Nick Senzel’s season is over, as the Reds outfielder has suffered a torn right labrum, The Athletic’s C. Trent Rosecrans reports (Twitter link). Senzel has missed four of Cincinnati’s last seven games due to the shoulder injury, and only took one plate appearances over the other three games.
Senzel will finish with a .256/.315/.427 slash line and 12 homers over 414 plate appearances, while also stealing 14 bases in 19 chances. With only an 89 OPS+ and wRC+, it wasn’t quite the big breakout the Reds and their fans were hoping for from one of the game’s top prospects, though it’s worth noting that a sprained ankle suffered late in Spring Training kept Senzel from taking the field until April 23, and delayed his Major League debut until May 3.
Perhaps most troublingly, the 24-year-old is already amassing a rather lengthy injury history just four years into his pro career. Senzel played just 44 total games (all at Triple-A) in 2018 due to a broken finger and a bout of vertigo, which also cost him time in 2017. The Reds were going to send Senzel to the Arizona Fall League for more seasoning, only to drop those plans when elbow surgery sidelined him for much of October and November of last year.
Through it all, Senzel also had to take on a brand-new position, as Cincinnati shifted him into center field duty. Since he’d never played center field prior to 2019, Senzel’s slightly below-average defensive metrics (-2.1 UZR/150 and -1 Defensive Run Saved) are actually more than respectable. It seems likely that the Reds will continue to use Senzel in center going forward, though now that Scooter Gennett is no longer in the picture, one wonders if the club would consider having Senzel split time between both second base and center field. Senzel’s original third base position, of course, is blocked by slugger Eugenio Suarez.
It isn’t known if Senzel will require shoulder surgery, though president of baseball operations Dick Williams suggested Thursday that Senzel could be ready for Spring Training either way (link via Daniel Kramer of MLB.com).
Selected as the second overall pick in the 2016 draft, Senzel’s hitting ability has been highly regarded since his days at the University of Tennessee. Senzel hit .312/.388/.508 with 28 home runs over 1028 PA in the minors, including an .853 OPS over 231 PA at the Triple-A level.
Tearing your labrum is the style now, step aside oblique or hamstring strains.
You’re an idiot if you think a torn labrum is equivalent of a strained anything. It’s a brutal injury for a throwing athlete and does NOT heal on its own. So yes, unless Senzel wants to struggle with on and off pain for no apparent reason, he needs surgery to fix this and a long, tedious rehab. His 2020 season and career are both in jeopardy.
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yeah you could tell he was grinding his last couple of games. Stoked to see what he can do over a healthy full season
Trade him now , that’s he is young , he just going to be a regular player
Lotto is this Saturday. I hate work. Can you give me those numbers, Nostradamus?
Senzel is on the same career trajectory as Dustin Ackley. Hopefully he can get straightened out.
Without David Bells’s strange dependence on Raisel Iglesias, Tyler Mahle and David Hernandez; I think CIN is in the hunt for the post season.
I’m a Reds’ fan. I have been for 20 years, albeit miserable for the most part. I personally don’t see them competing next year. Gray, Castillo, Bauer and Desclafani are a fine 4. Awesome, really. Depth is their primary issue. Inability to develop pitchers is the biggest cause. Now, after essentially trading Josiah Gray, Jeter Downs, Taylor Trammell, and Scott Moss, they yield Bauer and Kyle Farmer. One year of Bauer, no less. I admire their go for it, so I’m not upset with the effort. However, them being contenders, they’re not.
IMO, the need an overhaul up the middle. Senzel is a great start, be it at second or center. But that still leaves holes at catcher, short and wherever he doesn’t play.
The bullpen has holes, too. Four guys stay – Iglesias, Lorenzen, Garrett and Stephenson. But who are the other four? Man, this is depressing.
Wow, yeah, I didn’t realize they essentially turned Downs and Gray into part of the Bauer equation too, but you’re right.
Downs = future starting SS with pop
Moss = future #3 alteady dominating in AAA
Gray = future #3 already feasting in AA
Trammell = perennial 4 WAR OF in my eyes
That’s a lot of talent to give up for one-plus year of a mid rotation arm and a controllable utilityman for team that could really use the talent.
Mack, I only see Gray making an impact in MLB, not the other three. Downs perhaps, but at 2B not SS. The chances of all four finding success in MLB are slim. I imagine that the Reds weren’t sold on them either.
the roarke trade got them a better cf. than trammel(who has done squat with his new team) moss and gray future #3’s is a reach. Bauer will be reds best pitcher next year.Top 5 in k’s this year.
Yeah, I need to see them perform in a full season of AA. Downs doesn’t seem to work at short. I imagine he will go to center. Gray is too earlier to tell, he hasn’t been pitching long. Trammell is the guy that really stings, IMO. I feel he figures out his issue and is back to a top prospect like level. Miss, too many walks. Reliever, IMO.
Jameson Hannah is not a better player or prospect than Taylor Trammell. And not sure how saying Moss or Gray are potential mid-rotation arms is a reach.
NO they didn’t essentially turn Downs and Gray into the Bauer deal. The deal was always about removing Bailey, and adding pieces that could help them in 19. Wood got hurt, Kemp was always a throw in, Farmer has been a pleasant surprise, and Puig ended up doing roughly what you’d expect.
