Terry Francona Shares Injury Update on Reds Outfielder After Leaving Game on Friday Night vs Pirates

Cincinnati Reds outfielder Blake Dunn left Friday night's win over the Pirates with right elbow discomfort. He made a throw home on a sacrifice fly and left the game between innings.

After the win, Reds manager Terry Francona provided an update on Dunn.

"When he made that throw, his elbow kind of grabbed at him," Francona said. "He went and tried to swing and was really having a tough time. He's had some issues with that elbow in the past. He got an X-ray and that came back fine, which I think was to be expected. We are going to get him looked at in the morning and see what is going on."

Dunn has been a pleasant surprise for the Reds this season and has been their everyday center fielder since TJ Friedl was optioned to Triple-A Louisville. If Dunn is forced to miss time, Dane Myers will most likely get most of the reps in center field.

Nick Krall Speaks About Development

Reds president of baseball operations Nick Krall walks between fields at the Cincinnati Reds Player Development Complex in Goodyear, Ariz., on Wednesday, Feb. 12, 2025. | Sam Greene/The Enquirer / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Reds President of Baseball Operations Nick Krall spoke to the media on Friday and discussed a myriad of topics. One of the things he discussed was the development in the minor leagues, or lack thereof, as some might say, when it comes to position players.

“I don’t think development is linear,” Krall told Charlie Goldsmith of Charlie's Chalkboard. “Dunn has progressed in his role at the big league level. Sometimes, you think a guy will get to the big leagues and he’ll do exactly what he did in the minor leagues. Sometimes, you’ve got to figure out how to make those adjustments. We need to make sure we’re doing the best we can to help these kids grow at this level so they can be productive big leaguers.”

While Krall pointed to Dunn as a great success story, the Reds have had their share of prospects who haven't developed the way they hoped. Christian Encarnacion-Strand, Rece Hinds, Will Benson, Matt McLain, and Noelvi Marte are all examples of players whose development has taken longer than expected or who simply haven't produced enough at the big league level, forcing the organization to look elsewhere.

If the Reds want to be able to contend in the division year after year, they need to be better at developing talent within.

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