PHOENIX — The Cincinnati Reds placed outfielder TJ Friedl on the 10-day injured list Monday with a fractured left thumb.
The injury happened on Sunday when Friedl was hit on the first pitch of the game from the Giants‘ Kyle Harrison in San Francisco.
Reds manager David Bell said before Monday’s game at Arizona that Friedl will miss four to five weeks. The center fielder had just returned from missing the opening weeks of the season with a fractured right wrist suffered during spring training.
“He’s such a great teammate. He worked hard to get back, just getting into playing,” Bell said. “Nothing we can do about it. He’s gonna be fine.”
In six games, Friedl was 4-for-22 (.182) with two RBIs and two stolen bases. Last season, he hit .279/.352/.467 with 18 homers and 27 stolen bases in 138 games.
To replace him, the Reds called up outfielder Jacob Hurtubise from Triple-A Louisville. Hurtubise, a West Point graduate, will be the first player to play in the major leagues under a 2019 policy allowing Army grads to delay their service commitment for a professional sports career.
Cincinnati has been hit hard by injuries this season, missing second baseman Matt McLain (left shoulder surgery), first baseman Christian Encarnacion-Strand (broken wrist) and left-hander Brandon Williamson (left shoulder strain).