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The Cincinnati Reds (43-48) have been grasping at straws trying to stay in the NL wild-card race, bringing up top prospect Rece Hinds to inject some much-needed juice into the lineup. It appears to have been the right decision, as Hinds' debut on Monday couldn't have gone any better.
The 23-year-old sounded off on his 449-foot home run in Cincinnati's 6-0 win over the Colorado Rockies, via ESPN.
“It was surreal. I can't put words to it,” he said. “You see my smile, that's all I got right now.”
Hinds was listed as the Reds' 15th-best prospect in the league's latest rankings, via MLB.com.
The 2019 second-round pick smacked a double in the fifth inning for his first major league hit before mashing the 449-foot solo shot in the eighth.
He admitted post-game that he didn't anticipate such an eventful debut.
“It was much more than expected,” he said. “I just wanted to go out, get a win, which we did. Just wanted to let my abilities take care of itself.”
Hinds, who hit eighth in the lineup on Monday, may be moved up going forward if he turns this into a hot streak.
“It's a good way to acclimate yourself to the team,” manager David Bell said. “And it's a big win for us.”
Will Hinds help Cincinnati stay afloat?
The Reds have a fighting chance at the playoffs if they heal up
Hinds showed off his power with Triple-A Louisville this year, hitting .216 with 13 homers, 41 RBI, 14 doubles, and a .699 OPS. However, the Niceville, Florida native struck out 126 times in just 296 at-bats, so he'll need to improve his contact hitting at the next level.
Hinds' arrival comes at the perfect time for Cincinnati, as the club is suffering from multiple injuries to starting players. Infielders Christian Encarnacion-Strand and Matt McLain are both on the 60-day IL, while catcher Luke Maile, outfielder Nick Martini, and outfielder/leadoff hitter TJ Friedl are on the 10/15-day IL. Martini's return date from his thumb sprain, however, is unknown, via MLB.com.
“Martini had an MRI on Sunday,” the injury report said. “While detailed results weren't reported, manager David Bell said afterward that he ‘could be out for a while.' Martini jammed his thumb on a head-first slide on a failed stolen-base attempt in the second inning of Saturday's game. He was tended to by trainer Tomas Vera but stayed in the game.”
The Reds acquired outfielder Austin Slater from the San Francisco Giants on Sunday to add emergency depth to the lineup, shipping out left-handed pitcher Alex Young in return. Slater, however, has struggled this year, hitting .200 with one homer and nine RBI in 90 at-bats.
If Slater can slightly improve, along with Hines continuing to mash baseballs, Cincinnati should be able to stay afloat until Maile, Martini, and Friedl return.
