Cincinnati Reds Opening Day Rumors: Raisel Iglesias Tapped as Starter After Anthony DeSclafani Injury
The Cincinnati Reds were forced to make an abrupt change right before Opening Day by naming Raisel Iglesias as starter against the Philadelphia Phillies. The move came after receiving news that original starter, Anthony DeSclafani has apparently suffered an injury.
According to team manager Bryan Price, via The Associated Press, DeSclafani is currently suffering from a strained oblique in his left side.
It's quite an unfortunate scenario for the 25-year old right hander who came in as a late contributor to the Reds' very young rotation last season. As a matter of fact, the team fielded an all-rookie rotation that looked inexperienced at most times, though DeSclafani did his best to earn the Opening Day nod at the Great American Ball Park. But with the injury, he may not be available for several games of the season.
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Iglesias pitched a total of 95 1/3 innings last season, highlighted by 16 starts. He compiled a record of 3-7 and 4.15 ERA. What's more interesting though is that once he starts on Monday against the Phillies, he will be one of only a few pitchers to be doing an opener even with very minimal experience in the majors. The Associated Press also reported that he is only the second Cuban-born pitcher to start on opening day for the franchise; the first one is Adolfo Luque, who took the honor in 1928.
The pitcher played for the Cuban national baseball team in 2013, but it was the last time he represented the country after an attempt to defect in September. However, he was caught and detained, only to do it again just two months later. That time in November, he succeeded and established residency in Haiti. He eventually got a contract offer from the Reds after holding an open tryout in Mexico in December of 2013. His current contract is for seven years and worth $27 million.
