Yorman Rodriguez has been missing in action, so-to-speak, since the end of spring training. While attempting to get in some extra work on the backfields in spring training he injured his hamstring. He was out for several weeks in April before beginning to play in some extended spring training games. He then re-injured the hamstring and had to sit out another period of time before returning in mid-May. After that he also battled some hip and knee injuries that have kept him out even longer, according to C. Trent Rosecrans of the Cincinnati Enquirer three weeks ago.
It would appear that he is ready to return to action on the field. He’s been placed on an injury rehab assignment with the Daytona Tortugas. The Reds outfielder is currently on the 60-day disabled list and will have 30 days to rehab in the minor leagues if needed, before he will have to be activated. Out of options, Rodriguez will have to be placed onto the 25-man roster when that time is up.
It has been nearly a year since Yorman Rodriguez last played in a game, not accounting for five games in winter ball, or spring training. Last season his final game came on July 21st for the Louisville Bats after suffering a leg injury. It cost him valuable time on the big leaguer roster as a spot was open for the taking in left field and after a slow start, he had been hitting very well.
During the 2015 season, he hit just .212/.252/.386 in the first five weeks of the season. Over the final two months he really turned things around, hitting .313/.349/.460 for the Bats. He looked like he was starting to really put things together and the coaching staff was encouraged by the progress he was showing.
He came into spring training with the idea of making the roster, but the results were a mixed bag. He hit just .225 in 40 at-bats and only had one double to show. However, one thing that had always been a question with his game was his plate approach. I’ve noted that, especially in the past two minor league seasons, he’s looked better in terms of pitch recognition than he has in the past. That really showed up in the spring as he walked eight times with just nine strikeouts. The hits didn’t show up, but he seemed to control the strikezone quite well.
Rodriguez is still just 23-years-old. Only Jose Peraza and Cody Reed are on the roster and younger than Rodriguez is. He’s lost a lot of time to injury over the last two years. He’s still got the tools to work with and we’ve seen flashes of the skills at times as well, but he’s yet to really put them all together on the field.