Reds Injury News: Tyler Stephenson's rehab, Wade Miley's alarming exit, Rhett Lowder

The Cincinnati Reds return home on Monday to begin a seven-game homestand. The Reds will face their NL Central rivals, the St. Louis Cardinals, for four games before welcoming the Washington Nationals to town for a three-game series over the weekend. Cincinnati is riding a four-game win streak and have pulled within 1½ games of the division-leading Chicago Cubs.

It's hard to be upset, if you're a Reds fan, but the club does have some injury concerns at the moment. The Reds have been without starting catcher Tyler Stephenson since midway through spring training—though Austin Wynns has performed well in his stead. Stephenson's currently on a rehab assignment, but his return is still a few days away. The Reds also got a troublesome update after Wade Miley's most recent rehab start.

Reds Injury News: Tyler Stephenson's rehab extended

Stephenson's rehab assignment with the Louisville Bats will extend until at least the middle of this week. During the Reds' broadcast on Sunday, on-field reporter Jim Day relayed that a number of Bats' games were postponed last week, and Stephenson informed team officials that he still needs some more reps down in the minors before making his return to the big-league club.

Stephenson has played just five games at Triple-A Louisville and only has three hits in 17 at-bats. One of those base knocks, however, cleared the stadium at Louisville Slugger Field on Sunday. Stephenson mashed his first home run of the season in the Bats' 6-4 loss to the Iowa Cubs.

Reds Injury News: Wade Miley's alarming early-exit

Miley was making his second rehab start of the season on Sunday, but was removed the game after throwing just 10 pitches. Day, however, was happy to report during the Reds' broadcast that Miley left with a lower body injury, and his early-exit had nothing to do with his surgically repaired elbow.

Miley underwent Tommy John surgery last season after pitching in just two games for the Milwaukee Brewers. The left-hander agreed to a minor-league deal with the Reds this past offseason and was expected to be ready to go by next month. This latest setback, however, could impact Miley's timetable to return.

Reds Injury News: Rhett Lowder threw bullpen session this weekend

Reds' prospect Rhett Lowder was scheduled to throw a bullpen session over the weekend. The right-hander hasn't appeared in a game since the end of last season after showing up to spring training with a forearm injury.

If Lowder recovers well from this weekend's action, he could be destined for a rehab assignment in the coming weeks. The Reds' rotation appears rather full at the moment, meaning that Cincinnati's front office may decide to option Lowder to the minors rather than activate him once he's declared fully healthy.

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