The Reds placed left-hander Sam Moll on the 15-day disabled list Wednesday and promoted right-hander Casey Legumina from Triple-A Louisville in the same transaction. Moll is battling with a left shoulder impingement and informed Gordon Wittenmyer of the Cincinnati Enquirer that he is “not likely” to return before the end of the season.
Moll has been attempting to pitch through the ailment for some weeks, and the problem may have begun last season, when Moll stated that he was also attempting to pitch with shoulder discomfort in order to contribute to a contending Reds club. Moll started the season on the 15-day injury list and didn’t return until April 23.
“I obviously don’t want it to snowball to what it did last offseason, where it screwed up my offseason as far as preparation and leading into obviously what I dealt with earlier this year,” Moll said. It isn’t yet known if Moll will just need to rest his shoulder, or if some kind of procedure could be needed to address the problem.
Despite the lack of a full spring ramp-up, Moll pitched some strong innings for Cincinnati’s bullpen. If this is all for his 2024 season, he’ll end with a 3.35 ERA, 25% strikeout rate, 9.2% walk rate, and 46.9% grounder rate in 37 2/3 innings and 48 appearances. Moll isn’t a particularly hard thrower, but his sinker and sweeper are both excellent pitches that produce a lot of soft contact. Left-handed batters have a.430 OPS in 63 plate appearances against Moll this year, and he has a.719 OPS in 89 PA vs righties.
This strong 2024 season follows Moll’s 0.73 ERA in 24 2/3 innings for the Reds in 2023, after being acquired from the A’s at the trade deadline. Moll, a five-year MLB veteran, will become arbitration eligible for the first time this winter as he enters his age-33 season. If no injury-related difficulties interfere with the Reds’ decision to offer Moll a contract, he’ll be eligible for a significant raise to move him out of the minimum-wage category.
