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CCiinncciinnnnaattii RReeddss MMeeddiiaa CClliippss JJuunnee 2211sstt,, 22001166 Cincinnati Reds Press Clippings June 21, 2016 THIS DAY IN REDS HISTORY 1957-On “Frank Robinson Night,” Robinson receives his 1956 Rookie of the Year Award and hits five singles in five at-bats MLB.COM Reds assembling missing pieces to club By Mark Sheldon / MLB.com | @m_sheldon | June 20th, 2016 CINCINNATI -- For most of this rebuilding season, several of the pieces the Reds expected for the process weren't at manager Bryan Price's disposal. Several were injured, and others have been getting needed development time in Triple-A. That's finally starting to change. With his "Super Two" status no longer a concern, pitching prospect Cody Reed was called up Saturday. Infielder Jose Peraza is back in the big leagues for the second time. Starting pitcher Anthony DeSclafani has put an oblique injury behind him. Pitchers Michael Lorenzen and Raisel Iglesias could be ready in the near future. "It's exciting because this is what we've all talked about," Price said. "We've anticipated it would happen a little bit sooner. We didn't anticipate the health issues, and didn't think we'd come out of Spring Training with all the issues and injuries. I did anticipate we'd get to the point where these young guys would impact our ballclub, and begin to learn how to play at this level and find their way to success." More help could be coming. Pitcher Robert Stephenson, who already made two spot starts in the big leagues, is performing well at Triple-A Louisville with a 3.29 ERA in 11 starts. Outfielder and top prospect Jesse Winker was just placed on the disabled list with a right wrist sprain, which stopped a decent month of June where he was batting .371 after a slow start. A veteran, pitcher Homer Bailey, could be back from Tommy John surgery rehab in mid-July. Among those around since the start of 2016, left fielder Adam Duvall has become a breakout player, and is tied for the Major League lead with 20 home runs. Despite time off with concussion symptoms, center fielder Billy Hamilton has started hitting, while making great defensive plays. Veterans Joey Votto, Jay Bruce and Zack Cozart are producing. Amid the additions could be some pending subtractions. The value for a lefty power hitter like Bruce and an All-Star caliber shortstop like Cozart should be high approaching the Aug. 1 non-waiver Trade Deadline. But the next month-plus could still be encouraging for Reds fans. Reinforcements are arriving at a time when Cincinnati has played better. After a 17-35 start to the season, the club is 10-8 this month. On Saturday at Houston, Reed delivered seven innings with nine strikeouts in his debut. DeSclafani has a 2.08 ERA through two starts after returning from the DL. Lorenzen, who had an elbow strain, is on a rehab assignment with Louisville, while Iglesias is on a rehab assignment at Double-A Pensacola after he had a shoulder impingement. Although considered starting pitcher prospects, both are expected to bolster the bullpen when they are ready. Looking a little further down the road, lefty prospect Amir Garrett was promoted from Pensacola to Louisville after posting a 1.75 ERA in 13 games. Rookie Davis, acquired in the Aroldis Chapman trade, has a 2.39 ERA in 10 starts for Pensacola, which just won its first-half division title. "For me, personally, it's exciting, and I know there's more to come," Price said. "We'll probably move up some of our Double-A prospects after the first half is over, and get more of our better young prospects even closer to the big leagues." Schebler among top prospect performers Monday Indians No. 4 prospect strikes out three in two innings in pro debut By Mike Rosenbaum / MLB.com | 2:03 AM ET The professional debut of 2015 first-rounder Brady Aiken highlighted an Opening Day in the Rookie-level Arizona League on Monday. The Indians' No. 4 prospect fired two scoreless innings without allowing a hit for the AZL Indians in a 7-4 loss against the Reds. Aiken walked the first batter he faced but offset the free pass with a pick off en route to facing the minimum six hitters in the outing. In his second inning of work, Aiken, No. 94 on the Top 100, put a bow on his impressive debut by striking out the side. Aiken was originally drafted first overall by the Astros in 2014 but wasn't able to reach an agreement with the organization after Houston lowered its signing-bonus