Chris

Denorfia

Denorfia was supposed to be up for good when he replaced Austin Kearns on the roster last month, but he got off to a slow start and Ryan Freel heated up at the same time, erasing his chances of seeing regular playing time. Now he’s losing his spot to Todd Hollandsworth so that the Reds can have a left-handed pinch-hitter. He’ll be back in September, but he probably won’t be worth using in fantasy leagues unless Freel or Ken Griffey Jr. gets hurt.

Denorfia had his knee drained last week, which is one of the reasons Norris Hopper was called up for a couple of days when the Reds wanted a reserve outfielder. He’s expected to be fine to join the club next month, but he may not have any fantasy value unless a player ahead of him gets hurt.

The Reds will want to keep Denorfia, but they will need relief help in order to stay in contention and the 25-year-old outfielder will be one of their best pieces of bait. He’s hitting .351/.409/.461 for Louisville.

Denorfia should spend the rest of the year on the roster, but he won’t be worth using in NL-only leagues unless Ryan Freel or Ken Griffey Jr. gets hurt.

With Ken Griffey Jr. out, Todd Hollandsworth started over Denorfia against the right-hander Tuesday and then pinch-hit for the youngster as soon as Jonathan Sanchez was replaced today. It looks like manager Jerry Narron still doesn’t have much faith in Denorfia.

Denorfia’s fifth-inning two-bagger off of Madison Bumgarner plated the Padres’ sole run of the afternoon. Spending the majority of his time batting first or second, Denorfia is now hitting a cool .302/.388/.465. He won’t provide any power, but is shaping up as a perfectly acceptable OF4/5 in mixed leagues.

It’s all the tallies the Padres needed in the 2-1 win. Denorfia has received just two starts so far this season, and this was his first extra-base hit. He has some speed and a little bit of pop, but there’s not going to be any value to be had here unless you’re in a super deep league.

He should be ready to return in the next day or so. Will Venable will now make the start in center field while Chris Denorfia plays right.

It’s doesn’t sound like anything major. “He’s going to be fine,” manager Bud Black said. Denorfia will make the team as a reserve outfielder if the injury doesn’t get any worse. He batted .277/.337/.381 with five home runs, 19 RBI and a .718 OPS over 340 plate appearances last season for the Padres.

Denorfia has not taken a Cactus League at-bat due to lower back discomfort. “He’s not progressing to the point where we know when he’s going to get into a game,” Black said Tuesday. “It takes time to get game ready.”