Freel close to returning

[missionhockey21]

Freel close to returning
But O'Brien not tipping hand on who will go

By John Fay
Enquirer staff writer

Reds manager Jerry Narron said Monday the plan is for Ryan Freel to get 20 to 25 plate appearances in his rehab assignment at Double-A Chattanooga.

Freel had 12 plate appearances going into Monday night.

That means the Reds are two or three days from a tough decision.

Who goes when Freel comes back?

If you base it simply on the numbers, it's an easy call. Anderson Machado goes.

Machado had only one at-bat - he popped out trying to bunt - in his first eight games with the club. He pinch hit and struck out in the fifth inning Monday.

But Machado is out of options, so the Reds would have to put him on waivers and risk losing him to send him to the minors.

They weren't willing to take that risk on July 6 when Machado's rehab assignment ran out, even though he had hit .138 in 21 games at Louisville. They've been playing with essentially a 24-man roster since.

Reds general manager Dan O'Brien said the Reds will wait and see before committing to a move.

"Unfortunately, an injury always seems to come up when you're about to make a move," O'Brien said. "We'll address it when the time comes."

Ray Olmedo would be another choice to send out.

But going into Monday, Olmedo was hitting .563 in his 11 games with the Reds. He had a game-winning RBI double Saturday.

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[Wally Mo Pena]

does machado have a future with this team? I don't think so. With freel, bergolla, olmedo, jiminez if he gets it turned around and of course FeLo, it seems like we have an abundance of middle infielders in the system. I say try to deal him quick to someone for a similar type minor leaguer and send them straight to AA or AAA.

[CincyRedsFan30]

It looks like Aurilia will stay in the lineup even when Freel gets back. Freel looks to be a spot starter and bench guy if what Narron says is true.

Of course Miley had stated he wanted Freel starting before the season, and then something happened to change that, so maybe things will change again here.

[Geki Ace]

O'Brien happened before the season. He hates Freel for some reason, probably because if Freel plays well, it doesn't make O'Brien look good, but if Aurilia or Jimenez play well, O'Brien can claim credit because he's the reason they're here.