Homer Bailey has been placed on the disabled list.
#Reds call up Carlos Conteras put Homer Bailey on the DL with right elbow ligament strain retroactive to Friday.
— John Fay (@johnfayman) April 27, 2015
The first concern is that Homer Bailey is going to the disabled list with an elbow injury. The good news is that they are using the word strain instead of sprain. A sprain indicates a tear, which would almost always lead to Tommy John surgery. A strain does not mean a tear. It’s never good to have elbow injuries, but tears are bad news and at least the terminology being used is suggesting there is not a tear.
To replace him, at least for the time being, the team has recalled right handed reliever Carlos Contreras from Triple-A Louisville. I wrote about Contreras earlier this month, looking at his quick start and how he has looked in the Scouting Notebook for week 2 of the season.
The reliever has posted a 1.08 ERA in 8.1 innings for the Louisville Bats in 2014. In that span he’s allowed 9 hits, three walks and he’s struck out 14 batters. The numbers have been quite good this season.
This will be the second year Contreras has been in the big leagues and he will be looking to improve upon things this season after struggling in 2014. The then 23-year-old had a 6.52 ERA in 19.1 innings last year with 17 walks and 19 strikeouts.
The Reds will need a starter to take the spot for Homer Bailey in the rotation on April 30th, when he was next scheduled to pitch. That may be as long as Contreras sticks around, but with the performance of the bullpen, if he can impress early on he may stick around for a while.