PHOENIX – After seeing a hand specialist in Phoenix, Cincinnati Reds catcher Tyler Stephenson returned to the ballpark only to grab his mitt and head back to the doctor’s office.
Stephenson, who suffered a small fracture near the tip of left thumb last week, had the diagnosis and prognosis confirmed by the specialist Aug. 22, said manager Terry Francona: He can work back toward catching as much as he can tolerate the pain.
Advertisement
Reds player move reliever Zach Maxwell Cincinnati Reds call up hard-throwing reliever Zach ‘Big Sugar’ Maxwell for MLB debut
Reds news notes player moves Hat tip toward October? How Cincinnati Reds won MLB trade deadline | Press Box Wag
The reason for the return with the mitt is to allow the specialist to have a custom-molded protective insert put in the thumb slot to presumably speed Stephenson’s return to the lineup.
Tyler Stephenson saw a hand specialist in Phoenix on Aug. 22 and will have a protective insert put into the thumb slot.
“We’ve got to see how that works,” Francona said. “The bad thing is one hit to it just sets him right back to where he was. So we’re going to have to keep an eye on that.”
Stephenson originally hurt the thumb Aug. 13 catching Hunter Greene, then returned to the lineup Aug. 16 only to have it flare up again on certain pitches. After giving it a few more days, it flared again when he tried to catch Nick Lodolo in a side session, prompting the X-rays that revealed the fracture.
Advertisement
With just five weeks left in the regular season, nobody’s predicting when (or if) he might be able to get back behind the plate.
Stephenson said the thumb hasn’t bothered him hitting in batting practice, which suggests at least a possibility that he might be able to return from the injured list as a hitter if the problems trying to catch persist for a lengthy stretch.
“If he was a position player, he may still be playing right now,” Francona said, “because he was swinging the bat the other day really good.”
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Cincinnati Reds C Tyler Stephenson fitted for thumb guard in mitt