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Harrison Bader, Tejay Antone comebacks stall, both to miss rest of Cincinnati Reds season

gordon wittenmyer, cincinnati enquirer
·2 min read
Tejay Antone
Tejay Antone

The road through October — if not the road to get there — just got tougher for the Cincinnati Reds with the news Saturday that two potential playoff weapons are out for the year.

Harrison Bader, the Gold Glove center fielder the team acquired Aug. 31 on waivers from the New York Yankees, has scrapped the original rehab plan for a possible return and opted for surgery for his sports hernia.

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“When he left here that was the goal, to have him ready for the last weekend and then the playoffs, or just as soon as possible,” manager David Bell said of the lefty-killing hitter who landed on the injured list Monday with the groin injury.

“His goal was to get himself ready and see where we are. But he just can’t do it.”

The second big loss is Tejay Antone, the bullpen right-hander, who expected to return for next week’s final series of the season after working through inflammation in his twice-rebuilt elbow.

Tejay Antone, who has gone through two different Tommy John surgeries, had hopes of returning to the Reds before the end of the regular season but has had to scrap those plans.
Tejay Antone, who has gone through two different Tommy John surgeries, had hopes of returning to the Reds before the end of the regular season but has had to scrap those plans.

“It’s not going as quickly as he would have liked or we would have liked,” said Bell, who added even giving him a month until a possible World Series appearance isn’t likely.

“It’s still a possibility, but I think it’s more remote now,” Bell said. “We have to do what’s best for Tejay. At this point it could be just trying to get him back as healthy as possible for next year. We haven’t completely shut down the idea of him coming back, but I’d say it’s trending that way.”

The popular Antone returned Sept. 2 after more than two years of recovery and rehab from a second Tommy John surgery and allowed just one run in five appearances (1.59 ERA) before experiencing soreness in Detroit during the recent road trip. He struck out seven of the 21 batters he faced since returning.

An MRI revealed no new issues in the elbow beyond inflammation, the team said.

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Cincinnati Reds determine Harrison Bader, Tejay Antone done for year