The Cincinnati Reds went 82-80 in 2023, narrowly missing the playoffs, and now they are on to 2024.
Speaking at the end of season press conference this week, Reds' brass provided a multitude of updates, including injury updates on both Graham Ashcraft and Matt McLain.
Per C. Trent Rosencrans of 'The Athletic:'
Right-hander Graham Ashcraft, who had surgery in September on his toe, was scheduled to begin physical therapy this week. The injury isn’t expected to delay his spring training. McLain (oblique) is already doing rehab work in Arizona and is expected to be ready for spring training, as is outfielder Jake Fraley, who had surgery on his toe last week.
We had a report on Fraley on Thursday, which you can read here.
The 25-year-old Ashcraft finished the year at 7-9 with a 4.76 ERA in 26 games. He struck out 111 batters in 145.2 innings. He had a 2.58 ERA over his final 12 starts and was helping the Reds push for their first playoff berth since 2020, but they fell just short.
As for McLain, he had a great first year in the big leagues and should garner significant attention with regards to the Rookie of the Year award in the NL.
The 24-year-old former first-round pick hit .290 this year with 16 home runs, 50 RBI and 14 stolen bases. He posted a .357 on-base percentage and was one of many Reds' rookies to debut this year, including Elly De La Cruz, Andrew Abbott, Brandon Williamson, Spencer Steer and Christian Encarnacion-Strand.
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