Cincinnati Reds: Alex Blandino’s injury reveals lack of depth at shortstop

The Cincinnati Reds lost Alex Blandino for the remainder of the season with a torn ACL. The Reds infield is now eerily thin at SS.

Alex Blandino fell to the ground and was writhing in pain after Max Moroff of the Pittsburgh Pirates rolled into his lower body in an attempt to break up a double play at second base. In Moroff’s defense, it didn’t appear to be a dirty play. Blandino suffered a torn ACL and will be out for the remainder of the 2018 season. The injury to Blandino shows just how thin the Cincinnati Reds are at the shortstop position.

After getting word of the season-ending injury to Blandino, the Reds placed him on the 10-day disabled and recalled Brandon Dixon from Triple-A Louisville. There’s just one problem with that, while he has played all over the diamond for the Reds this season, Dixon does not play shortstop.

Blandino was the primary backup to Reds’ shortstop Jose Peraza. While Peraza has been active in 96 of the 98 games the Reds have played this season, injury is part of the game. So is rest, as Blandino drew the start at shortstop during 6 of his 11 appearances playing the position this season.

So who is to take over at shortstop for Cincinnati should Peraza need a breather? According to Reds interim manager Jim Riggleman, via Reds.com, it would be Eugenio Suarez:

“I think Brandon could go over and do that. But Suarez would be the more natural shortstop if we needed to take Peraza out for few innings or a few days.”

Suarez is the club’s primary third baseman and had one inning of work at shortstop this season during the top of the ninth in a lopsided loss to the Pirates back in April.  You have to go back almost three full seasons to find any meaningful playing time Suarez has occupied the shortstop position.

Because the Reds are not in a pennant race, there’s no need to be reactionary and make a trade for a backup shortstop. That’d be crazy. The injury to Blandino does, however, reveal the need for the Reds to find a player who can occupy more than just one position among their infielders.

Scooter Gennett and Dilson Herrera are exclusively second basemen. Now, it’s okay to have one, but if your primary backup at second base can only play one position, that’s a problem. It’s great to see Herrera receiving some time at the big league level, but his lack of versatility may now cause the Reds to make a move.

Blake Trehan is the Cincinnati Reds best Major League-ready prospect at Triple-A Louisville. He’s a scrappy, high-energy player who was a third-round pick of the Reds back in 2015. Trehan won’t blow you away with his offensive stats, but his glove is pure and he could fill in for the utility role that Blandino filled.

More likely, however, may be the demotion of Herrera to Triple-A Louisville once Scott Schebler returns from the DL. Dixon could fill the role that Blandino played, with the exception of filling in at shortstop, and Phillip Ervin may still receive some playing time in the outfield.

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Regardless of what the Reds do going forward, Alex Blandino’s injury revealed the hole that exists currently on the Reds roster. A player like the Cincinnati Reds’ first-round selection this year, Jonathan India, will help alleviate those concerns in the future.