Scary injury won't keep Jonathan India out of the Reds lineup for long

Jonathan India was scratched from the Cincinnati Reds lineup on Monday night versus the Milwaukee Brewers. Originally scheduled to bat leadoff while occupying the DH spot in the Reds batting order, India was removed from David Bell's lineup card a little more than an hour before the first pitch and replaced by Bubba Thompson. But what happened?

The former NL Rookie of the Year was on the field prior to the game and taking ground balls near the Reds dugout during batting practice. Unfortunately, Nick Martini was in the batters' box and a stray ball off the slugger's bat zoomed to the right and struck India in the leg.

India immediately went to the turf, clutching at his leg. After a brief time in the clubhouse, India returned to the field to finished batting practice and was observed running as well. So why was India pulled from the lineup?

Reds fans exhale as Jonathan India's injury appears to be minor

It wasn't that line drive off India's leg that caused the 27-year-old to miss the game on the Monday. According to MLB.com, Bell cited soreness in his left hand as the reason for India's absence on Monday night. India had been hit by a pitch during the team's series finale against the New York Mets on Sunday. Bell said he anticipates India returning to the Reds lineup on Tuesday against the Brewers.

That's a relief. The Cincinnati faithful have already seen more than enough of the team's stars go down with injuries at the outset of the 2024 season. The Reds are already without second baseman Matt McLain and centerfielder TJ Friedl. Noelvi Marte violated the league's substance abuse policy, and as a result, was suspended for the first 80 games of the season and is ineligible to play in the postseason.

The Reds can ill-afford to lose India for any length of time. Without McLain, India has seen plenty of time at second base, and has yet to appear in the outfield despite the Reds tinkering with a much broader role for the career-infielder earlier this spring. Look for India to return to the top of Bell's lineup card on Tuesday.

More Reds News from Blog Red Machine