Reds Calling Up Former Second-Round Pick After Tyler Stephenson Injury

The Cincinnati Reds were dealt a huge blow on Thursday after stud catcher Tyler Stephenson was forced to leave the game with a bloody thumb. It was confirmed that Stephenson suffered a fracture on that unfortunate foul tip, which will sideline the potential All-Star for four-to-six weeks.

Now Cincinnati is expected to call up a former second-round pick in response to losing its starting catcher.

C. Trent Rosecrans of The Athletic reports Chris Okey will be called up from Triple-A to help boost the Reds' depth after Stephenson's injury. Current backup Aramis Garcia will likely take over starting duties, though the Okey could challenge if his recent success in the minors translates to his first taste of MLB action.

Okey was a second-round pick by Cincinnati in 2016 out of Clemson. He initially ranked among the organization's top prospects before some struggles caused him to tumble.

He's off to a solid start at Triple-A Louisville this season, posting career highs in batting average (.265) and slugging percentage (.441) over the first 24 games. Okey also hit for the cycle this past Saturday, so his confidence should be sky-high heading into his potential MLB debut.

How the Reds' catcher options respond to Stephenson's extended absence will be one huge storyline as summer baseball heats up in Cincinnati.

Isaiah De Los Santos is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, Isaiah De Los Santos also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username zayyy05328. While the strategies and player selections recommended in his articles are his personal views, he may deploy different strategies and player selections when entering contests with his personal account. The views expressed in their articles are the author's alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of FanDuel.