All Things Bubba

Paul Janish will be wearing a Louisville Bats uniform again. The Reds sent him down to AAA today, and called up Zack Cozart.

From Reds beat writer John Fay:

–The Reds aren’t ready to give up on Edgar Renteria. They would have had to designate him for assignment in order to open his spot. He’s hit better lately. But Janish is more versatile (can play third as well as shortstop and second base) and is much better defensively. Offensively, it’s been a draw. Janish was hitting .227/.259/.271, Renteria .229/.304/.271.

–Janish was hitting a bit below what the Reds expected from him. But I don’t see him going to minors for a short spell and developing into an offensive force.

Many were expecting the Reds to DFA Edgar Renteria to make room for Cozart. I wasn't. I figured it would be Janish sent down, even though he's a more versatile player with a better glove. The reason is depth. The Reds don't have any real shortstops down on the farm who are close to being ready. Renteria is old and injury-prone. And I don't think they're sure Cozart will actually be an improvement on Janish. They need insurance. Renteria cannot be optioned; if they cut him, they lose him. Janish has options, and can be stashed in Louisville for later use.

There seems to have been much confusion/indecision in the Reds front office last night. The Bats' starting pitcher was switched from Travis Wood to Dontrelle Willis to TBA back to Wood. Then Walt Jocketty said Willis would pitch in relief last night...but he didn't. (Either Wood or Willis will probably be called up to take Edinson Volquez's spot in the rotation; he was optioned today along with Janish.) Meanwhile, Cozart was in the lineup and was not pulled early...suggesting that they made the decision to call him up after the marathon extra innings game the Reds barely won. (Renteria was 1 for 5 and Janish 0 for 2 in that game.)

I'm sure Janish is disappointed at the demotion, but he'll probably be recalled when rosters expand in September...or sooner, if Cozart doesn't work out or there's an injury.

Selfishly, I'm kind of hoping he's not recalled too soon. The Bats come to New York the first week in August, and I'd love to see him play.

UPDATE: Dusty Baker's comments on Janish:

“He put quite a bit of pressure on himself. His confidence was down. He’s going down to get his confidence together. Confidence is a big part of this game. You hear and you read. When you’re getting ripped a lot, it messes with your confidence. You put pressure on yourself. He’s definitely a quality shortstop. He’s one of the best there is. It’s just a matter of him getting his offense together.”

Labels: Paul Janish