How Cincinnati Reds plan to fill significant void left by TJ Friedl's broken wrist

GOODYEAR, Arizona — Cincinnati Reds center fielder TJ Friedl was told it could have been worse.

But that doesn’t make the broken right wrist he suffered on a diving play Saturday any less of a gut punch to Friedl and the playoff-minded Reds, who now appear likely to be without one of their most important hitters until sometime in May.

So much for all those best-laid plans of getting off to the quick start that eluded them the last two years.

The Reds already expected to open the season with starting pitcher Nick Lodolo (leg) and relievers Ian Gibaut (forearm) and Alex Young (back) on the injured list until at least April 10. Promising rookie Noelvi Marte was suspended for the first 80 games of the season because he tested positive for steroids.

And on the day Friedl was diagnosed with the non-displaced fracture in the distal radius, starting pitcher Brandon Williamson left his start as a “precaution,” manager David Bell said, because of shoulder soreness.

Reds commentary Wittenmyer & Williams: Is Cincinnati Reds pitching depth concern as Opening Day approaches?

Reds news Could Cincinnati Reds regret Joey Votto buyout? Don’t laugh (or cringe) | Press Box Wag

If the rest of the pitching staff stays healthy, the Reds should have enough depth to handle the opening weeks until guys start coming back.

Of all the injuries, Friedl's may be toughest

But Friedl’s injury might be the biggest blow, for what he means as a defender in center, a pesky, speedy hitter at the top of the lineup and a competitive tone-setter.

“It definitely sucks,” team president Nick Krall said. “Sucks for TJ. Sucks for the team.

“You lose one of your best players, one of your team leaders, that’s a tough one.”

Krall said the team brass has had internal discussions about how to fill the void(s) left by Friedl’s injury for a stretch that might be measured in months by the time he finishes a rehab process that won’t be prescribed for at least three or four weeks, when he’s expected to have the wrist examined again by the medical staff.

Krall said he’s not ruling out looking for help outside the organization, but there don’t appear to be any clear choices that would represent upgrades over internal candidates for center.

Maybe players cut by teams late in spring training could be a fit (for any number of positions), Krall said.

But for now the focus is on internal candidates. And that means Stuart Fairchild, who has had a big spring and already was considered the primary backup to Friedl in center, and Will Benson, who will get most of the playing time there over the final week of camp to prepare.

“It’s no secret we’re going to miss TJ, for sure,” Bell said. “He was going to play most every day in center field and be a big part of our lineup at the top of the order.

“But we do feel like we’re built to be able to pick our guys up in situations like this.”

Benson, Fairchild prepared to step in

Both Benson and Fairchild said they’re prepared to play as much in center as the team needs.

“Absolutely,” Fairchild said. “That’s what you sign up for.”

The day after Friedl was hurt, Benson started in center and looked comfortable on the handful of plays that came his way, including a well-played hop off the fence.

“It felt normal. And to be honest, in terms of angles and seeing the ball off the bat, center field is going to be the easier of the three,” said Benson, who emphasized fielding during his offseason  work. “So I want to use that to my advantage.”

Bell said Benson talked even as camp opened about being “determined to make improvements out there. And it’s shown up so far this spring.”

Not that anybody believes they’re going to replace Friedl’s unique-to-this-team skill set, which helped produce 17 bunt hits and 17 balls hit over the fence (plus an 18th home run on a ball that wasn’t hit over the fence).

Several players can fill leadoff spot

Matt McLain, who saw a lot of time in the No. 2 spot in the order after he debuted last season, batted leadoff on the day Friedl was diagnosed with the fracture.

He hasn’t hit leadoff in a big-league game but said he’ll be comfortable doing it if he’s needed.

“I’m just going to be me no matter where I go,” said McLain, who did bat leadoff during his high school career. “Guys are going to have to step up.

“However it goes down, whoever’s going to play center or whatever, no one’s scared. Everyone wants to be that guy.”

Jonathan India, who has a .362 career on-base percentage as a leadoff man and has more experience at it than anybody else on the team, figures to get a lot of the leadoff at-bats with Friedl out.

“It’s tough not being able to go out there on Opening Day and for however long it is,” said Friedl, who was injured when his glove stuck on the dive, causing his hand to roll under him.

“But we have a lot of guys in this clubhouse who rally around each other,” he added. “It’s not just one individual guy. I’m not worried about these guys. They’re going to continue doing what they do best. All I can do is put myself in a position to pick up where I left off and rejoin the team.”

As for that quick start everybody was talking about in camp, Benson for one doesn’t see why they can’t make it happen regardless.

“In general we have a team that has a strong backbone and a lot of talent,” he said. “Obviously, we’re missing some pretty key pieces, to say the least. But I still think we’re strong as a unit. We’ll still be able to prevail through that.”

Said McLain: “It’s a big blow for sure. But TJ’ll be back. He’ll be TJ and he’ll come back ready to go. So that’s the good thing. Knowing the type of player he is and how he works, he’ll be back ready to go.”

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Why TJ Friedl's broken wrist might be biggest blow among Reds injuries