Cincinnati Reds news: Nick Senzel injured, manager search continues

What’s up Reds Country? It’s time for a Cincinnati Reds news update. Nick Senzel can’t seem to stay healthy, the Reds search for a new skipper continues, and Taylor Trammell is a prospect to watch.

The Cincinnati Reds got some bad news on Thursday with regards to their top prospect. The Reds also seem ready to narrow their list of managerial candidates. Without further delay, let’s check out Blog Red Machine’s News and Notes.

Senzel injured again. This guy just can’t seem to stay healthy. Nick Senzel will undergo elbow surgery this offseason to remove bone spurs from his left elbow. The surgery is expected to be minor and Senzel should be fully recovered in 4-6 weeks.

For Reds fans, this is been the next in a long series of injuries for a player that they’re extremely eager to see take the field at Great American Ball Park. Over the past year-plus, Senzel has dealt with two doubts of vertigo and this past June he underwent surgery to repair a tendon in his hand.

Is he injury prone? Cincinnati Reds President of Baseball Operations doesn’t see it that way. Here’s what Dick Williams had to say via Reds.com:

"“They’re just unrelated, fluke situation. It’s frustrating that he lost time this year and potentially an opportunity to play in the Fall League. But really in the greater scheme of things, he had a very nice year. He had a chance to perform on the field, a chance to progress and a chance to go to instructional league. Taking a ground ball off your finger and having a bone spur to get cleaned up, guys have that all the time.”"

Williams is 100% correct. Injuries are a part of the game and fans need to understand that. Some fans have labeled Senzel as “injury prone” and that’s just not fair. We’re not talking about a player like Ken Griffey Jr. who had consistent issues with his lower body. Senzel will be fine, and it sounds as though when the 2019 season starts, you might see him play all over the diamond.

The latest reports out of Arizona had Senzel receiving outfield instruction with former Reds Reggie Williams and Eric Davis. Senzel appears to be getting every opportunity he can to make an impact on this Reds team heading into next year.

Manager search continues. Who is going to be the next manager of the Cincinnati Reds? That’s a good question and one that might become clearer as we head into next week. Dick Williams, President of Baseball Operations for the Cincinnati Reds, has maintained they want to have a new manager in place by the end of the month.

To this point, 11 candidates have been interviewed. Five of the 11 were either on the Reds staff or in the organization in some capacity. The other six are from outside the organization. The Reds have performed a very thorough search to this point, and it appears they’ve got a ways to go.

MLB.com reported on Thursday that Williams has one more candidate left to interview, but he declined to reveal who that was. Here’s the latest from Williams on the search via Reds.com:

"“We’re just continuing to drill down on the candidates that we have. We started our process early because we knew we wanted to cast a wide net. We haven’t done a search like this since I’ve been here. We felt like it was important to expose ourselves to different candidates with different backgrounds to find the best fit for us in our current situation. We don’t want to rush through it.”"

Expect the second round of interviews to begin next week. Once those interviews rev up, Reds Country will have a much better idea of the direction the Cincinnati Reds are headed. One thing is for sure, the Reds have done their due diligence with their managerial search.

Trammell and Santillan take home minor league honors. Prospects Taylor Trammell and Tony Santillan were named the 2018 Cincinnati Reds Prospects of the Year by MLB Pipeline. Tramell was named the Player of the Year while Santillan took home Pitcher of the Year honors.

Trammell is the Reds No. 3 prospect and the No. 17 overall prospect in all of Major League Baseball. For those Reds fans who’ve grown tired of seeing Billy Hamilton in center field, Trammell may be the replacement you’ve been waiting for. He’s expected to start next season at Double-A Chattanooga after spending last year in Advance-A Daytona.

Santillan, the Reds second-round pick in 2015, is their No. 5 prospect according to MLB Pipeline. Santillan has a plus-fastball that can touch the upper-90’s. He needs to work on his command and control, but could end up as big part of the Reds rotation in a couple years.