CINCINNATI — Reds manager David Bell has already planned out the entire season, looking game-by-game at just where Tyler Stephenson may play against each opponent. The goal, Bell said Monday as the Reds’ winter caravan kicked off at Great American Ball Park, is for the 26-year-old Stephenson to play between 140 and 150 games in 2023, spread amongst catcher, first base, and DH.
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“No way will it go perfectly, but just to see what it would look like to get that many games in and catch enough to where he’s still going to get better and still be considered a catcher, but enough DH and first base,” Bell said. “I think it could work out. If everything went perfectly, I really believe it would accomplish everything, the plan I have kind of mapped out.”
Stephenson was limited to just 50 games last season with a concussion, a broken right thumb and a fractured right clavicle. Although all three injuries were considered freak injuries, all three did come with him behind the plate — the concussion on a collision at the plate and the two fractures on foul balls. There have been plenty of questions about Stephenson moving from out behind the plate on a full-time basis, but both he and the team have said he will continue to catch.
The Reds, however, did sign two veteran free-agent catchers this offseason in Luke Maile and Curt Casali. That should allow Stephenson to spend time as a designated hitter and even at first base.
“The goal for Tyler is just to keep them in the lineup as much as possible,” Bell said. “We still believe in Tyler as a catcher. We think he is a good one. We think he’s going to keep getting better as a catcher. But we also know how important he is to our lineup and keeping him healthy and keeping him in the lineup as much as possible is the goal.”
Bell said he talked to Stephenson, and said that the player recognizes that he may catch less than he’d like, while also understanding the reasoning behind the decision. Bell said after discussing the plan with Stephenson, he spoke to both Maile and Casali, as well.
“They’re all-around players, but they are in it for the right reasons to help our team win,” Bell said. “It’s kind of a perfect situation with those two guys and who they are. Luke being local. Curt has been one of our players. Then Tyler. They are all going to get along great. We’re in a really great spot with our catching.”
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The Reds used seven different catchers last season. Of those, three remain in the organization: Stephenson, Chuckie Robinson and Austin Romine. Robinson and Romine signed minor-league deals with an invitation to big-league camp. Reds catchers, including Stephenson, hit just .210/.258/.322 with 14 home runs and 56 RBI last season. Stephenson accounted for six home runs and 31 RBI.
Opening Day status of Votto, Senzel still unknown
Both Joey Votto and Nick Senzel are making progress following their surgeries last season, but there’s no guarantee that either will be ready for Opening Day, Reds general manager Nick Krall said.
Votto, who is recovering from shoulder surgery, will not be fully ready at the start of spring training, Krall said, and while Senzel is making progress on his foot injury, the team will know more when everyone’s in Arizona.
“It wouldn’t surprise me at all if he’s ready by Opening Day just knowing how hard he works and how dedicated he is,” Bell said of Votto. “At the same time, it wouldn’t surprise me if he was delayed a little bit just because of how tough of an injury it is.”
Pitchers Lucas Sims (back) and Justin Dunn (shoulder) are throwing and on track for spring training, Krall said, while Tejay Antone was dealing with forearm issues from ramping up his throwing, not from his recovery from Tommy John surgery, Krall said.
The shortstop question
Jose Barrero. (Dylan Buell / Getty Images)
Reds season ticket holders were invited to the team’s clubhouse Monday to help kick off the caravan festivities and participated in a question and answer session. When shortstop Jose Barrero was asked about his offseason, he surprised many by answering in English.
“I was playing in Puerto Rico,” Barrero said in English. “I made some adjustments mentally and mechanically to help my team for this year 2023.”
Sitting on the other end of the set of chairs, Bell clearly perked up and smiled hearing Barrero’s confidence and willingness to answer the question in English.
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“That was beautiful,” Bell said. “It’s impressive. I don’t think we — I know I don’t understand what that is like. It takes a lot of courage. That was perfect English.”
Barrero has another shot at taking the starting shortstop position with the trade of Kyle Farmer to the Twins. Last season he had surgery to remain a fractured hamate bone in his hand during spring training, delaying his season. He’ll enter spring in a competition with veteran Kevin Newman for the starting spot. Matt Reynolds also re-signed on a minor-league deal and über prospect Elly de la Cruz will be in camp.
