The Cincinnati Reds announced a surprising move this afternoon in that Jon Moscot will be promoted from Triple-A Louisville and start tonight over Raisel Iglesias.
What you see in the tweet is the only news reported so far. It’s currently unknown why Iglesias won’t be starting or what the corresponding roster move is. Moscot is not on the 40-man roster, so a move will have to be made there along with the 25-man.
Bryan Price gave praise to Moscot during spring training and offered the following scouting report (via the Cincinnati Enquirer’s John Fay):
"“He throws efficiently,” Price said. “He throws plenty hard enough. He’s an 89 to 92, maybe a touch better at times. It’s command. It’s bottom-of-the-zone command, side to side. Very, very good slider. His change-up has made great strides over the last season. As I tell the starters, if you’re going to start, you need that off-speed pitch, some kind of change-of-pace pitch, but primarily a change-up, if you’re going to be really good.”"
Moscot has backed up the good impression he made in spring by being Louisville’s best pitcher this season. In 54.1 innings, he’s 7-1 with a 3.15 ERA and 1.27 WHIP while striking out 34 and walking 19. If you take away his May 25 outing in which he gave up eight runs in 4.2 innings, his ERA would sit at 1.99 and his WHIP would be 1.13.
Tonight will be Moscot’s big league debut, joining Iglesias and Michael Lorenzen as the third Reds player to do so this season.
UPDATE: The Reds have announced that Iglesias has been placed on the disabled list with a strained oblique. To make room for Moscot on the 40-man roster, they’ve designated Jason Marquis for assignment and Pedro Villarreal has been recalled from Triple-A Louisville.
Marquis’ career with the Reds is probably over, though it is possible he could head to Triple-A since it’s unlikely that he’ll get another major league job at the moment. In nine starts this season, Marquis had a 3-4 record and a 6.46 ERA. He was sent to the bullpen a week ago, but did not make an appearance in relief.
Replacing Marquis on the roster will be Villarreal, who has pitched well in the minors since being sent down. Since his May 9 appearance with the Reds, Villarreal has pitched in nine games for Louisville, allowing three runs (only one in his last eight games) with one walk and 10 strikeouts in 9.1 innings.
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