Tim Hudson to miss start with bone spurs in ankle, Julio Teheran will fill in

Tim Hudson’s encore for his 13th career shutout will have to wait a little while.

David O’Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports that Hudson has been scratched from tomorrow’s start against the Blue Jays as he deals with bone spurs in his left ankle. Prospect right-hander Julio Teheran will be called up from Triple-A Gwinnett to start in his place.

Hudson was given a cortisone shot in the ankle and the Braves hope to have him available to start Wednesday against the Yankees. The veteran right-hander missed the start of the season following surgery to repair a herniated disk in his back, but has a solid 3.83 ERA and 31/15 K/BB ratio over eight starts.

Teheran, who was ranked as the No. 5 prospect in the game by Baseball America during the offseason, has a 3.15 ERA and 43/21 K/BB ratio in 54 1/3 innings over 11 starts at the Triple-A level this year. The 21-year-old right-hander made his major league debut last season and had a 5.03 ERA in three starts and two relief appearances.

The Reds have sent second baseman Scooter Gennett in for an MRI exam after he was forced to make an early departure from Friday’s 6-4 loss to the Brewers. The exact nature of the injury has yet to be reported, but starting pitcher Robert Stephenson said Gennett may have hurt himself after he “rolled weird” while trying to rein in a ground ball. He appeared to be grabbing at his right thigh/groin area immediately afterward and was helped off the field.

Following the incident, the 28-year-old was swiftly replaced by veteran infielder Carlos Rivero, who went hitless as he finished out the game. Though Gennett went 0-for-1 in his lone at-bat on Friday, he’s been tearing through the Cactus League competition this spring with a .351/.405/.486 batting line in 42 plate appearances so far.

The extent of Gennett’s injuries have not been disclosed — and may still be unknown to the team as well — but any significant setback would undoubtedly throw a wrench in the Reds’ plans this season, as he was the presumed starter at the keystone after turning in his first All-Star worthy performance in 2018. Although they have a promising alternative in top infield/outfield prospect Nick Senzel, the 23-year-old has not seen any time at second base this year and was recently reassigned to Triple-A Louisville to start the 2019 season.