Reds rumors: Nick Castellanos to return this weekend vs Pirates

The latest Reds rumors will certainly excite the fanbase. According to Brandon Saho of WLWT, outfielder Nick Castellanos is expected to return to the Cincinnati Reds‘ lineup this weekend versus the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Castellanos has been out of action since being hit by a pitch in the team’s first game following the All-Star break. Soreness persisted for a few days following the incident and further testing revealed that Castellanos had suffered a microfracture in his wrist.

The Reds’ slugger has been on the 10-day IL for a few weeks, but it sounds as if Castellanos will be ready to go as early as Thursday. Castellanos has been working in the batting cage and taking batting practice over the last several days.

Reds rumors suggest Nick Castellanos will return to the lineup vs. Pirates.

These latest Reds rumors are relatively unexpected, but certainly welcome. Cincinnati has been without Nick Castellanos for some time now, and given that the team is squarely in the middle of the playoff hunt, adding the 29-year-old’s bat back into the lineup will definitely be a lift for his teammates.

Castellanos was in the middle of a potential MVP-type season before the injury derailed any moment the All-Star had. The right-handed hitting Castellanos was slashing .329/.383/.481 with 29 doubles, 18 home runs, and 59 RBIs.

David Bell, who always plays things close to the vest, gave an update on Nick Castellanos’ status prior to yesterday’s game. Here’s what the Cincinnati skipper had to say courtesy of MLB.com:

"“If today goes as well as yesterday, or even better, then we might be a day away from seeing him back. Still, we’ve gone this far, I don’t want to get too far ahead of ourselves, but today is a big day.”"

If the Reds rumors are true, and Nick Castellanos returns to the Cincinnati lineup tonight versus the Pittsburgh Pirates, you can rest assured he’ll find himself right back in the middle of the Reds’ batting order. Whether Castellanos returns to the No. 3 hole, or adds protection to the scorching-hot Joey Votto remains to be seen, but I can’t see him hitting lower than No. 4 in the batting order.

Castellanos won’t be the only big name in the coming days to return to the Cincinnati Reds roster. Expect to see reliever Lucas Sims rejoin the club very soon, followed by third baseman Mike Moustakas, and eventually infielder/ outfielder Nick Senzel.