Cincinnati Reds: Phillip Ervin draws the start after being called up

Several fans have been clamoring for Phillip Ervin to be recalled to the Cincinnati Reds from Triple-A Louisville. Today, they get their wish.

Phillip Ervin was recalled from Triple-A Louisville today and the Cincinnati Reds placed relief pitcher Wandy Peralta on the 10-day injured list with a right hip flexor strain. Ervin was immediately inserted into today’s starting lineup and hopefully he can ride the hot bat he’s had for the last few weeks in Louisville.

Phillip Ervin did everything right coming out of Spring Training and still found himself on the outside looking in when the Opening Day roster was released. Ervin, along with rookie Nick Senzel, were the two most likely candidates to make the 25-man roster out of Goodyear that didn’t make the cut.

Senzel was injured near the tail end of Spring Training and Ervin was sent to Triple-A Louisville. Since then, Senzel received his major league call-up and has seen much success since his debut in early May. Ervin, on the other hand, has bounced around between the big leagues and the minors and is hoping his latest promotion to the Cincinnati Reds is more permanent.

The Reds roster is infused with tons of offensive talent, yet, this season has not given the team a lot of results at the dish. The Reds are at or near the bottom of the National League in several offensive categories. Thankfully, the pitching staff has been superb and the Reds are still within striking distance of the NL Wild Card.

Cincinnati skipper David Bell has to be hoping that Ervin’s bat brings some pop to the Reds’ lineup, as the manager has inserted him into the starting lineup. Ervin will bat fifth against the Texas Rangers’ right-handed starter Mike Minor.

Though he’s not seen any semblance of extended playing time this season, Ervin has produced when he’s in the lineup. He’s hitting .250 with an .838 OPS, trailing only Derek Dietrich in that category. That being said, Ervin has only played in 10 games at the big league level this season.

During his time at Triple-A Louisville, Phillip Ervin was hitting .290 with 6 home runs, and 26 RBIs. Over his last 10 games with the Bats, Ervin is hitting .343 with 12 hits and 7 RBIs. The Reds could surely use some of Ervin’s firepower tonight against the Rangers.

The first pitch is at 7:10 when Tanner Roark takes the ball for the Cincinnati Reds. Hopefully, the Reds are able to scratch across more than the one run that the club scored during last night’s 6-run defeat. If Phillip Ervin can help spark the offense, he may find a more permanent spot on the Reds roster.