Waldrop making most of short stay
Outfielder recalled to fill Leake's roster spot after righty traded to Giants
CINCINNATI -- Outfielder Kyle Waldrop understands his time up in the big leagues with the Reds for now will be short lived, but he's still trying to make the most out of it.
Waldrop was recalled from Triple-A Louisville on Friday to fill the vacant roster spot left by the trade of starting pitcher Mike Leake, but Reds manager Bryan Price has said it'll only be a short stint for now. Waldrop didn't get the chance to make his Major League debut in Friday night's game against the Pirates, but he is still getting a lot out of the experience.
Waldrop is expected to be used off the bench as a pinch-hitter, and he said Friday he worked closely with 11-year veteran Skip Schumaker, who is primarily used as a pinch-hitter for the Reds.
"Yesterday Schumaker's like, 'Hey, follow me, I'll take you through my routine [and] how to prepare,'" said Waldrop, who is ranked as the 18th best prospect in the Reds' organization. "So fourth inning we went into the weight room and got stretched out. Fifth inning we are hitting off the tee. Then he kind of showed me how he prepares to pinch-hit, possibly getting double-switched into the game. Stuff like that.
"Then today, me and him went into the video room. He's like, 'This is what I'm looking for.' He pulled up all of the relievers and was like, 'This is what this guy tries to do,' stuff like that. So Schumaker has actually been a lot of help. It's been pretty cool to just see what he does and try to apply that."
With the Reds electing to start right-handed pitcher Keyvius Sampson on Sunday instead of bringing up an arm from the Minor Leagues, Price said Waldrop could be here a little longer than originally planned. However, he would still rather have him get playing time with Louisville instead of sitting on the Reds' bench.
Regardless of how long Waldrop is around, he said being in the dugout for Friday night's game was something he has always dreamed about.
"Just unbelievable," Waldrop said. "I got a little bit of taste [in Spring Training]. I thought Spring Training was awesome, just being in the clubhouse there, being around all of the guys and everything, then here, just unbelievable. Just can't beat it, something that I've dreamed about, and it's actually reality right now."