Reds receive encouraging Jose Trevino injury update and it solves a quiet concern

Jose Treinvo's injury hasn't halted the Cincinnati Reds' early season momentum. The Reds have received meager production from the catching position as a whole, but the hard-hitting duo of Elly De La Cruz and Sal Stewart have carried Cincinnati during the early going.

While there's no need to rush Trevino (and his .091 batting average) back to the active roster, getting their backup catcher back in the fold sooner rather than later would be of great benefit to the Reds. Trevino has already completed some throwing sessions and may now be close to returning after taking some batting practice off a tee.

Trevino's IL placement is retroactive to April 5, so he can be reactivated at any point. His bat hasn't been missed, but he's a Gold Glove presence behind the dish who routinely makes his pitchers better. Seeing as the Reds don't have any other backup catcher solutions at the moment, Trevino's health is one of the most important issues facing the team right now — and into the future.

Jose Trevino's injury highlights Reds' need for a long-term plan at catcher

It's telling that — upon Trevino's placement on the IL — Reds fans were quick to jump to the trade block to search for a replacement. P.J. Higgins was called up in Trevino's stead, but he's a 32-year-old journeyman with all of 12 games of MLB experience outside of the 2022 season. Higgins is at best a band-aid on an increasingly large gash.

Stephenson is an impending free agent, and by this point all Reds fans know of the deafening silence surrounding extension talks with the team's starting backstop. With all due respect to Trevino's defensive wizardry, he's no longer capable of handling the lion's share of a contending team's reps behind the dish.

Alfredo Duno is often cited as the answer to this conundrum, but he's only just begun playing in High-A. Catcher is often the slowest position to develop in terms of prospects, so he may not be ready for The Show for another couple of years.

Besides Higgins, the Reds have no other catchers currently on their 40-man roster. That's partly what makes Trevino so vital to the program, but it's also an indictment on the team's lack of top-level catching depth. A Duno-or-bust future is what the organization is setting itself up for behind the plate, especially if they let Stephenson walk.

At the very least, let's hope that Trevino's injury alerted the Reds' front office to the immediate need for a non-Higgins emergency plan at catcher.

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