Christian Encarnacion-Strand’s rehab assignment is going well so far, and it will continue for the time being.
Cincinnati Reds manager Terry Francona said Encarnacion-Strand would continue to play in Triple-A in order to regain his timing after more than a month out of action (back inflammation).
Encarnacion-Strand’s stay on the injured list started April 17, but he progressed from the Arizona Complex League to Triple-A Louisville during his rehab stint. In seven games with Louisville ahead of the Tuesday, June 3 game against the Norfolk Tides, Encarnacion-Strand was hitting .375 with nine hits in 24 plate appearances.
Six of his hits are extra-base hits.
That prompted some interest about when “CES” might return to the Reds, to which manager Terry Francona said Encarnacion-Strand “still had more time on his rehab and he’ll continue that progression.”
“Been swinging the bat pretty damn good, which is a good thing,” Francona said. “There’s never anything wrong with − we love that… When he went down, he wasn’t swinging the bat great. Then, you lose some time so you try to use it to your advantage. That’s the idea.”
Encarnacion-Strand logged just 15 games and 60 plate appearances prior to the injury. During that span, he hit .158.
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Here’s the latest on Reds’ Christian Encarnacion-Strand’s rehab stint in Triple-A
Reporting by Pat Brennan, Cincinnati Enquirer / Cincinnati Enquirer
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
