Reds undecided on what to do with injured Bailey

TODAY’S GAME

Brewers at Reds, 12:35 p.m., FS Ohio, 700, 1410

Homer Bailey quietly read a book in front of his locker Tuesday at Great American Ball Park. He had no interest in talking to the media about his right elbow ligament sprain and declined to comment.

The latest setback for the Cincinnati Reds’ highest-paid pitcher occurred Monday when the team placed him on the 15-day disabled list, retroactive to Friday.

Bailey started the season on the DL after undergoing forearm surgery in the offseason. He made two starts but enters the second month of the season with an uncertain future.

A starting rotation already missing two of its top arms from a season ago — Alfredo Simon and Mat Latos — moves forward without a 28-year-old veteran who has made 168 starts in the last nine seasons. The Reds did get some good news Monday as one of the new starting pitchers, Jason Marquis, recorded his best start of the season, allowing two earned runs in eight innings in a 9-6 victory over the Brewers.

The Reds have not decided how they’ll approach Bailey’s rehabilitation. Surgery is one option, but that would be the worst-case scenario.

“We don’t have to make a decision 24 hours after learning of the injury,” manager Bryan Price said. “Homer needs some time. I think Homer will do whatever we want him to do. He’s that type of guy.

“We have to make some decisions on which way we want to attack this. I don’t want to just throw stuff out there. I don’t think that’s responsible. Certainly, he won’t be pitching here in the near future.”

For now, 23-year-old right-hander Michael Lorenzen will fill Bailey’s spot in the rotation. Lorenzen was scheduled to start today for Triple-A Louisville. Instead he will start at 12:35 p.m. for the Reds in the series finale against the Brewers. Mike Leake’s start will be pushed back to Thursday in Atlanta.

“It would have been difficult had (Lorenzen) pitched two days ago,” Price said. “It would have been impossible (to call him up). That benefited him. But we’ve had our sights set on Michael for some time. He threw the ball really well in spring — maybe not statistically, but the ball came out of his hand really well. We think he’s mature and ready to handle this type of challenge. It wasn’t a difficult call.”