Scott Rolen Placed on DL

A strained left shoulder has once again sidelined Reds’ third baseman Scott Rolen.  Cincinnati placed Rolen on the disabled list yesterday before their game against the Braves.

Rolen was given Sunday through Tuesday off to rest the shoulder before returning Wednesday night in Pittsburgh.  The 36 year old went 1 for 4 at the plate but continued to experience discomfort in his shoulder.

Cincinnati thought that the time off earlier in the week would be enough rest to allow Rolen to resume everyday play, but the soreness persisted and the club decided to place their third baseman on the DL.

Rolen was sidelined from late April to the middle of May with a similar injury.  Over his 65 games this season he’s only managed an OPS of .676 but has tallied 27 extra base hits and 36 RBI’s.

The Reds are hoping that Rolen’s down numbers can be attributed to his bum shoulder and not general decline.  Over the past two seasons Rolen has posted OPS’s over .800 and totaled 20 home runs, 34 doubles and 83 RBI’s last year.

To replace Rolen on their roster, the Reds recalled infielder Todd Frazier from Triple-A.  Frazier started at third tonight for Cincinnati, but Miguel Cairo is likely to see a majority of action at the hot corner in Rolen’s absence.  Cairo’s put up a line of .282/.350/.401 on the year and has manned third 31 times this season.

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