Cincinnati Reds fans have been waiting all season to promote infield prospect Nick Senzel to the majors. Unfortunately for those fans, the Reds and Senzel himself, that call won't come until 2019.
On Tuesday, Senzel will undergo season-ending surgery in order to fix a torn finger tendon, according to the Reds:
Nick Senzel on Tuesday will have season-ending surgery to repair a torn tendon in his right index finger after suffering the injury last night. In 44 games with Triple-A Louisville, Senzel hit .310 with 12 2B, 2 3B, 6 HR, 25 RBI and 8 SB. #RedsMiLB
— Cincinnati Reds (@Reds) June 23, 2018
The injury, sustained on Friday night, may have occurred on a play where Senzel booted a ball before recovering to record the out. It's at least possible he'll return in time to play in the Arizona Fall League, which puts his timeline just beyond the end of baseball's regular season:
I'm told there was a hard hit ball to Senzel that he booted, recovered and threw a guy out on. Other than that, nothing else noticeable. #Reds
— Lance McAlister (@LanceMcAlister) June 22, 2018
From what I've been told, Senzel is expected to make a full recovery and this isn't an injury that should hamper him going forward. Also, could be ready to play in the Arizona Fall League or winter ball
— C. Trent Rosecrans (@ctrent) June 23, 2018
The well-rounded Senzel entered the year ranked as baseball's seventh-best prospect by Baseball America, Baseball Prospectus, and MLB.com. Between Eugenio Suarez's continued breakout and the desire to suppress service time, the Reds had tasked Senzel with learning positions other than his natural third base. In 18 June games, he'd appeared at the hot corner five times, with 12 appearances coming at second base (he also played a game at shortstop).
Senzel had already missed about a month this season due to vertigo. Since returning, he'd hit .349/.406/.558 with three home runs and five stolen bases in 21 games. That stretch boosted his seasonal line to .310/.378/.509.
