T.J. Zeuch, Mason native, expected to make start for Cincinnati Reds vs. New York Mets
NEW YORK – After Triple-A Louisville’s win in Indianapolis last Saturday, manager Pat Kelly pulled pitcher T.J. Zeuch aside in the team’s dugout.
Zeuch was scheduled to start Sunday, but Kelly told him he was no longer pitching the next day.
“He told me, ‘you’re going to pitch on Wednesday in New York,’” Zeuch said. “I was just shocked and overcome with happiness. It feels great to be here.”
Wednesday will be a special day for Zeuch, a Mason native. He was added to the Reds’ taxi squad Monday and will wear No. 67. The Reds haven’t announced Zeuch as Wednesday’s starting pitcher, but he’s the top candidate after right-hander Robert Dugger went on the 15-day injured list with right shoulder pain.
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“It’s going to be incredible,” Zeuch said. “I grew up going to Reds games watching Adam Dunn, Sean Casey, Ken Griffey, all those guys, and even Joey (Votto), watching him down at Great American. Putting on the Reds uniform for the first time is going to feel incredible.”
Zeuch, a 6-foot-7-inch, 245-pound right-hander, made 13 Major League appearances (seven starts) with the Toronto Blue Jays from 2019-21. He has a 4.59 ERA in 49 innings.
He signed with the Reds on a minor-league deal in June after he was designated for assignment and released by the St. Louis Cardinals, which thrilled his family because they could drive to his Triple-A games in Louisville. Zeuch posted a 3.63 ERA in five starts at Louisville, striking out a career-high 12 batters in seven innings during his last start.
“He’s talented,” Reds Manager David Bell said. “Sometimes all you need is the right situation, the right opportunity. There is definitely that happening here. I think there is an opportunity for him, that’s why he is here, so it might be really good timing for him based on how he’s pitching.”
Zeuch, who turned 27 on Aug. 1, graduated from Mason High School in 2013. He was a starter for three seasons at the University of Pittsburgh and was a first-round pick (No. 21 overall) by the Blue Jays in 2016.
He made regular little league trips to watch Reds games, he said, before his own baseball schedule became busy in the summer by the time he reached travel ball.
Who was his favorite player?
“I think Ken Griffey Jr. when I was a really young kid,” he said. “To be honest, I didn’t even know he was a Mariner early in his career because I’d only known him as a Cincinnati Red. I would say Ken Griffey, Adam Dunn and Sean Casey, a combination of those three were definitely the guys I look up to.”
When Zeuch became a minor league free agent in May, he signed with the Reds within a week.
“The interest that they showed in me was great and, obviously, the hometown connection,” Zeuch said. “Why wouldn’t you want to play for the team you grew up watching?”
Hunter Strickland moves out of closer's role
After Hunter Strickland blew his fourth save of the season during Sunday’s win in Milwaukee, Bell said he’ll look for different opportunities outside of the closer’s role to help him regain his form.
Strickland has allowed eight hits and seven runs in his last four innings, totaling the same number of homers allowed as strikeouts (two).
“My focus, our staff’s focus is finding ways to help him get through what he’s going through,” Bell said. “This is pretty typical of how we do things anyway, but we’ll look for the right situation for him, the right part of the lineup and just do different things to help get him back pitching the way he has for a lot of the season. That’s where our focus is. It’s less about role and more about what we can do to help him get through this.”
Joey Votto, Ian Happ will be mic'd up in Field of Dreams game
Joey Votto will wear a two-way mic, along with Chicago Cubs outfielder Ian Happ, during Thursday’s Field of Dreams Game in Dyersville, Iowa, where they will talk with broadcasters Joe Davis and John Smoltz.
Votto was mic’d up on Opening Day for the ESPN broadcast, which drew positive reviews from fans.
The Reds will wear 1919-inspired uniforms during the game, white with navy pinstripes and the team’s classic logo embroidered on the left chest. The Reds’ cap is white with navy pinstripes all around.
Reds injury updates: Hunter Greene on the mend, Jeff Hoffman setback
Hunter Greene returned to the Reds clubhouse Monday in New York, his first time back with his teammates after he was placed on the 15-day injured list with a right shoulder strain last weekend.
His MRI exam revealed he didn’t need surgery. He didn’t have a timeline on when he could return, but he’s expected to return this season.
“I won’t throw for a couple of days and then I’ll just build up, get my strength back,” Greene said. “Just a good peace of mind. I knew there wasn’t a big injury, so just reassurance.”
Reds reliever Jeff Hoffman, sidelined with right forearm tightness, returned to Cincinnati after throwing Sunday in Milwaukee.
“I don’t know exactly what they’re going to do as far as MRI or no MRI, but he went back for a doctor’s appointment,” Bell said. “He wasn’t feeling good enough to keep throwing without getting looked at again.”
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Reds expected to start T.J. Zeuch vs. Mets; Hunter Greene update