They also turned Shed Long into Gray, and got Roark for a 4A reliever. So 2 of the trades worked out great, and the one that didn’t work out great, was still a win for the team.
I was disappointed that Moss had to be apart of the Bauer trade, but short of that I don’t think we traded away anyone of real importance, and yes that includes Trammell.
David Bell will be lucky to still be managing the Reds by the all-star break next year. I thought the guy (Gabe Kapler) in Philly was a coconut, but gotta admit that many of Bell’s tactics(?) leave me puzzled.
Like the Rockies, the Reds will always have trouble with pitching; both starters and relievers. Like Coors, the home park gives up way too many cheap homers.
Good nucleus of young talent on this team. Time to shed some vets (Votto, Peraza, Iglesius (SS) and Bauer) and let the kids play in 2020.
Reds are gonna rue the day they gave up so much for Bauer. Man, talk about being a coconut, Bauer is a strange dude. Plus he hasn’t pitched well since the trade. Meanwhile, Taylor Trammel is gonna be an all-star one day.
Peraza is still an arb player and Votto has a no-trade clause. He is a lifetime Red unless something very ugly happens. You have to know the entire back story of how he became a Red to understand why I can make this statement. The Reds are in the wild card hunt or perhaps first place if not for Iglesias and the entire team hitting worse than any team in baseball for at least the first month of the season.
did you miss Bauers last start? Trammel barley hit .200 this yr.and reds got a better young CF with roarke trade.
Oof. That is no small injury. And on the throwing arm too.
Personally I’m not that optimistic about his trajectory. A 25 year old next year with a 730 ops at an extreme hitters park no less. It’s the age for me. Has Jose De Leon vibes for me. No hate age is so important there’s 4 year pros who’ve already gone through their growing pains this guy still trying to establish himself
Surprised so many Reds fans are knocking Senzel and calling him just an average player. I’m a Phillies fans and, bum shoulder and all, I’d take him in a heartbeat. You’re looking at a .300 hitter with 30 HR pop who can also steal 20+ bases.
To help avoid injuries, and guard against any residual shoulder problems lingering, play Senzel at 1B every day in 2020. Time for Votto to step aside.
Totally agree on Senzel being an absolute stud going forward. However, his value is in CF, not at 1B. Votto will be at 1B for the foreseeable future, and I believe that he’ll have a big bounce back year next year. Votto takes care of himself and is obviously dedicated to his craft. The mid season change in batting stance will pay dividends next year.
From a fan who’s team picked Micky Moniake 1st overall before senzel i will understand your dumb post.Reds are not paying Votto 25m a yr to give senzel 1st base. lol.
Didn’t say to bench Votto. If I were the Reds GM I would trade him. Surely a contending AL club would like to have him as a DH and part time 1B.
Votto needs to step aside for Senzel in 2020 looks like bench Votto considering Votto has a no-trade clause and has said he will never accept a trade even to hometown Toronto.(who is going young big time)
Surely they would not. No one wants an aging and declining 1B who is a negative in the field and can’t hit for power anymore. Especially when that guy is making 25 million per year for the next 4 years.
You’re crazy if you think he has any value at all as a trade chip, you’d have to package a few prospects just to get a team to agree to look at a trade.
exactly! Votto is owed $107m the next 4 years and Lou wants to trade him. lol. Phillies will be in they same boat with their RF. very soon.
Votto, $32-mil over 4 years and Nick Longhi to Toronto for Randal Grichuk and Billy McKinney.
This org is so dumb, year after year after year. They trained Nick to play 2B, which he is excellent at doing since it was his second position at UT, and since his natural position at 3B was locked up by Suarez. So instead of sticking with the plan, they convert him to CF and use a market basket full of players at 2B all season when Scooter can’t make it through ST. That did wonders for the D (sarc/). Scooter should have been moved in the off season if not by the trade deadline the season before when they could have got more than a ham sammich. A last place rebuilding team did not need a vet at 2B with poor range and mediocre D skills even with a good bat.
So to compound the problem, they decide to change Nick’s stance about a month ago because they liked what Aquino did. His BA/OBP goes from .285/.335 to .256/.315. – how utterly stupid! Do that stuff in the off season if you must.
They need to sign a CF in the off season. Move Nick back to 2B. That leaves them with Winker, Ervin, Aquino plus the new CF. VanMeter is utility IF and corner OF. If they keep Blandino they also have IF utility covered. Done. Farmer is also utility including 1B and the third catcher. Now go sign a proven catcher like Grandal.
Then iglesis(ss) is not signed and Galvis becomes everyday SS in 2020.
2Bmen are a dime a dozen, which is why they couldn’t find a decent return for Scooter. Senzel’s bat stands out in CF, and the Reds have plenty of options at 2B. Option #1 is clearly VanMeter, who should be their starter in 2020.
As for changing Senzel’s batting stance being utterly stupid, did you really think the Reds were contending for a wild card month ago? Only had to leapfrog a half dozen teams. Wasn’t ever going to happen. A number of Reds changed their batting stance during the season this year. Some, like Barnhart, saw an immediate improvement. The team now has a jump on 2020, instead of wasting the last two months of the year.
Senzel is your CFr, JVM is at 2B, and Galvis at SS. Grandal is the only legit upgrade at C.
2nd pick in 2016. So many quality players are producing way more that were picked way later and got paid way less. Just goes to show you……you never know!!