“We’ve been through this injury before with (Brandon) Finnegan and with (Johnny) Cueto, or at least similar injuries,” Reds manager Bryan Price said. “You have to make sure it’s completely healed before you really ramp up the workload. A setback with that, as we saw with Finnegan last year, was really detrimental to his ability to compete at all.
“There’s no guarantees, but we’ll do everything we can before we get him on the mound to verify he’s healthy,” Price added.
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Lorenzen said he feels ready but understands the team’s patient approach.
“I feel 100 percent, to be honest,” Lorenzen said prior to Saturday’s game against St. Louis. “I’m throwing 75 feet right now. I don’t really have a specific number of throws, but I feel like I could throw all day. But they won’t let me.”
Lorenzen said it’s doubly difficult to stifle his competitive nature.
“I want to get back on the field, want to compete with my teammates and help them win some baseball games, and you’re competing against yourself in a sense of how quick you can come back,” he said. “It’s always hard to be patient when you’re competitive. I’m trying to push what the typical recovery time is for an injury like this and I’m competitive in that regard and trying to come back sooner than what most people can come back.”
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Schebler status: Scott Schebler is eligible to come off the disabled list Tuesday, and Price said Saturday morning he planned to sit down with the outfielder and discuss the plans for a rehab assignment.
“We think we’re very close to doing that,” Price said. “He’s very close to being able to play again. But until we sit down with him directly and lay out a map for that, which will happen today — definitely will happen today – I’d rather not say.”
Schebler was hit by a pitch from Washington closer Sean Doolittle on his right elbow April 1. Schebler didn’t have feeling in his fingers for more than a week, but he hit and threw Friday night prior to the 5-3 loss to the Cardinals.
Winker waiting: Outfielder Jesse Winker was not in the lineup again Saturday, and Price said it probably will be another day or two before he's ready to return.
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The Reds scratched Winker from Friday night’s lineup with a shoulder injury.
“It might be a day or two before he’s able to get back in the lineup in an optimistic world,” Price said. “But he’ll have to respond to treatment well in the next 24, 48 hours before we can consider him being a guy that could get back in the lineup.”
Weiss optioned: The Reds optioned rookie pitcher Zack Weiss to Triple-A Louisville to make room on the roster for Saturday's pitcher Brandon Finnegan, who activated from the disabled list.
Weiss had a rough outing in his major league debut Thursday night, allowing four runs on two hits with two walks without retiring a batter.
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