Reds' Friedl diagnosed with fractured wrist, no timetable for return
Cincinnati Reds center fielder TJ Friedl will start his season on the injured list after sustaining a non-displaced fracture in his right wrist on Saturday, according to Mark Sheldon of MLB.com.
There's no firm timetable for his return. Doctors will re-evaluate Friedl in three-to-four weeks.
Friedl suffered the injury on a diving catch attempt in the second inning of the Reds' Cactus League contest against the Seattle Mariners on Saturday. An MRI later confirmed the fracture, and he wore a large brace on his wrist Sunday, according to Gordon Wittenmyer of the Cincinnati Enquirer.
"I'm trying to be optimistic. It is what it is," Friedl said, according to the Enquirer's Charlie Goldsmith. "I don't want to look back on it, sit in the past and play the question game of why, why, why? I'm just going to let the bone heal and put my body in the right position moving forward."
Friedl broke out as a key piece of the up-and-coming Reds last year, his third season in the majors. The 28-year-old earned some down-ballot MVP support after hitting .279/.352/.467 with 18 homers, 66 RBIs, and 27 stolen bases in 138 games while also playing solid defense in both center and left field. He was poised to serve as the Reds' leadoff man and everyday center fieder before the injury.
Reds president of baseball operations Nick Krall said that Will Benson and Stuart Fairchild are the likeliest candidates to fill in for Friedl in center field, according to Wittenmyer. Fairchild has appeared in 301 big-league games at the position, compared to Benson's 14.
Other potential options on the team's 40-man roster include outfielders Bubba Thompson, Nick Martini, Jacob Hurtubise, and Rece Hinds, who all have minor-league options remaining. Veteran utility players Tony Kemp and Josh Harrison, who both have experience in the outfield, are also in camp with Cincinnati as non-roster invitees.
Krall also didn't rule out the possibility of a transaction to add some more outfield help before the season opens, per Wittenmyer.