ST. LOUIS (AP) - Cincinnati scratched pitcher Mat Latos from an injury rehabilitation start due to right elbow irritation and placed reliever Trevor Bell on the 15-day disabled list with an aching right elbow.
The Reds also activated right-hander Jonathan Broxton from the disabled list following his recovery from a right forearm injury. Manager Bryan Price said Tuesday that Broxton will be the stand-in closer in place of injured Aroldis Chapman.
“I’d love to be able to get him into a ballgame where he just starts an inning and gets his feet wet,” Price said. “If I could, I’d like to get him into a game that wasn’t the ninth inning for his first game, but you never know. He definitely will be our closer once we get him re-acclimated, and that might be maybe one outing.”
Price said he didn’t believe Latos’ injury was serious but also said the team will take a conservative approach and reschedule a rehab appearance after the soreness was gone. The elbow bothered Latos, who had been set to pitch for Triple-A Louisville at Columbus after he threw in the bullpen Sunday.
“Certainly in the next couple days we should know a lot more,” Price said.
A 14-game winner in each of the last two seasons, Latos is recovering from right elbow surgery last October and left knee surgery in mid-February. Price said it’s the first time during his rehab that the soreness has persisted.
Bell was sent back to Cincinnati to be examined by team physician Dr. Timothy Kremchek. The right-hander reported pain after pitching in relief Monday in St. Louis, allowing two runs and four hits in two-thirds of an inning in a 5-3 loss.
Price, the Reds pitching coach the previous four years, didn’t know anything was wrong until after Bell was taken out.
In two games, Bell has allowed five runs in two-thirds of an inning. He was among three non-roster players who made the opening day roster.
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