CINCINNATI — Not only was his production drying up, but so was his playing time. That prompted the Reds to option corner infielder Christian Encarnacion-Strand to Triple-A Louisville on Saturday ahead of their 4-3 walk-off win vs. the Rockies, making way for outfielder Jake Fraley to be activated from the 10-day injured list.
Encarnacion-Strand returned from his IL stint from a back injury on June 6 and immediately contributed right-handed power, going 8-for-17 with three home runs over his first four games back. In the 17 games since, he was batting .179 (10-for-56) with one homer, one walk and 15 strikeouts.
“We spent a lot of time with him,” manager Terry Francona said. “We didn’t want to just say, ‘Hey, you’re going down. Good luck.’ [Hitting coach Chris Valaika] came in and we talked about his hitting and are just trying to swing at strikes. We’re not trying to turn him into an on-base machine. But he’s got kind of freakish power if he can swing at balls in this area [the strike zone] and not chase.
“Val had good info. There was just way too much chase. It’s going to be hard to sustain that, especially at this level.”
Encarnacion-Strand, 25, had lost playing time at first base to Spencer Steer and at third base to Noelvi Marte and Santiago Espinal. He ranks below average defensively at both positions.
“He’s not a bench player. You’re not going to pinch-run him, you’re not going to put him in for defense. So, in fairness to him, we’ll let him go play. I think he understood that,” Francona said. “We want him to play third and first, but a majority at third because that’s probably where he hasn’t played. We think it can help his athleticism, too. He can always go over to first.”
In a three-game rehab assignment with Louisville, Fraley went 2-for-11.
“It felt really good,” Fraley said of his shoulder. “I was able to get a couple of hits and had a couple of swings and misses, and I didn’t feel anything. I had one check swing and didn’t feel anything, so it’s been good.”
Fraley, 30, was not in Saturday’s starting lineup, but he did pinch-hit in the ninth, earning a walk. He entered the day batting .224 with a .707 OPS and five home runs in 47 games. He also missed 20 games in May with left calf tenderness.
The injection paired with strengthening exercises and maintenance has been viewed as successful so far and Fraley may not need surgery after all in the offseason, he was recently told.
“I’m excited to be back with the team,” said Fraley, who is arbitration eligible after the season. “It’s been a tough year so far. It hasn’t been terrible, but I haven’t played up to my full potential. Then obviously having to deal with this shoulder all over again — it feels like the third time now — but it’s exciting to be back. I’m happy that we were able to figure out a plan that’s worked so far.”
