Spencer Steer To Undergo Wrist Surgery

Reds utilityman Spencer Steer will undergo surgery next week to repair the torn tendon sheath in his right wrist, the team informed reporters (link via Mark Sheldon of MLB.com). Reliever Tony Santillan will also indeed require hip labrum surgery, as manager Terry Francona suggested was likely last night. Steer is expected to be ready for the start of Spring Training; Santillan’s recovery timeline will be determined after the procedure.

Steer suffered the injury on a swing in late July. He spent a few months trying to rehab without surgery and progressed to swinging the bat a couple weeks ago. Francona said he felt some discomfort when he ramped up the swing intensity over the weekend, leading them to opt for surgery. The Reds didn’t want to wait any longer and run the risk of requiring surgery at a later date that would threaten his availability for the beginning of the year.

The 28-year-old Steer had a decent season before the injury, hitting 16 homers with a .238/.319/.421 slash line across 384 plate appearances. It’s league average production in aggregate, but he got there in a lopsided way. The right-handed Steer obliterated lefty pitching (.342/.442/.620) while struggling to reach base versus righties (.207/.278/.360). Righty bats were at a premium this deadline season, so there’s a chance the Reds would’ve been overwhelmed by a trade offer had Steer stayed healthy.

The injury and surgery could cloud Steer’s future enough to dissuade teams from meeting Cincinnati’s asking price on an offseason trade. It’s likelier he’ll be back in Reds’ camp next spring. Steer could compete for a starting outfield job or platoon with JJ Bleday in left field depending on which acquisitions Cincinnati makes over the winter. Steer will be owed a raise on his $4MM salary and has two remaining seasons of arbitration eligibility.