GOODYEAR, Ariz. — A week into spring in spring training, Reds manager Bryan Price has seen enough of Zack Cozart and Devin Mesoraco to be confident that they will be ready for Opening Day.
That doesn’t mean the shortstop and catcher will be on a regular schedule in Cactus League games. Cozart had major knee surgery June 15, and Mesoraco had hip surgery June 29.
“(Cozart) has to do a lot more outdoor baseball activity,” Price said. “He looks great. He’s run bases. He’s moving laterally. He’s taking ground balls, going side to side. He’s doing everything that he needs to do right now.
“But along with Devin, they’ll be reintegrated into game situations when they’re deemed ready by our medical staff and our baseball people. I don’t anticipate them missing a lot of time or not being ready for Opening Day. But their front side of spring training might look a little bit different than years past. We’re not going to put too much on their plate too soon.”
Cozart's and Mesoraco’s surgeries were so long ago that they were pretty much ready to go when they arrived for spring training.
“The good news is it wasn’t as if their rehab brought them to Arizona,” Price said. “They’ve been hitting live for a while — Devin in particular was hitting a lot in Cincinnati. I don’t think Zack is far behind at all. I really do believe they’ll be able to have a full workload by the time we get toward the end of spring training. They’ll be capable of playing on regular basis.”
