The Cincinnati Reds have called up infielder/outfielder Rosell Herrera from Triple-A Louisville. He’s taking the place of Phillip Ervin on the 25-man roster. He was added to the 40-man roster, filling the spot vacated by Kevin Quackenbush earlier this week when he was designated for assignment. The Reds also sent infielder Cliff Pennington to Triple-A Louisville, along with Ervin. Eugenio Suarez was activated from the disabled list.
When it comes to Rosell Herrera, he’s been hitting well all spring. He almost made the team out of spring training, but was ultimately sent to Triple-A. In 15 games with the Bats he’s hit .311/.373/.607. That’s come along with five walks and 10 strikeouts in 68 plate appearances. The power has been the big surprise. Last season, in the Pacific Coast League, where the ball is known to absolutely fly, Herrera had all of three home runs in 363 plate appearances. He’s already matched that total this season in Louisville. Here’s some video from Tuesday’s home run.
Defensively he can play a little bit of everywhere. Just this season he’s played shortstop, second base, third base, center field, left field, and right field in Louisville. Last season with the Isotopes he even threw an inning on the mound. He can play a bit of anywhere on the field. As a utility player, that can be a huge benefit coming off of the bench. He’s a switch hitter, too, so that certainly could help with pinch hitting options as well.
Phillip Ervin wasn’t getting a ton of playing time once Scott Schebler returned from the disabled list. He was hitting just .211/.318/.237 in 44 plate appearances. He was getting on base, but he wasn’t finding the grass when he made contact, and his strikeout rate was a bit higher than you’d like to see. Ervin will slide into an every day role with Louisville and provide some depth in case the team needs someone to come back up later in the year.