I was in the Goodyear Ballpark stands as Friedl dove headlong in center field trying to catch a ball hit by Seattle Mariners Ryan Bliss. As he was diving I actually stood up out of my seat and held my breath. Then I saw his glove not only roll under him but actually fly up into the air. He was in obvious pain, the stadium went quiet. It was a very scary scene.

I thought T.J. had dodged a huge bullet when the original diagnosis, as reported by MLB.com reporter Mark Shelton was a right wrist sprain. Then after an MRI was conducted it was announced by Reds team physician Andrew Razzano that Friedl’s true diagnosis was a broken distal radius bone. The forearm is made of two bones the ulna, which is on the finger side of the wrist, and the radius which is on the thumb side. The word distal refers to the location of the break, which means it was broken by his wrist, and not up by his elbow.

“It’s tough and I’m trying not to look back on the play and think about diving or not because that’s who I am,” Friedl said. “There’s no off switch. It doesn’t matter if it’s Spring Training or Game 7 of the World Series. That’s just the way I play the game. I play the game hard, and this is one of those things that’s just a freak incident. My glove got caught in the grass, and it just stuck, and everything else kept going.”

From an article by Mark Shelton at MLB.com

The injury is very unfortunate, but they happen in sports and in life. The Reds and their fans must move forward and figure out who is going to man center field in the absence of T.J. Friedl. I keep reading and hearing two in-house names that are seemingly the front runners to do just that, Stuart Fairchild and Will Benson. I love Will Benson, the player and the person. In 25 spring training at bats Benson has 1 home run, 3 RBI’s and 4 stolen bases with 9 walks and only 7 strikeouts. Fairchild, on the other hand, has had 23 spring training at bats he has 3 home runs and 6 RBI’s with 2 stolen bases, 3 strikeouts and no walks for a slash line of .409/.409/909.

But the team, the writers, and the fans are forgetting about someone who at least deserves a shot at the center field job. His name is Bubba Thompson. He has only had 17 plate appearances (which is why I said he deserves a chance, with only 17 plate appearances he has not gotten that) he has 6 hits, two of them doubles 0 home runs and 2 RBI’s. Fairchild has started 52 games in center, Benson only 14 times while Thompson has over 80 games in center field in the big leagues.

There is a chance the team could look outside the organization, but I think it would have to be a perfect match, especially with this quote from Reds General Manger of baseball operations Nick Krall, “We’re still looking if we can fill it internally,” Krall said. “Maybe there is an external [option]. Maybe somebody doesn’t make a roster that fits. We’re looking at that across the board. It’s not just for this.”

But, Fairchild and Benson had already made the team before the injury to T.J. Both of them can play multiple outfield positions. Stuart has played for 4 organizations in 3 years. In 331 total at bats in the majors he has a .230 batting average, with 10 career home runs, 10 career stolen bases and 36 career RBI’s. Plus, at 28 years old, I am not even sure why he is in this conversation. My 4 outfielders would be Benson, Fraley, Martini (mainly because he can also play 1st base), and Thompson. Bubba is the only right-handed bat of the 4. With the assurance that either Steer or India (who got the start in left field in Sundays spring training game) could fill in. For me Steer would DH 70% of the games this season. When T.J. does come back remember, he is a lefty as well, which as of right now would have me DFA Martini when that happens and still keep Thompson.

Friedl will be missed as he made himself a regular for the first time in 2023 while batting .279 with an .819 OPS, 18 home runs, 66 RBIs all while leading the Major Leagues with 17 bunt hits and the team with a 3.8 WAR. I think Thompson can do the same thing, at least until T.J. returns. In 138 games last season, Friedl had 27 stolen bases, in 92 career games Bubba has 22 stolen bases. By pointing this out, most readers probably think I am clamoring for Thompson to be the lead-off guy, but I am not. Will Benson should play everyday, even against lefties and lead-off with his .275 batting average and his .863 OPS. Friedl’s were .279 and .819 respectfully. Then Bubba Thompson should be in the 2 hole where mainly because of his speed, he has only hit into 2 ground ball double plays in his career.

Friedl looks forward to returning as soon as possible to help the club.

“It’s tough not being able to go out there for Opening Day and for however long it is,” Friedl said. “We have a lot of guys in this clubhouse who rally around each other. It’s not just one individual guy. Baseball is a game of someone doing something different every day. I’m not really worried about these guys. They will continue to do what they do best. All I can do is put myself in a position to pick up where I left off and rejoin the team.”

From an article by Mark Shelton of MLB.com

T.J.’s wrist is in a soft cast, his team is in a bind, and this writer has the solution. Do you agree? Let me know in the comments below.

Photo Credits; Yardbarker, Cincinnati Enquirer,

-Ballentine

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