I heard of Paul Janish's possible injury yesterday. Today it's been confirmed by beat writer John Fay that Janish broke his wrist when he was hit by a pitch in Saturday's game against the Norfolk Tides.
Janish will be placed on the DL and is likely to miss 6-8 weeks (standard recovery time from a broken wrist).
Janish is one of the more likable players in the Reds organization. He may not always produce to fans' standards, but he works hard and is a wizard with the glove.
This year, Janish was punishing AAA pitching. In 23 games, Janish was batting .315/.390/.521 with two HR, seven doubles, a triple, four RBI and 11 runs scored.
The Reds will need to replace Janish's production in Louisville, and the best option seems to be promoting lower level players.
Didi Gregorius is in AA right now and he'd be next in line for a promotion at shortstop. Gregorius is one of the higher-ranked organizational prospects and he's certainly playing like one this season.
Gregorius is batting .333/.384/.345 with a double, seven RBI and 15 runs scored in 22 games played.
Promoting Gregorius would create a vacancy at shortstop in AA-Pensacola.
Fan favorite and super-prospect Billy Hamilton is the likely candidate for promotion.
Hamilton is killing it in 2012. In 23 games at A+ Bakersfield, Hamilton is batting .393/.481/.591 with a HR, six doubles, four triples, 10 RBI, 24 runs, and 29 steals.
Hamilton's offensive game is definitely deserving of promotion. His big knock is his defense but as I've mentioned in previous articles, defense for shortstops tends to come later in their minor league careers.
Hamilton is the organization's most exciting prospect and arguably the fastest player in professional baseball.
It will be interesting to see how the Reds handle Janish's injury. The injury could have major implications on the progression of two of the Reds' best prospects.
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