Cincinnati is also doing this without Elly De La Cruz, which is the single biggest thing tilting this matchup. His hamstring MRI got bumped up to Friday, June 12, and the lineup card in St. Louis looks a lot smaller without him in the middle of it. Throw in Hunter Greene still parked on the 60-day, Ke'Bryan Hayes at third, and a bullpen missing Emilio Pagan and Pierce Johnson, and you've got a road team scraping together a roster for a 1:15 PM CT start the day after a doubleheader sweep.
- Day-To-DayConnor Burns (C) — no05/08
- Day-To-DayJosh Staumont (RP) — The Twins reinstated Staumont (calf) from the 15-day injured list Friday and optioned him to Triple-A St. Paul, Aaron Gleeman of The Athletic reports.05/08
- 10-Day-ILElly De La Cruz (SS) — De La Cruz (hamstring) had his scheduled MRI moved up three days to this coming Friday, June 12, Gordon Wittenmyer of The Cincinnati Enquirer reports.06/06
- 10-Day-ILJose Trevino (C) — Trevino (hamstring) began a rehab assignment with Triple-A Louisville on Thursday, going 0-for-3 with a strikeout.06/05
- 10-Day-ILKe'Bryan Hayes (3B) — Hayes is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Phillies.05/22
- 15-Day-ILRhett Lowder (SP) — Reds manager Terry Francona confirmed Wednesday that Lowder (shoulder) will be reinstated from the injured list to start Sunday's game in St. Louis, Charlie Clifford of NBC 5 Cincinnati reports.06/03
- 15-Day-ILEmilio Pagan (RP) — Pagan (hamstring) underwent an MRI exam Friday that showed positive results, MLB.com reports.05/31
- 15-Day-ILPierce Johnson (RP) — Johnson threw a scoreless seventh inning in Tuesday's win over the Phillies to pick up his fourth hold of the season. He struck out two while allowing a walk.05/30
- OutCarson Spiers (SP) — The Reds re-signed Spiers (elbow) to a minor-league contract with an invitation to spring training Monday.05/08
- 60-Day-ILHunter Greene (SP) — Reds manager Terry Francona told reporters Saturday that Greene (elbow) could return from the 60-day injured list prior to the All-Star break, Charlie Goldsmith of Fox 19 Now Cincinnati reports.06/06
- 60-Day-ILGraham Ashcraft (RP) — Ashcraft (elbow) received a platelet-rich plasma injection Tuesday, MLB.com reports.06/03
- 60-Day-ILBrandon Williamson (SP) — The Reds transferred Williamson (shoulder) from the 15-day injured list to the 60-day IL on Wednesday.05/08
- Day-To-DayJJ Wetherholt (2B) — Wetherholt (groin) isn't in the lineup for Saturday's game versus the Reds, Jeff Jones of the Belleville News-Democrat reports.06/06
- Day-To-DayPacky Naughton (RP) — Naughton will undergo surgery next month to repair the damaged UCL in his left elbow, Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.05/14
- Day-To-DaySem Robberse (SP) — Robberse (elbow) signed a minor-league contract with the Cardinals on Monday, which includes an invitation to spring training, Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.05/08
- Day-To-DayVictor Santos (RP) — The Red Sox traded Santos (undisclosed) and Nick Robertson to the Cardinals on Friday in exchange for Tyler O'Neill (foot), Alex Speier of The Boston Globe reports.05/08
- Day-To-DayIxan Henderson (SP) — Henderson (elbow) is starting the season on the 60-day injured list at Triple-A Memphis.05/08
- Day-To-DayZack Thompson (RP) — The Cardinals reassigned Thompson (shoulder) to minor-league camp Monday.05/08
- 10-Day-ILRamon Urias (3B) — Urias (elbow) returned to St. Louis to undergo an examination on his left elbow, Jeff Jones of the Belleville News-Democrat reports.06/06
- 10-Day-ILNathan Church (LF) — Church (shoulder) could be reinstated from the 10-day injured list ahead of Tuesday's game against the Mets, Jeff Jones of the Belleville News-Democrat reports.06/06
- 15-Day-ILRyan Fernandez (RP) — The Cardinals recalled Fernandez from Triple-A Memphis on Tuesday.06/05
The Cardinals aren't fully healthy either — JJ Wetherholt's groin has him day-to-day and Ramon Urias is back in St. Louis getting his elbow looked at — but they've at least been playing winning baseball. Three straight wins, including the 10-3 and 6-5 beatings of these same Reds on Saturday, is the kind of stretch that buys a manager some patience on the lineup card.
The pick here is whatever side you trust the pitching matchup to deliver. McGreevy at home, with a real bullpen behind him, against a Reds offense missing its best player and a starter on a strict pitch count, is a clean read. If you like the Reds, you're betting on Lowder's stuff playing up after a month off — and that's a leap of faith Terry Francona is also being forced to take.