CINCINNATI -- Just when some Reds pitchers and manager Bryan Price thought they were close to being out from under injury woes, they got pulled back in. Homer Bailey and Anthony DeSclafani were expected to have their rehab assignments by now, but both are currently shut down from throwing.
Add Raisel Iglesias going on the disabled list with a recurrence of shoulder issues and Jon Moscot battling soreness with his surgically repaired non-throwing shoulder, and the frustration is piling up as injuries seem to have plagued the Reds in recent seasons.
"Maybe we have to find the Schleprock in the organization, I don't know," said Price, referring to a character from the animated "Pebbles and Bamm-Bamm Show" of the 1970s. "There is some bad health mojo going on right now."
Price endorsed the Reds' medical staff and their work Monday, but acknowledged the organization might seek to review past practices just in case.
"I think anybody that has injuries that are copious and run over a stretch of time, you have to look at if we're doing anything we have to look into," Price said. "I have great confidence in what we're doing here. I don't think we've made any drastic changes that would suggest that we put our players in a different environment from a health standpoint and conditioning standpoint. There's no reason to suggest there's any issue with the protocols that are in place for our players. But we all have to do due diligence and all these things. I trust our people; we have good people."
Bailey, who is trying to come back from Tommy John surgery, threw 78 pitches over four innings last Tuesday for Double-A Pensacola, but had long innings as his defense committed five errors behind him. His third rehab start, slated for Sunday, was scratched and he's been shut down for five to seven days.
"I had some weird soreness," Bailey said. "As opposed to trying to push through it, they said straight up, 'We're shutting you down. We're not taking any chances.' I think at this point, it's obviously the best thing to do."
Being as close as he is to the end of his rehab process, Bailey doesn't want to risk missing a large chunk of the season now.
"The last thing I want to do is get a month into playing and then have to be shut back down again," he said. "I'd rather only go through this one time, come back and stay back. I think that's why we're doing the things we're doing."
DeSclafani, who strained his left oblique during Spring Training, still feels less than 100 percent after two rehab starts. His next step is still being determined.
"Unfortunately, I'm getting conditioned to this," Price said. "That's the problem. I'm getting conditioned to the fact that we're dealing with a lot of injuries."
Following a strong big league debut in Iglesias' place Sunday, Price said Tim Adleman would remain in the rotation. Prospects Robert Stephenson, who has already made two spot starts, and Cody Reed are not currently in the mix for callups.