Alex Gonzalez in Louisville for injury rehab as Bats get roster shakedown

Lots of other roster shuffling over the past few days, as well, as Bats players Drew Sutton, Jared Burton, and Craig Tatum all were called up to the Reds for their upcoming west coast road trip. Sutton had a brief appearance with the Reds earlier this year In baseball's version of the one night stand, as he played in just three games before getting sent back to Louisville. Sutton, who can play all four infield positions, had a .373 on-base percentage in 43 games with the Bats this season to go with five round trippers and 21 ribbys. Look for Sutton to play a reserve infielder role until Gonzalez is healthy enough to get back with the Reds. After posting a solid 3.22 ERA out of the Reds' bullpen last year, Burton struggled early this season with the club, and was sent to Louisville to work out the kinks. Burton has righted the ship since being demoted three weeks ago, dominating hitters out of the Bats' bullpen, posting two wins and a 1.13 ERA in seven appearances. 

Catcher Craig Tatum will be making his major league debut when he first takes the field for the Reds, as he was called up on Sunday to take the injured Ramon Hernandez's spot on Cincy's roster. Tatum has hit .281 thus far in July, and carries a .239 average with 21 RBIs on the season for Louisville. The former Mississippi State Bulldog was a fourth-round pick of the Reds in the 2004 draft, and will probably see limited time with the Reds behind 2008 Bats' all-star Ryan Hanigan.

Joining Gonzalez in Louisville will be two relief pitchers who were stonewalling opposing hitters earlier this season while playing the Bats. Relievers Josh Roenicke and Robert Manuel each head back to Derby City after playing very well in their brief stints with the Reds. Roenicke rolled with a 2.92 ERA in 10 games with Cincy, while also posting the same 2.92 ERA in 24 appearances with Louisville before his callup. We'll see if Roenicke, a righty, goes back to the closer duties he saw earlier this year with the Bats, when he slammed the door on opponents 11 times to earn saves. Manuel has also been a beast this season, earning his first Major League call-up on July 7th after putting up a 2.51 ERA in 32 games with the Bats. The righty's brief tenure with the Reds showed enough that he should be back in Cincy at some point, as he didn't allow a run in over four innings.

In another roster move, starting pitcher Sam LeCure was placed on the disabled list with an oblique strain, while infielder Eric Eymann was called up from double-A Carolina. Eymann had a brief stint with the Bats earlier this season, and tripled in his first game back on this callup. He will take Sutton's spot amongst the infielders. LeCure will be doing his crunches to cure the oblique injury, as he has enjoyed success (7-5, 4.17) in 16 starts this year.