Jesse Winker will undergo season-ending shoulder surgery. He was batting .299 this year with 7 homers and 43 RBI.
Throughout the last couple of seasons, Jesse Winker dealt with pain his right shoulder.
The Reds placed Winker on the 10-day disabled list Thursday with a right shoulder subluxation.
"Man, I have no idea it is," said Winker. "I know my shoulder hurts. That’s all I know."
Winker said the pain was "off and on" all season but Monday was essentially the final straw.
On first base during a comeback win over the St. Louis Cardinals, Winker ducked under a line-drive single from Tucker Barnhart in the ninth inning and fell to the ground on the base paths. Winker later scored the game-winning run.
Speaking to reporters Thursday, Winker was emotional about the end of his season.
"Obviously, I was hoping that surgery wasn’t the end result but I’ve been dealing with this for 2-3 years," Winker said. "Just got to the point now where it’s time to go fix it."
It's a tough loss for the Reds' lineup, which was already without outfielder Scott Schebler. On the DL, Schebler began a rehab assignment Wednesday, going 1-for-3 with a walk as a designated hitter at Triple-A Louisville.
Winker, based on what he's been told from doctors, said his goal is to return by Feb. 1, 2019. He said he felt the pain when he completed "any baseball move."
"There were times where it affected his swing," Reds interim manager Jim Riggleman said. "He altered his swing path because of the pain. That’s a tough way to play at the Major League level. He did a heck of a job. I don’t think anybody realized that he was going through it as much as he was."
Mason Williams, an outfielder at Louisville, was called up to fill Winker’s roster spot. Williams played in 25 games with the New York Yankees over the past three seasons.
A left-handed hitter, Williams signed with the Reds as a minor league free agent last offseason.
Williams was batting .280 with six homers and 30 RBI in 87 games at Louisville. He recorded a hit in 13 of his last 14 games.
"It’s been a matter of me being healthy and staying on the field and playing my game and just having confidence in myself," Williams said.
Williams, once considered the Yankees' top prospect, learned of his promotion to the big leagues Thursday morning.
He played on the same high school team in Florida as Cardinals pitcher Austin Gomber, who had a no-hitter against the Reds for six innings Tuesday. The two players will sometimes train together in the offseason.
To make room on the 40-man roster for Williams, the Reds moved injured infielder Alex Blandino (torn ACL in his right knee) to the 60-day DL.
"He’s had productive at-bats, competitive at-bats, against both left-and-right-handed pitching," Riggleman said of Williams. "He’s a good athlete. We’re confident he will come up here and do a good job."
SCHEBLER STILL PROGRESSING: Schebler was in Louisville's lineup as a designated hitter for his second rehab game Thursday.
But the key to his return will be when he's comfortable making throws.