Cincinnati Reds: Can Lucas Sims cash in on a golden opportunity?

Cincinnati Reds starter Tyler Mahle was sent to the 10-day injured list and Lucas Sims will start on Wednesday. Sims’ opportunity is much deserved. Can he cash in?

The question wasn’t if Lucas Sims was going to receive another start, but when? Well, we now have our answer. The Cincinnati Reds placed Tyler Mahle on the 10-day injured list and promoted Sal Romano from Triple-A Louisville. However, it’ll be Sims taking the ball for the Reds on Wednesday night in Milwaukee. Can the right-hander make the most of this opportunity?

Mahle will be shelved for the foreseeable future with a hamstring strain. The 24-year-old appeared to have injured his left hamstring on his final pitch of the sixth inning during the Reds 12-11 loss on Friday. The move was made retroactive to Saturday, meaning Mahle could return as early as July 30th.

In his stead, Lucas Sims will take the mound on Wednesday versus the Milwaukee Brewers at Miller Park. During his only start of the season, Sims struck out nine and allowed four runs during a spot start on May 28th following a Monday doubleheader in which both Sonny Gray and Luis Castillo took the hill.

More from Blog Red Machine

The four runs during that game were all given up on one swing of the bat, when Kevin Newman took Sims deep with the bases loaded in the top of the eighth inning. David Bell pulled Sims before he had a chance to face the next batter and the Georgia native received a standing ovation from the crowd at Great American Ball Park as he walked off the field.

Sims was recalled a few days ago and has seen action out of the bullpen twice. In 2.1 innings of work, the 25-year-old has not allowed a run and struck out three batters. He issued just one walk and allowed one hit while tossing 41 pitches, 30 of them for strikes.

Sims oozes confidence when he’s on the mound. He works quickly and really attacks hitters. It’s obvious that Sims trusts his stuff. On the season, the right-handed hurler owns a 3.72 ERA and 0.931 WHIP, granted that’s a very small sample size.

Wednesday will be Sims’ first opportunity to start since May 28th and he’ll likely receive at least one more start before Mahle returns. However, with Tanner Roark a possible casualty at the trade deadline, there’s a possibly that Sims could finish out the season in the starting rotation provided Bell and the Reds front office like what they see.

Next. 5 Reds players who are untouchable at the deadline

Lucas Sims was the biggest acquisition of last year’s trade with the Atlanta Braves. He’s also the only player from that trade who is still with the Cincinnati Reds. Sims has a golden opportunity to stake claim to a starting spot, not just this season, but next year as well. What he does with that opportunity is up to him.

Home/Reds News