Reds infielder Dilson Herrera cleared waivers and was sent outright to Triple-A Louisville, the team announced on Tuesday. Herrera will remain in Cincinnati's Major League camp for now as a non-roster invitee.
Herrera, 24, was expected to compete for the Reds' bench role, but he has not fully recovered from the surgery he underwent on his right shoulder last August. Herrera has logged 15 at-bats this spring, collecting four hits, but only as a pinch-hitter or designated hitter.
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"He's not real close," manager Bryan Price said of Herrera's progress on Sunday. "The time I talked with [trainer Steve Baumann] a day or two ago, he said the protocols would be at least a week. I don't imagine he'll be in before then."
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Cincinnati was hoping to try out Herrera at third base and in left field, thus adding versatility to his game and further justifying his spot on the roster. But with just over two weeks remaining before Opening Day, time is running out.
"I haven't seen enough of what Dilson can do; not even close," Price said. "Not being able to defend, I think he's trying to maximize his at-bats. He's putting a little too much pressure on himself."
Herrera was signed by the Pirates out of Colombia in 2010. The Reds acquired him from the Mets as part of a trade involving Jay Bruce in August 2016.