TORONTO -- Reds right-hander Jackson Stephens' first stint in the Majors could be a short one, though a wave of injuries to Cincinnati's pitching staff has created an opportunity for someone to step up.
Reds manager Bryan Price said the 23-year-old Stephens, called up Tuesday when right-handed reliever Robert Stephenson was optioned to Triple-A Louisville, arrived "bright-eyed and bushy-tailed" overnight before Cincinnati's matinee in Toronto on Wednesday. With a 5.79 ERA over 10 starts for Louisville, Stephens could prove valuable by eating up innings for the Reds' injury-depleted rotation.
"[He] threw over 100 pitches in his last start, and he can give us length," Price said.