Cincinnati Reds: Yasiel Puig’s injury could open the door for Phillip Ervin

Yasiel Puig injured his shoulder during the Cincinnati Reds loss on Sunday. If Puig, who is listed as day-to-day, misses any time, Phillip Ervin will likely get his chance.

Yasiel Puig made an amazing catch along the wall in the right field stands during yesterday’s game against the Los Angeles Dodgers. Unfortunately, Puig suffered a shoulder sprain and is listed as day-to-day. The injury opens the door for Phillip Ervin whom the Cincinnati Reds recalled from Triple-A Louisville just a few days ago.

Yasiel Puig will be out of the lineup tonight against the Milwaukee Brewers and Phillip Ervin has drawn the start in place of the Reds’ slugging right fielder. Ervin will bat cleanup behind the No. 3 hitter Eugenio Suárez.

To call Ervin a poor man’s Puig might be an accurate description of the former first-round pick. Both men possess speed on the base paths and power at the plate. Puig’s success in the big leagues is obviously more substantial than that of Ervin, but aside from the defensive prowess of Puig, the two players have similar skillsets.

Ervin, along with Nick Senzel, made a strong push to make the Cincinnati Reds roster out of Spring Training. However, both Ervin and Senzel were up against some tough competition with a lot of major league experience.

Given the production of Scott Schebler during Cactus League play and the potential of 2018 All-Star Matt Kemp, it stands to reason why Ervin was left off the Opening Day roster. However, we’re now in mid-May, Schebler’s at Triple-A Louisville still looking for his swing and Matt Kemp has been cut. There’s no better time than the present for Phillip Ervin.

This situation seems a bit similar to last year’s promotion. Ervin was called up after an injury to Scott Schebler and the trade of Adam Duvall to the Atlanta Braves. While there’s no timetable for Puig’s return, it could keep him out for multiple games.

While Phillip Ervin is on the roster, you can bet you’ll see maximum effort from the 26-year-old. For his career, Ervin is a .254 hitter with 10 home runs and 46 RBIs. Any amount of offense that Ervin can bring will be a welcome change to what the Cincinnati Reds have put on the field this season.

Currently, the Reds are dead last in the NL with a .219 batting average. Ervin has 3 hits in 11 at-bats so far this season. He’s recorded a triple, drawn three walks, and knocked in a base runner during his abbreviated stint with the Reds so far this season.

Hopefully Yasiel Puig makes a quick recovery from his sprained shoulder, but in the meantime, let’s hope that Phillip Ervin gets some meaningful at-bats an and opportunity to showcase his talent. Given the outfield depth on the Reds’ roster, I don’t see Ervin as anything more than a fourth outfielder, but he could surprise me.