Before the team broke camp in spring training, Cincinnati Reds manager Bryan Price had a heart-to-heart with all his young pitchers. They’d all likely get some major-league time, he told them. But none of them were poised to make the jump to a full-season load of 200 innings.
That would mean some trips to the minors, regardless of performance. Sunday, the Reds made their first such move, optioning left-hander Amir Garrett to Triple-A in order to lighten his workload. With two off days in the next eight days, the Reds will go with a four-man rotation. Right-hander Barrett Astin was called up to serve as an eighth reliever.