Drew Storen Out Until 2019 Reds Play All Contenders After Today

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Drew Storen has been shut down for this year and won’t be seen again until 2019.

Storen will have surgery to repair his right elbow.  With 12-month recovery period, he won’t be able to pitch competitively until then.

“He’s found a way to be competitive and stay on the field,” Bryan Price said. “His elbow as not 100 percent but it certainly allowed him to pitch regularly. We noticed the decrease in velocity. Now in order for him to get back he needs to have the ulnar collateral ligament surgery. It’s individual. It used to be nine to 12 months. But, you never know.”  

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Storen was signed to provide a veteran presence to a bullpen that was beat up in 2016.  His contract was through this season.  He will be unemployed after October.

“I started out the year, I felt great.  It started to bother me but this last time it grabbed and I knew that it was time,” Storen said.  “I asked people who have had, Jason Mott and others.  I knew it was a possibility.  There were a lot of different factors and I’m only 30. (Storen turned 30 on August 11).  It is one of those situations where I have the time, let’s do it now.”

The market doesn’t reward players with injuries, who are free agents as Storen will be.

“You don’t have the security to make yourself better.  From a career standpoint it is not ideal but at the same time, everybody goes through this stuff. You have to make the most of it and not sit around and feel sorry for yourself.”

Storen’s velocity was down this year but he learned to pitch.

“I was able to get outs,” Storen said.  “It is a matter of getting healthy again.  When you go out their with the stuff I had it forces you to learn how to pitch a little bit more.  It shows me how much I took for granted the way I pitched before.”

At 30, Storen was the most experienced pitcher in the bullpen.  Now Price is down to a bullpen of two-year pitchers in Raisell Iglesias and Michael Lorenzen.  The rest are rookies.  Most of whom have made Major League debuts this year.  Homer Bailey is the only starter left with more that one-year experience and he is fresh off surgery.

“I have almost exclusively minor league starting pitchers in our bullpen, who are healthy,” Price said.

The Reds play contenders for the playoffs the last 12 games of the season.

“We will put a competitive team on the field every day,” Price promised.  “Not at all costs though, our priority is the Cincinnati Reds.  If it means Tucker Barnhart has to play everyday or Zack Cozart has to play every day, no.  (Jose) Peraza will continue to get at bats.  (Phillip) Ervin will get some starts.  But I respect the environment we’re in.  I won’t empty the bench and have a bench day but the Reds are the priority, not the Cardinals, the Cubs, the Brewers or the Red Sox.”