Cincinnati Reds vs. Cleveland Guardians Delayed on Monday

After a great start to the season, winning 20 games through April. The Reds went ice cold to begin May, going on an eight-game losing streak and finishing the first half with the fourth-worst record in the National League. With the All-Star break behind us, the Reds have won three consecutive series since and are now sitting just five games out of a Wild Card spot and six games under .500. 

Many are expecting the team to sell heavy at the trade deadline, but two valuable trade assets are currently on the injured list: Spencer Steer and Nick Lodolo. Steer injured his right wrist on Sunday while swinging in an at-bat in St. Louis. He has been placed on the 10-day IL, and utility-man Ivan Johnson has been recalled to take his roster spot. While the injury isn't considered too serious, the team and Steer are hoping to avoid surgery and let the "sheath" that protects a tendon in his wrist heal naturally.

“(Surgery) isn’t the plan as of now,” Steer told Charlie Goldsmith. “We have two months left in the season. If I had surgery on this, I’d be out the rest of the year. This is a situation where we believe it can heal on itself, so that’ll be what we try first.”

Lodolo has been sidelined since July 12 and is on the IL for the second time with blisters on his left index finger. Jim Day reported during Friday's game in St. Louis that Lodolo is going to work on a new grip for his slider to try to avoid future injury. Blisters have plagued the left-hander since his time at TCU.

Tyler Stephenson is Getting Hot At The Right Time

Catcher Tyler Stephenson has been on a tear over his last 30 or more games. The 29-year-old is slashing .333/.379/.531 with four home runs and 11 RBI during that span. He hit just .203 in April and began to heat up in June, batting .288 for the month. This comes at the right time for the Reds. Stephenson is in the final year of his contract, and there are no talks of an extension, so the Reds should look to get as much value as they can in a trade for his services. 

Stephenson is rated as the top catcher in ABS challenges this season. He had a 5-5 overturn game earlier this season, as well as a game that saw Reds fans get pizza when he challenged a ball that was overturned for the team's 11th strikeout of the game.

The Reds should look to sell this trade deadline, even if they are within striking distance of a playoff spot come August 3. They currently sit with a 49-55 record and are in last place in the NL Central, five games out of a Wild Card spot.