The Cincinnati Reds have recalled outfielder Phillip Ervin from Triple-A Louisville. He will be taking the place on the roster of left handed reliever Tony Cingrani who was placed on the 10-day disabled list.
Phillip Ervin was the Cincinnati Reds 1st round pick in the 2013 draft out of Samford. He’s had some struggles hitting for average in the minor leagues since he had wrist surgery following the 2013 season. He’s hit .237, .241 and .239 in the three years since then. However, Ervin has also gotten on base in the last two of those seasons, posting a .346 and .362 on-base percentage despite the low averages.
It’s been the batting average that’s really held him back over the last few years. Every other aspect of his game has played well. He’s has shown some pop in his bat, despite playing in several parks that aren’t what we’d refer to as hitter friendly. He’s stolen 30, 34 and 36 bases in each of the last three seasons. And the plate discipline has been strong over the last two years, too. Ervin has walked 131 times with 186 strikeouts between the 2015 and 2016 campaigns.
This season Phillip Ervin is out to a good start with the Bats. He’s hitting .286/.352/.531 on the year through the first two weeks. He has hit three doubles and three home runs in 14 games played. Ervin has stolen two bases, walked five times and struck out 10 times in 54 plate appearances.
Defensively he’s spent more time in the corners than he has in center, especially in recent years. He’s got above-average speed, so he is capable of handling center field. No one is going to confuse him with Billy Hamilton out there, and he’s probably not someone that will play center on an every day basis, but he can cover you there defensively from time-to-time. Think Chris Heisey when it comes to the defensive range aspect of it.
This move may be a short term one. The team could use an extra player on the bench, and Ervin’s skillset could play well there with some pop, a good plate approach, speed on the bases and the ability to handle all three outfield spots. But, with Devin Mesoraco’s time on rehab ending soon, I’d be surprised to see Phillip Ervin stick around beyond that point in time. He’s likely to head back to Louisville at that point and resume playing every day until the team would need him again.