Reds Reliever Sean Marshall Has Setback in Rehab

Normally, injuries to non-closer relief pitchers aren’t major news in the world of baseball, but in the case of Cincinnati’s Sean Marshall, his absence could prove crucial.

Marshall, who has been on the disabled list since May 24th with a sore throwing shoulder, has been put on hold in terms of throwing after an issue with his rehab. Cincinnati manager Dusty Baker was quoted as saying:

"“He had a minor setback yesterday. He went to see a doctor. He’s going to get back on it soon. He’s doing well.”"

Obviously, that is a rather dismissive quote from Baker, but the real meat of the story is that Marshall will be cutting back on his throwing for a couple of days. The Reds can’t afford to be without Marshall for very long, as they are dead in the middle of a playoff race (having entered the day as the #2 Wild Card team in the NL) and are still without right-handed set up man Jonathan Broxton.

Marshall has been absolutely tremendous in a set up role in recent years, posting an ERA of 2.65 or lower in 3 consecutive full seasons. He also performed well before being injured this year (only 2 runs allowed in 7 innings), and with the way that Baker uses his pitching staff (always controversial), they are in need of a quality left-handed arm in front of Aroldis Chapman. In the grand scheme, this may not be cause for alarm for Marshall, but it’s certainly not what Cincinnati Reds fans wanted to hear.