yesterday's game vs the A's.