Barrero had been the organization’s top prospect for several years and debuted in 2020 without having played above High A thanks to the cancellation of the minor-league season that year. The 24-year-old Cuban has appeared in 93 games at the big-league level and struggled to hit consistently, batting .170/.215/.223 in 298 plate appearances over three seasons. He played in a career-high 48 games last season, but hit just .152/.195/.206. He did, however, hit the first two homers of his young career.
“Where he is right now is in no way concerning for me,” Bell said. “He’s still young. In a lot of ways, this is exactly where he should be. I do believe now is the time. He’s had the experience. All the way up until today, he went to winter ball, he’s made adjustments. At some point, it does need to come together, but that’s what I see happening for Jose this year. He’s going to get an opportunity for sure.”
Barrero said he added a toe tap to his swing, “to have more balance at my base and have a better view of pitches and try to recognize pitches a little bit better,” he said, according to interpreter Angel Gonzalez.
Hitting coach Joel McKeithan worked with Barrero throughout the season and continued his work into the offseason. Barrero also played in 21 games and got 86 plate appearances in Puerto Rico this offseason to work on those adjustments.
“The biggest thing is you’ve just got to stay positive and that’s what I’m doing,” Barrero said, according to Gonzalez. “This sport can beat you down sometimes. Sometimes you have your lows. Sometimes you have your highs. Just staying positive and being in the right mindset.”
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Hard sell for Reds
The last time the Reds held a caravan was in January 2020; the team had already made a couple of big-money signings and promised more.
That’s not exactly where they are three years later. Instead, the franchise has traded away many of its biggest names and the free-agent additions were more muted.
“This is where we are, this is who we are,” Krall said. “We’ve got to build sustainability to have success here.”
There will be more talk about the organization’s distant future over the next week than there will be about its immediate future. The Reds have one of the game’s deeper farm systems and have talent to boast about. That said, the expectations for the upcoming season are not high externally. That’s hardly a way to gin up excitement, but it is reality.
“I’m excited about our young starters, Alexis Díaz did really well, our bullpen was pretty solid the second half, Jonathan India being healthy coming into spring, Tyler Stephenson,” Krall said. “We have a lot of solid young players at the big league level. It’s just continuing to develop our system.”
As for this year’s roster, Krall wouldn’t say it was set, but he did note he didn’t expect any major changes. After the caravan in 2020, the team signed Nick Castellanos.
“I think we’re looking to do little things here and there,” Krall said. “I don’t know if I see any big moves. Then again, something could happen today. You just never know. As of right now, I think it’s pretty much set.”
There is one big-name former Red on the free-agent market, but people within the organization not authorized to speak publicly on the subject said it is “highly unlikely” the Reds would sign Trevor Bauer.
Bronson, meet A-Rod. A-Rod, meet Bronson
During Monday’s Q&A, incoming Reds Hall of Fame member Bronson Arroyo was asked about his relationship with former rival Alex Rodriguez. Both Arroyo and Rodriguez were on this year’s Hall of Fame ballot.
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When he played for the Red Sox, Arroyo had two rather famous interactions with Rodriguez, than a Yankee. Arroyo hit Rodriguez in a 2004 regular-season game, leading to a brawl between the Yankees and Red Sox. That brawl is best remembered for Boston catcher Jason Varitek shoving his glove in Rodriguez’s face. Then in that season’s legendary American League Championship Series, Rodriguez tried to slap the ball out of Arroyo’s glove on a play near first.
Despite their shared history, Arroyo said he’s never actually had a conversation with Rodriguez.
Recently Arroyo was playing a concert in New England and said his former teammate Julian Tavarez approached him after the show. Tavarez said Rodriguez wanted to hang out with Arroyo.
Arroyo said Tavarez told him, “he don’t hate you,” speaking of his friend Rodriguez.
Arroyo did play against Rodriguez in high school; He said that he had once brought up an incident where Rodriguez, then a senior in high school, talked to an umpire about giving his team the calls. Arroyo, then a sophom*ore, thought that was brash. Arroyo mentioned the incident in an interview with the New York Post in the spring of 2005, and it, of course, made headlines.
“I said that story at the end of praising him as one of the greatest players of all time,” Arroyo recalled, “and the headline the next day in the New York (Post) (was ) that ‘Arroyo’s disdain for A-Rod goes back to high school.’”
(Top photo of manager David Bell speaking at the event: C. Trent Rosecrans)
