The Cincinnati Reds activated left-handed pitcher Alex Wood prior to the game today. He was on the 40-man roster – but on the 60-day injured list. That meant that Cincinnati needed to clear a spot on the 40-man for him, as well as a spot on the 25-man roster. To do that it took the Reds making two other roster moves. To create the spot on the 40-man, the team designated catcher Ryan Lavarnway for assignment. In order to get a spot open on the 25-man roster the Reds sent right-handed pitcher Sal Romano back to Triple-A. Kyle Farmer was also activated from the 7-day concussion list.
For Alex Wood, this is the first appearance on the mound for the Cincinnati Reds in a Major League game. The lefty has battled back problems since late February when he injured it during spring training. He made rehab starts in both Double-A Chattanooga and Triple-A Louisville this month before today’s season debut.
In what could be an excellent trivia question down the road, Ryan Lavarnyway hit .278/.316/.722 through his five games with the Reds. He homered twice in his first game with the organization, and added two doubles over the next week. If he clears waivers he can choose to become a free agent if he would like. He could also accept his assignment to the minors if he believes he will be given a better chance the rest of the year with Cincinnati than another team in baseball.
Sal Romano will head back to Triple-A where he has been pitching very well in July. He made one appearance for Cincinnati during his call up, throwing 3.0 innings and allowing one run out of the bullpen. With Louisville he had moved back into the rotation this month, with the exception of pitching after Alex Wood on one of his rehab appearances. In his last five appearances for the Bats, Romano has a 1.80 ERA. In those 20.0 innings pitched he’s allowed just 10 hits and walked three batters. He’s also racked up 24 strikeouts while facing 71 batters.