offer upon discovering a potential issue with the left-hander's elbow in an MRI. Rather than settle for the reduced bonus, Aiken shifted his focus towards the 2015 Draft by attending IMG Academy (Fla.), only to have his stock take another hit when an elbow injury in his first start ultimately required Tommy John surgery. The Indians still selected him 17th overall that June, gambling on the immense upside he showed prior to the injury. Now roughly 15 months removed from that outing, the 19-year-old left-hander is fully healthy and beginning his pro career. The Indians will manage his workload carefully this season, but, as Aiken showed on Monday, it shouldn't keep him from being successful. The rest of the best performances from top prospects Monday • No. 35 overall prospect A.J. Reed's 10th home run -- a solo shot in the top of the ninth inning -- turned out to be the game-winner as Triple-A Fresno edged Tacoma, 2-1. The Astros' No. 2 prospect drove in both his team's runs, finishing 1-for-3. He's having a strong month of June for the Grizzlies, with four home runs and 10 RBIs in 19 contests. • No. 44 overall prospect Josh Bell went deep for the fourth time in seven games for Triple-A Indianapolis in a 7-5 win over Gwinnett. With 11 home runs in 68 games this season, the Pirates' No. 3 prospect is two long balls shy of matching his career high, which he achieved in 119 games in 2013. Bell, 23, has been putting up big numbers of late, with six homers, six doubles and 19 RBIs in his past 20 games. • No. 93 overall prospect Cody Bellinger (Dodgers' No. 5) homered and doubled as part of a four-hit performance as Double-A Tulsa fell to Springfield, 5-4, in 11 innings. The home run was the 20-year-old's seventh of the season and first since May 26. In his 2015 full-season debut, Bellinger slugged 30 home runs in 128 games in the hitter-friendly Class A Advanced California League. • A's No. 9 prospect Dillon Overton fired a season-high 7 1/3 scoreless innings to pace Triple-A Nashville in a 4-0 shutout of Round Rock. The 24-year-old lefty scattered five hits, walked one and struck out six, with 72 of his 106 pitches going for strikes. He has not allowed an earned run in his last 20 1/3 innings (three starts) for the Sounds. • Mets No. 27 prospect Chris Flexen tossed a season-high eight scoreless frames as Class A Advanced St. Lucie blanked Palm Beach, 2-0. The 2012 14th-rounder scattered eight hits, struck out four and generated 13 ground-ball outs. Flexen, 21, lowered his ERA to 3.35 from 3.73. • In Class A Advanced Bradenton's 1-0 shutout of Jupiter, Pirates No. 19 prospect Stephen Tarpley struck out a season-high seven hitters over six innings in what was his best start of 2016. The 23-year-old righty, whom the Pirates acquired prior to the 2015 season in exchange for Travis Snider, allowed two hits and walked three while throwing 61 of his 95 pitches for strikes. • Red Sox No. 27 prospect Kevin Steen logged five scoreless innings in his season debut for Class A Short Season Lowell, which walked off against Williamsport in 10 innings, 3-2. The 19-year-old right-hander threw 75 pitches (47 strikes), allowing a pair of hits and walks while striking out four. The 2014 ninth-rounder posted a 3.38 ERA over 32 innings (seven starts) for the Spinners last summer. • Reds No. 16 prospect Scott Schebler stayed hot as he went 4-for-4 with three doubles and two runs scored to help lead Triple-A Louisville past Buffalo, 4-1. The 25-year-old outfielder is enjoying an extraordinary month of June, hitting .426 with six home runs and 15 RBIs across 18 games. • Rockies No. 11 prospect Mike Nikorak showed promise in his season debut for Rookie-level Grand Junction by tossing four innings of one-run ball against Ogden. The 2015 first-rounder (No. 27 overall pick) wasn't particularly efficient, with five hits and four walks allowed, but he managed to offset those baserunners by striking out six and generating five ground-ball outs. In his pro debut with Grand Junction last summer, the 6-foot-5 righty posted an 0-4 record and 11.72 ERA over eight starts, with more than twice as many walks (32) as strikeouts (14). • Royals No. 13 prospect Ryan O'Hearn had a perfect night at the plate for Double-A Northwest Arkansas in a 5-3 loss against Arkansas, going 3-for-3 with a solo home run and a double. It was his fourth home run in the last 10 games and 13th in 68 games this season between the Class A Advanced and Double-A levels.