Jonathan India had been dealt a bad hand to begin the 2022 season. India made it seven games into the season before landing on the IL with a hamstring injury.
The Cincinnati Reds' gritty second baseman returned very quickly, but after just four games, it was apparent that India was not fully healthy and landed on the Injured List once again. The reigning NL Rookie of the Year was out of the Reds lineup from April 30th through June 13th.
Upon his return to the Cincinnati lineup, Jonathan India looked very rusty. In his first 19 games back, India was slashing just .145/.244/.246 and had just three extra base hits. According to FanGraphs, his wRC+ during that span was a meager 39. For the season, India was batting just .204 with a wRC+ of 54 and an OPS of .541.
Reds 2B Jonathan India has caught fire in the past week.
But you knew that Jonathan India wasn't going to sit idly by for much longer. The 25-year-old has caught fire during the past week and is showing why he'll be a key piece of this Cincinnati Reds franchise going forward.
India is hitting .315/.341/.486 over the past week. The Reds have played eight games during the past seven days because of the doubleheader with the Pittsburgh Pirates. India has four extra base hits during that time and a wRC+ of 130 according to FanGraphs. Over the last week, India has boosted his wRC+ by 17 points.
Jonathan India is the table-setter for the Cincinnati Reds. David Bell relies on his second baseman to get on base with regularity and score runs. India was not inserted atop the Reds lineup until June of last season.
The Reds need India to continue to show progress from rookie season to his sophomore campaign. The last week has provided the fanbase with a glimpse that India is beginning to emerge from a season-long slump. Let's hope that hot streak continues as the team heads into St. Louis and after the All-Star break.