Reds outfield prospect Michael Siani will get another opportunity to prove himself

Michael Siani was originally part of the Louisville Bats lineup on Sunday afternoon for the team's series finale against the Iowa Cubs. But things changed very quickly.

In the bottom of the third inning on Sunday, Siani was removed from the Bats' lineup and replaced by catcher Chuckie Robinson. It's quite likely that Siani will join the Cincinnati Reds in Los Angeles after outfielder Stuart Fairchild suffered a concussion after crashing into the right field wall on Sunday.

Siani has had little more than a cup of coffee with the big league club. After Nick Senzel suffered a season-ending injury last September, Siani got the call and appeared in nine major league contests.

Reds outfield prospect Michael Siani will get another opportunity to prove himself.

The Cincinnati Reds needed to add Michael Siani to the 40-man roster last offseason anyway in order to prevent him from being plucked off the roster during the Rule 5 Draft. So the team decided to give the Pennsylvania native a brief trial run in the majors.

Siani, who's known as a top-notch defender, has never really seen his bat develop. Siani went 4-for-24 in his brief major league stint last season, and with Triple-A Louisville this season, the 24-year-old is hitting .228/.344/.355.

Siani will never be confused for Christian Encarnacion-Strand or Elly De La Cruz. The left-handed hitter simply lacks that raw power that the rookie duo possesses. Siani is speedster on the base paths, however. He has 22 steals on the season at Triple-A and has only been thrown out four times.

Don't look for Michael Siani to get many starts in the Cincinnati Reds outfield. After adding Noelvi Marte to the roster late last week, Spencer Steer will be getting the majority of his starts in left field. With TJ Friedl and Will Benson also on the roster, it'll be difficult for Siani to find time in the starting lineup.

Look for Reds manager David Bell to pick his spots in order to take advatange of Siani's plus-speed. Whether as a pinch runner late in ball games or a defensive repalcement in the outfield, Siani is likely to see some time in the field, but not much. Stuart Fairchild will miss at least seven games due to MLB's concussion protocol.