CINCINNATI - The Louisville Bats played an 11 a.m. game Tuesday, April 28, and Adam Rosales slapped his two hits and went home. He was there a couple of hours when manager Rick Sweet called.
"You forgot to pay your clubhouse dues," said Sweet. Rosales said he never forgets to pay his dues at the end of each homestand, but he did this time. He was embarrassed that his manager had to call and tell him. "So you need to come back to the clubhouse and pay your bills," Sweet said. "And while you're here, pack your bags. You're headed to Cincinnati."
That's how Rosales discovered he was called up and Wednesday found himself in the lineup, playing third base and batting seventh.
"He has a high confidence level," Reds manager Dusty Baker said. "He is seeing the ball well, and this is not his first time in the big leagues, so I expect him to do well. I told him after spring training to go down there and tear it up, and he'd be back. I didn't expect it to be this soon."
Rosales hit .431 at Louisville, left with an 11-game hitting streak and said, "I was learning a lot at Triple-A, but now I feel I have more to learn at the next level. It's an opportunity to get better."
Rosales is here because Edwin Encarnacion is on the disabled list. Rosales spent all spring with the Reds and added, "I took my momentum from spring training to Louisville. I learned a lot. I kept my confidence and concentration, and focused on getting my pitch to hit and not let the pitcher make me get myself out."
Three weeks for EE
Encarnacion has a hard splint on his fractured left wrist, and Baker said it will remain for a week. Then Encarnacion will go to a soft cast for another week.
"He just has to heal now, and I'm no doctor, but they told me a week in a hard cast, a week in a splint cast and then another week of (rehab) competition if he is ready," Baker said. "You want that hand pain-free and you want it strong."
Meanwhile, outfielder Chris Dickerson is feeling better after his head-tohead collision Monday at second base with Houston shortstop Miguel Tejada.
Rain washed out batting practice, but Dickerson hit in the indoor cage and was available to pinch hit Wednesday.
A niche for Nix
Laynce Nix laughed when he was told after he hit a home run Tuesday it was announced in the press box that it was his first in the majors since 2006.
Well, Nix had played in only 39 major-league games since then, and he said, "After that 2006 homer in the majors, I hit 50 more homers, but they were all in the minors."
Quote of the day
"This game is about ups and downs, and the only thing in Baseball that goes up and down is your batting average, which is something I don't worry about because all I want to do is produce in some way to help us win." - Reds second baseman Brandon Phillips
