Latest On Nick Senzel’s Injury Rehab
Nick Senzel saw his 2022 season cut short after breaking a toe in his left foot in September. The injury cost him the last few weeks of the year and lasted into the offseason as it didn’t heal as expected. Senzel underwent surgery in mid-November to fix the problem. Initial reports suggested this shouldn’t affect his spring training readiness, although it’s not clear if that’s still the case.
The Cincinnati Enquirer’s Bobby Nightengale writes that Senzel has spent most of the off-season in hiking boots and suggests this will now be undermined as he goes full-on show action. There’s no sign yet that the start of the regular season is in jeopardy. Still, it’s certainly not an ideal start to a crucial year for the 27-year-old.
Senzel was the second overall pick in the 2016 draft. Not surprisingly, he emerged as one of the game’s best prospects for the past two years before making his MLB debut in 2019. Considered by many reviewers to be an advanced hitter who could play above-average defense at second or third base, Senzel has yet to capitalize on that at the major league level up.
He has underperformed offensive numbers in all four of his MLB seasons and has had a career .240/.303/.360 record in just over 1000 plate appearances. Senzel was also quick to leave infield, spending the vast majority of his innings in midfield. Statcast generally ranked him there as an average defender; Defensive Runs Saved, on the other hand, has turned his outfield work on its head.
Regardless of his defensive acumen, Senzel needs to do more at the plate if he wants to keep accumulating daily playtime. The Reds seem ready to give him that opportunity. Manager David Bell told reporters last month he is likely to get the first crack in midfield (Nightengale link). Cincinnati Brass has expressed some openness to pushing him a little more for the diamond next season, though the Reds have a number of interesting infielders who are at or near MLB level. The outfield perspective is less secure with players like Nick Solak, Jake Fraley, TJ Friedl, Stuart Fairchild And Michael Siani Inclusion of Senzel in the 40-strong squad.
It looks like a possible make-or-break season for Senzel, who is now past three years of MLB tenure. He and the club agreed on a $1.95 million salary to avoid arbitration this winter. He will qualify for this process two more times before reaching free agency after the 2025 season. That gives the Reds a bit of long-term contractual advantage if he makes the move forward the organization has long envisioned, although another underperforming next winter would likely make him an unviable candidate.