Cincinnati Reds outfielder Tyler Naquin is 'way ahead of schedule' with quad injury

When Cincinnati Reds infielders Jonathan India, Donovan Solano and Max Schrock dealt with soft tissue injuries at different points of the 2022 season, each player spent more time on the injured list than the team initially anticipated.

Now, the Reds have finally received some unexpected, positive news for a player dealing with a similar injury.

According to manager David Bell, Reds outfielder Tyler Naquin is making remarkably quick progress from a quad injury.

“He’s way ahead of schedule,” Bell said. “For a grade two quad strain, it’s (usually) 4-to-6 weeks, he has a chance to be way ahead of that.”

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Naquin injured his quad at the end of May while running to first base in a game against the Boston Red Sox. He’s already taking batting practice and tracking fly balls in the outfield.

Everything has gone well so far for Naquin, who ramped up baseball activities last weekend.

“Swinging and throwing is not an issue,” Naquin said. “It’s more about full-speed running, cutting, stopping and starting. It seems to be going well with what we’re doing so far.”

Naquin has had leg muscle injuries before, but a quad injury was new to him. On May 31 against the Red Sox, Naquin routinely jogged out of the box after making contact but had to limp to first base. He initially hoped he could avoid a trip to the injured list, but his quad needed time to heal.

At the time, Naquin was arguably the most consistent hitter in the Reds’ lineup. He was hitting leadoff in that game versus Boston, and he had a .755 OPS with 22 RBI in 39 games.

He started working on the field during pregame warmups at Great American Ball Park over the weekend, but Naquin is taking careful steps forward. When he runs sprints in the outfield under the training staff’s supervision, Naquin is attached to a harness that helps him decelerate cautiously.

Naquin has learned that runners decelerate completely with their quads, and those muscles do all the work when you’re braking down to a stop. As he runs with the harness, Naquin is able to take some of the pressure off of his quads as he gets back into baseball shape.

“If you do push yourself and feel something, it’ll set you back a week,” Naquin said. “You’ve got to be smart with it and take each day as a win if you don’t feel anything.”

Naquin, who’s in the final year of his contract, has dealt with an injury in every season of his seven-year MLB career. He had a career year with the Reds in 2021, hitting .270 with 19 home runs and 70 RBI in 127 games.

Naquin missed the last three weeks of the 2021 season with a bruised rib, and he hasn’t dealt with a soft issue injury since he tore his ACL in 2019.

With an injury-riddled career, Naquin said he understands the importance of a diligent rehab process.

“We’re trying to be smart about it and not trying to get hopes up too much,” Naquin said. “It’s just all about listening to my body.”

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Reds OF Tyler Naquin is ahead of schedule with quad injury