CINCINNATI -- Reds outfielder Jake Fraley was placed on the family medical emergency list prior to Friday's game against the Tigers in an effort to allow the 29-year-old time to spend with his family. Fraley's 5-year-old daughter Avery was diagnosed with leukemia last summer, which went into remission in January.
After Fraley spent a few days with Avery and his wife Angelica at their home in Miami in early July and then flew back to be with the team, the Reds made use of the family emergency list to to give Fraley more time to be with family.
“Avery’s fine,” Reds manager David Bell confirmed Friday.
It’s been an intense challenge to handle his baseball responsibilities along with the reality of caring for a child and wife who need support.
“They're incredible, I mean, just unbelievably strong,” Bell said before Friday’s game. “And you know, [Jake’s] put together a support system and a routine that has just allowed him to stay on the field. They're strong in every way and that's helped, but of course going through anything with your family, it's gonna wear on you.
“But Jake has handled it as well as possible, and from everything I can tell, their family’s doing well and strong. So, obviously, we're doing everything we can here to support that. And this was a time that wasn't unexpected and that we knew that he would need to be home at times just at different points.”
As is the case with the paternity leave implemented by MLB and the MLBPA, the family emergency list allows teams the flexibility for a player to leave the team and call up a player to take his place.
Tyler Stephenson made use of that clause earlier this week and the Reds used it again Friday with Fraley, calling up Edwin Ríos from Triple-A Louisville.
“It's nice because life doesn't stop,” Bell said. “I mean, you almost have to have it. And it's just that things happen, and life happens. So yeah, that is good. We have that option.”