Cueto Returns From The Dominican Today

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Johnny Cueto, the Reds opening day starter, is returning from the Dominican Republic sometime Wednesday.

Cueto left the Reds' camp in Goodyear, Arizona for eight days to tend to his mother, who was hospitalized.

The Reds have a camp at Boca Chica in the Dominican, a half hour from Cueto's home. He has been able to work out, running and throwing.

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"We have been facetiming him," manager Bryan Price said. "He has been able to keep up his work schedule.  He has two more starts left and that should be all he needs."

Homer Bailey will pitch in a minor league game on Friday.  The Reds don't want him to pitch in a Cactus League game, so they can activate him when they want to during the season.  Since he will not be ready for the first series at least, the Reds will put him on the 15-day disabled list to have an extra player for that series at least.

Mike Leake will pitch a minor league game on Saturday.

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"The most important start for a pitcher is the next to last of spring," Price said. "You want them to get up and down five or six times.  You can control the environment in a minor league game to ensure that.  In a regular game if there are some errors, or a flare or two, or a tight strike zone, you can get your pitches in but there may be a 35 pitch inning.  We can cut off an inning in a minor league game to ensure the pitcher gets the right pitch count and up and down."