The Cincinnati Reds may be without starting pitcher John Lamb when opening day rolls around.
During a phone interview with MLB Network’s Christopher Russo on the “High Heat” program, Reds’ manager Bryan Price said Lamb is behind schedule and may not be available for the Reds until mid-April.
Reds’ beat writer Mark Sheldon for MLB.com replied via Twitter that Lamb had disc surgery on his back in December.
Lamb was one of three left-handed starting pitchers the Reds acquired from the Kansas City Royals in the Johnny Cueto trade. He posted a 5.80 ERA in 10 starts for the Reds and is considered to be a strong candidate for the Reds’ 2016 rotation.
Lamb showed more promise than his 2015 numbers indicate. The last two starts of the season were bad ones. He gave up 10 earned runs in 6.2 innings.
The potential delay of Lamb opens the door for another pitcher to begin the year in a Reds’ rotation that will most likely include Anthony DeSclafani, Raisel Iglesias, Brandon Finnegan and Michael Lorenzen.
Jon Moscot is among the candidates at the top of the list. Moscot saw his 2015 season with the Reds cut short after dislocating his non-throwing shoulder on June 18.
Moscot had surgery on the shoulder and should be ready to pick up where he left off. He had started just three games for the Reds last year.
The Reds could also give more consideration to promote one of their top pitching prospects in Robert Stephenson and Cody Reed.
Stephenson has pitched just 55.2 Triple-A innings. He has notched a high strikeout rate (9.8 per nine innings) in his four minor league seasons but has posted a 3.80 ERA.
Reed has yet to pitch at Triple-A but had a stellar 2015 season. He put up a 2.41 ERA in 145.2 innings for three minor league teams.
Team ace Homer Bailey is recovering from Tommy John surgery and not expected to be available for the Reds until May.
Robb Hoff writes about the Cincinnati Reds for OutsidePitch MLB. You can follow him on Twitter and Facebook.
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