TJ Friedl

[Ron Madden]

Charlie Goldsmith
@CharlieG__
·
TJ Friedl is taking BP today.
A great sign as he recovers from hamstring tightness.

[Kingspoint]

Thanks, Ron, for the update.

[Ron Madden]

Reds lineup to get boost against St. Louis Cardinals with return of TJ Friedl

Four days after adding the top prospect in baseball to the roster, the Cincinnati Reds plan to return one of their top big-league hitters of the season from the injured list Saturday, when center fielder TJ Friedl reaches his eligible return date.

Friedl has been sidelined since suffering a hamstring strain in Boston May 30, his season average is at .326 (which would lead the National League if he had enough plate appearances to qualify).

“Friday’s pregame work is the last test, and so far so good,” manager David Bell said after Friedl took live batting practice and ran the bases again at full speed. “We are anticipating TJ being ready to go.”

The prognosis is a welcome update for the Reds, who have been playing without outfielder Jake Fraley in the lineup since he was hit on the wrist by a pitch Tuesday night. An MRI revealed just enough of a strain that an IL move could be coming.

Because Fraley pinch-hit Wednesday, the Reds can wait until Sunday for a move and still get full advantage of the maximum three days to backdate an IL stint.

Read Article Here:
https://www.usatoday.com/story/sport...l/70308509007/

[GAC]

I like the kid. Certainly can't argue with his production. But CF is a physically demanding position, and he's never come close to playing a full season schedule at this level. Hope he can stay on the field.

[bagz]

Happy to have him back! Adds a LOT to the mix.

[Ron Madden]

Charlie Goldsmith
@CharlieG__

Since the start of the 2022 season, here are all of the players in MLB with at least 60 games in center field and an OPS above .795.

Aaron Judge
Mike Trout
Julio Rodriguez
Bryan Reynolds
Brandon Nimmo
TJ Friedl

C. Trent Rosecrans
@ctrent

Reds are light on left-handed hitters, they get one back but lose another.

Wouldn't be surprised to see Ramos return soon-ish to give them another switch-hitter. They'd have two switch hitters

[Kingspoint]

I was surprised by Friedl's positive results in his first game back during his last return. Saturday's results were more what I expected from a "first game back". Hope the kid gloves are off and he's not playing "every other day" like last time, and that he's in the lineup for Sunday.

[Kingspoint]

Friedl last night may not have hit for the cycle, but he produced a cycle all by himself.

He homered.

He reached 3rd Base with a Walk/Stolen Base/Error on the throw to 2nd.

He reached 2nd Base with a Single/Stolen Base.

He reached 1st Base with a Single.

That's 10 total bases he produced by himself.

His other plate appearance? He moves a Runner from 2nd to 3rd, and just misses scoring a Runner from 3rd on a Fielder's Choice.

[JCM11]

Friedl locking down CF is one of the biggest reasons why this team has been successful. Hopefully he stays healthy because there isn't much in the way of a good backup.

[fearofpopvol1]

He's such a fun player to watch. You almost never know what he's going to do too.

[RiverfrontRed]

He needs to be a fixture in the 1-hole for years to come!

[NachoMan]

Friedl locking down CF is one of the biggest reasons why this team has been successful. Hopefully he stays healthy because there isn't much in the way of a good backup.

He's like the ultimate underdog, from his crazy non-draft story to being an afterthought prospect, to this. Really hope him and Benson can keep it going, both are very easy to root for.

[Ky Fried Redleg]

He's extremely valuable to this team and is a key component to it's success in the second half of the season.

[CaiGuy]

His numbers will come down with his BABIP at some point, but he will still be solid...can walk a bit, has a bit of power, can make contact, runs. And his defense is way better than I thought it was initially.

I was totally wrong about him, I thought he was a tweener and a bench OF at best. He had a fairly uninteresting minor league career. Instead, he is a top 5-10 CF in the game.

[Cyclone792]

Friedl is an example of a guy that teams like the Reds need to turn things around.

He has a 133 OPS+ playing a nice center field and has stolen 14/15 bases on the year. He's played at an all-star level at a key up-the-middle position for the Reds this season, and he's one of biggest reasons (if not the biggest) that we're five games above .500 halfway through the year.