Donald

Lutz

Lutz had a nice year for Dayton, batting .301/.358/.492 with 20 homers and 75 RBI. He strikes out a bunch and plays poor defense, though, leaving him a long ways from making an impact in the majors.

The good news is that the break isn’t considered too serious, but it will knock him out for the remainder of the AFL schedule. Lutz has played just 40 games above A-ball and isn’t particularly close to reaching the majors.

Lutz went 2-for-5 with a double, an RBI and a run scored. He’s batting .290 with a .419 slugging percentage through 31 at-bats, but Lutz has yet to take a walk. Lutz had 20-plus home runs in two straight minor league seasons and has displayed NL-only upside when given an opportunity, knocking in six runs, jacking a home run and stealing a pair of bases. He’ll likely have to wait until 2014, at least, to become fantasy relevant.

Lutz’s dinger in the second inning clanked off of the foul pole in right field to give the Reds an early lead, a lead they would hold all day. The outfielder now has six hits and five RBI in 19 at-bats in his first stint in the majors. Despite the nice start, Lutz is likely to be optioned when Chris Heisey returns later this week.

No word on the reason for his absence. Donald Lutz will start in right field Tuesday while Xavier Paul will play left.

Lutz has banged out 20+ homers in two straight minor league seasons for the Reds, but he’s played just 40 games above A-ball. The best the 24-year-old can hope for in 2013 is probably a September call-up.

Lutz has 20-plus home runs in two straight minor league seasons, but he’s struggled at the Double-A level so far, hitting .211/.294/.513 with five homers in 85 plate appearances. He figures to see semi-regular starts in left field with Chris Heisey on the DL and is probably worth an add in NL-only leagues.

Lutz is batting just .211 at Double-A Pensacola this season, but he’s hit five homers and has gone deep 42 times over the previous two seasons. He would figure to see some starts in left field and is probably worth an add in NL-only leagues.

Lutz isn’t likely to make the 25-man roster out of spring training, but the Reds didn’t mind reaching down to Double-A to call him up last season. If he impresses with his spring performance, as he did last year, he will be on the Reds’ speed dial if they are in need of an outfielder.

Lutz underwent Tommy John reconstructive elbow surgery in early May. He’ll rehab as a free agent.