Reds infielder Mike Moustakas makes his 6th trip to the IL in 2022

Mike Moustakas is on the Injured List once again. The Cincinnati Reds first baseman exited a game in Philadelphia earlier in the week, and has now been placed on the IL with a left calf strain. This is the sixth time that Moustakas has landed on the IL during the 2022 season.

Moose first landed on the 10-day Injured List in mid-April and returned two weeks later. Moustakas landed on the IL briefly on May 9th, but returned just a day later. When the calendar flipped to June, the 33-year-old hit the IL once more. His absence was felt for just one week, as the three-time All-Star returned after just seven days.

Moustakas was placed on the Injured List just before the All-Star break, and returned shortly after. A fifth trip to the IL occurred on August 9th when the California native was ruled out with a calf injury. Moose returned after the 10-day minimum, but after barely a week back in the Reds lineup, Moustakas is now out once again with a calf injury.

Reds 1B Mike Moustakas makes his 6th trip to the IL in 2022.

Mike Moustakas will be replaced by Colin Moran. The Cincinnati Reds selected the veteran's contract and he'll likely see some shared time with Donovan Solano at first base. While some fans really want to see Spencer Steer make his major league debut, it's so surprise that Cincinnati chose to go with the veteran Moran.

According to Spotrac, Moustakas has now missed a total of 36 games which amounts to more than $3M-worth of his $16M salary in 2022. Moose has missed time due to calf and biceps injuries, plus time spent on the IL with an undisclosed illness/ injury.

At this point, the Cincinnati Reds should just shutdown Mike Moustakas for the remainder of the season and allow the young core of this club to gain some valuable rest. Will Moustakas remain with the club beyond the 2022? That's a good question and one that will surely be talked about early and often during the next several months.