SEATTLE – The Cincinnati Reds sidestepped an injury scare with Spencer Steer when the infielder-outfielder showed significant improvement the day after getting drilled by a pitch in the ribs and eventually exiting the game.
Steer, who had trouble swinging the bat after the HBP in the opener of this week’s series in Seattle against the Mariners, was in enough pain after the game that night that he had x-rays.
“I definitely wanted to take those images just to make sure that there wasn’t any cracks or anything,” said Steer, who added he felt “a lot better today than I thought I would.”
He took swings in the batting cage before the middle game of the series and pronounced himself ready to play.
“I’ll be available if they need me off the bench,” said Steer, who expected to be back in the lineup for Wednesday’s series finale.
Steer avoiding the IL might have been the most predictable part of the proceed-with-caution approach he and the team took Monday night.
He’s never been on the IL in his career despite suffering injuries that looked like they would put him there in recent years. It’s one of the reasons evaluators from teams buying at the trade deadline have asked about Steer’s availability.
“It’s always tough for me to admit that something’s bothering me or that I can’t go,” he said. “I’ve always believed that if I can play I’m gonna play. But swinging the bat (Monday night), at just 75 percent, I just didn’t feel like I was able to do it. So it’s tough for me to admit, but that was a spot where I had to speak up and say something.”
So is he being honest about his availability this time around?
“I’m not lying now,” he said. “I feel good enough to go.”
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Reds’ Spencer Steer sidesteps IL again, ready to play after HBP, x-ray
Reporting by Gordon Wittenmyer, Cincinnati Enquirer / Cincinnati Enquirer
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Gordon Wittenmyer, Cincinnati Enquirer | USA TODAY Network
