Barry Larkin strained his left calf muscle running out a triple in the ninth inning of Cincinnati's April 10th game in Houston. The Reds initially believe that Larkin would only need to sit out a few days, however he reported increasing tightness in the leg rather than improvement. Consequently, they placed him on the disabled list on Monday, retroactive to the day after the injury occurred.

Larkin is eligible to return from the disabled list two days before his 39th birthday, but I'm not sure he'll have rejoined the team by then. However, the Reds have given no indication that Larkin's injury is severe, so he should be back with the team around three weeks after the injury occurred.

Felipe Lopez will receive the majority of the playing time at shortstop in Larkin's absence. With a better start to the season, Lopez might challenge Larkin for playing time when the veteran returns. Unfortunately, Lopez has not impressed Cincinnati so far this year. His slow start and Larkin's injury probably have quelled the Reds thoughts of having Larkin play an occasional game in the outfield. I doubt we'll here that kind of talk again until at least after the All-Star break, though unless Larkin picks up, he'll probably receive a sizeable complement of rest days.

Cincinnati called up Juan Castro to fill Larkin's roster spot. While the Reds seem attached to the idea of playing Castro frequently due to the struggles of other infielders, Castro has not demonstrated skills in the minors that suggest he'll provide them with significantly more offense. When the team is at home in their new bandbox, the 30-year-old likely will rack up several homers, but few players won't hit homers when at the Great American Ballpark.

The Reds placed Jimmy Haynes on the disabled list on Thursday. Haynes has battled back problems since the first week of the season. An MRI revealed a bulging disc in his lower back, and Cincinnati will not activate him until they believe he's recovered. Haynes might be able to return within a month, if he responds to treatment and rest. However, there's a strong possibility that he won't return until after the All-Star break.

Cincinnati waited two days after placing Haynes on the DL to replace him on the roster. Yesterday, the Reds called up Chris Reitsma, Jeff Austin, and Brian Reith, while designating Jimmy Anderson and Josias Manzanillo for assignment.