Daniel Wright (IL Pitcher of the Week last week.), Josh Smith, A.J. Morris, and Dayan Diaz get their turn to pitch for the big league club this week. Why not, nobody else can get the job done. Let’s see what is going on down on the farm so we’ll at least know the names of the next wave of pitchers that get a turn.
AAA Louisville Bats
The Bats have a 23-22 record and are in 3rd place in the International League West.
The International League hitters are averaging .252/.320/.369/.689. SS Juan Perez (.292/.384/.406/.790) is quietly putting together a nice season at the plate. LF Jesse Winker (.262/.370/.338/.708) continues to struggle in May after a hot start at AAA. OF Steve Selsky (.275/.380/.383/.764) is back in AAA after a short stint with the Reds. SS Jose Peraza (.288/.331/.384/.715) has solid enough numbers still at AAA but his numbers have to make you wonder if he might just end up being a .270/.310/.360/.670 hitter which is a below average hitting MLB SS (.692 OPS). Scott Schebler (.241/.276/.352/.628) is now struggling at AAA after a decent start.
The International League average ERA is 3.50. Cody Reed (2.21 ERA) is establishing himself as the ace of the Bats rotation. Robert Stephenson (3.02 ERA) is close behind, but trails Reed because he has walked more than twice the number of batters (21 BB) as Reed (9). RH Chad Rogers has a 1.88 ERA over 24 IP in 14 G with 1 GS. Rogers would seem to be a candidate for the next group of pitchers to get a tryout with the Reds.
AA Pensacola Blue Wahoos
The Blue Wahoos have a 27-19 record and are in 1st place in the Southern League South.
The Southern League hitters are averaging .251/.329/.365/.694. SS Calten Daal (.356/.405/.397/.802) continues to hit well since returning from the DL. OF/1B Kyle Parker (.224/.409/.388/.797) is drawing BB at rate he has never shown in the past. LF Phillip Ervin (.234/.349/.438/.786) is still hitting very well. 2B Alex Blandino (.216/.315/.352/.667) is hanging in there close to league average after overcoming a real bad month of April. IF/OF Tony Renda (.281/.331/.419/.750 ) is making a case for a promotion to AAA. Eric Jagielo (.550 OPS) continues to be very disappointing at the plate.
The Southern League average ERA is 3.79. Starting pitcher Amir Garrett (1.49 ERA) continues to dominate the league. RH SP Rookie Davis (1.59 ERA) has been placed on the DL with a strained groin. RH SP Jackson Stephens (3.74 ERA) has come on strong as of late.  RH Sal Romano (4.74 ERA) and RH Nick Travieso (5.02 ERA) have struggled recently. Alejandro Chacin has a 0.89 ERA over 20.1 IP and has recorded 7 S. LH RP Nick Routt has a 0.71 ERA over 25.1 IP. RH RP Carlos Gonzalez has a 1.64 ERA over 22.2 IP with 3 S. RH Barrett Astin has a 3.21 ERA in 28 IP over 13 G with 2 GS.
High A Daytona Tortugas
The Tortugas have a 21-26 record and are in 4th place in the Florida State League North.
The Florida State League hitters are averaging .243/.313/.345/.658. 1B Avian Rachal (.220/.355/.380/.735), who is currently on the DL, leads the team at the plate. RF Aristides Aquino (.237/.310/.402/.713) has cooled back off from a recent hot stretch. 2B Blake Butler (.267/.285/.393/.678) continues to hit above the FSL average. SS Blake Trahan (.228/.305/.311/.617) is still rebounding from a very bad April. 3B Taylor Sparks (.493 OPS) continues to disappoint at the plate.
The Florida State League average ERA is 3.34. Starting pitchers Keury Mella (2.58 ERA), Tyler Mahle (2.92 ERA) and Tejay Antone (2.96 ERA) lead the rotation. LH Seth Varner has a 1.96 ERA in 36.2 IP over 12 G with 5 GS. RH RP Jimmy Herget has a 2.05 ERA in 22 IP with 8 S. RH RP Jacob Ehret has a 2.70 ERA in 23.1 IP with 2 S.
Low A Dayton Dragons
The Dragons have a 13-33 record and are in 8th place in the Midwest League Eastern.
The Midwest League hitters are averaging .242/.315/.338/.654. 2B Shed Long (.257/.337/.444/.782) continues to lead the Dragons at the plate. 1B James Vasquez (.238/.325/.435/.761) has heated back up after a cold spell. LF Kevin Garcia (333/.412/.333/.745) has joined the club and is off to a good start in his first 17 PA. OF Zack Shields (.267/.321/.387/.708) is hitting will since joining the club. CF Narciso Crook (.244/.311/.402/.714) is out for the season with a shoulder injury.  C Tyler Stephenson (.569 OPS) has upped his OPS over 100 points in the last week.
The Midwest League average ERA is 3.39. The Dragon’s traded their best SP Franderlyn Romero (2.87 ERA) to Baltimore for International Draft slot money. RH Austin Orewiler has a 2.87 ERA in 37.2 IP over 10 G with 5 GS. Relief pitchers Ariel Hernandez (1.11 ERA), Manuel Aybar (1.40 ERA), Juan Martinez (2.22 ERA), Conor Krauss (2.61 ERA) and Michael Sullivan (3.12 ERA) are all pitching well out of the bullpen.