On Wednesday, Cincinnati placed OF-R Austin Kearns on the disabled list. Kearns suffered a nondisplaced fracture of the ulna bone in his left forearm when RHP Ryan Vogelsong hit him with a pitch during the first inning of the Reds' April 26th game in Pittsburgh. Cincinnati has not committed to a timetable for Kearns' recovery, but current predictions estimate he'll miss between three and six weeks with the later being more likely. Kearns was struggling severely at the plate prior to the accident, and those problems at least were partially ascribed to residual soreness in his shoulder from the rotator cuff surgery the 23-year-old underwent in August of 2003. Hopefully, the enforced rest triggered by his broken arm will benefit his shoulder as well. Due to his April struggles, I expect the Reds to send him on a rehab assignment before he returns unless further injuries afflict the Cincinnati's outfield.

C-R Jason LaRue joined Kearns on the disabled list on Thursday. LaRue suffered a nondisplaced fracture in the tip of his of his right index finger when a RHP Brooks Kieschnick pitch hit him as he attempted to bunt during the ninth inning of the Reds' April 28th game in Milwaukee. The finger is now in a splint, and the club will re-evaluate his status in a week, but Cincinnati does not currently have an estimate on his return. As long as the bone remains in place, I suspect LaRue will miss no more than a month and the 30-year-old could return shortly after he's eligible to leave the DL.

The Reds will recall C-R Corky Miller today to fill LaRue's roster spot. Miller will have only spent four days in the minors, since the club just sent him to AAA on April 26th in order to give the 28-year-old an opportunity to amass more at-bats and to clear room on the roster for 3B-R Brandon Larson, who was returning from the DL. Miller and C-S Javier Valentin will split the playing time freed by LaRue's injury.

Meanwhile, OF-L Jacob Cruz has filled Kearns' roster spot. Cruz possesses solid plate discipline and substantial power, so the 31-year-old should be a useful addition to the Cincinnati bench. With Larson back from the disabled list, UT-S Ryan Freel has shifted his playing time from third base to the outfield and will absorb most of the at-bats left open as a result of Kearns' absence. Additionally, OF-R Wily Mo Pena should find more opportunities.

Larson began the season on the DL due to turf toe and his return was delayed when he was hit in the right elbow by a pitch during his first rehab game in early April. The 27-year-old apparently recovered from both injuries and should receive the majority of the playing time at third base now that he's back in the majors.

Last week, Cincinnati claimed 2B/OF-R Jason Romano off waivers from the Devil Rays. The Reds plan to use Romano as a utility outfielder and right-handed bat off the bench. He's capable of covering second and third but is more proficient in the outfield. Tampa waived the 24-year-old because they were more interested in an infielder than an outfielder, but Cincinnati appears content to consider his infield flexibility merely a bonus in a crunch rather than a regular option. However, given the composition of the rest of the Reds' roster, I do not anticipate Kearns' injury to lead to much extra playing time for Romano.