Jonathan India

Cincinnati Reds second baseman Jonathan India was the subject of a rumor that he could be shipped away prior to next week's MLB trade deadline, but that reportedly isn't likely to happen.

According to Gordon Wittenmyer of the Cincinnati Enquirer, the trade speculation surrounding the 2021 National League Rookie of the Year is "vastly overstated."

Wittenmyer went on to add that India has been assured of his security with the Reds, as the rumors "led to conversations assuring one of the most respected players in the clubhouse of the slim-to-none chance he'll be traded." However, Wittenmyer noted that the 26-year-old still could feel a bit slighted about being included in trade speculation, as "the typically upbeat and accessible India declined to talk about it Monday."

India has played in a team-high 100 games for the Reds, who rank second in the NL Central with a 55-47 record. The righty slugger is hitting .251/.338/.411 with 14 home runs and 51 RBI. It was just a year ago that India was limited to 103 games due to hamstring and calf injuries, which caused him to finish the 2022 season with 10 homers and 41 RBI.

The Reds have made the playoff just once in the previous nine years, and they're coming off a 2022 campaign that saw them lose a franchise-record 100 games. This season appears to be Cincinnati's best chance to buck the trend, so it will be interesting to see how aggressive the team will be prior to next week's deadline.

The Reds had their five-game win streak snapped by the division-leading Milwaukee Brewers (56-45) on Monday, so they will try to bounce back in Tuesday's matchup in their three-game series.

The Cincinnati Reds are prepared to trade second baseman Jonathan India ahead of the Aug. 1 MLB trade deadline, according to MLB.com's Mark Feinsand.

Feinsand reported Cincinnati is looking to get "young, controllable starting pitching" in return for the 2021 National League Rookie of the Year.

India has 14 home runs, 51 RBI and a .251/.338/.411 slash line through 100 games, and his 1.3 WAR ranks fifth among Reds position players on FanGraphs.

The 26-year-old is a steady contributor at the plate and under team control through 2026. Still, some have wondered whether he'll get crowded out with some talented middle infielders moving up through Cincinnati's farm system.

Elly De La Cruz has been electrifying at times after getting called up to the majors, and the 21-year-old will start somewhere in the infield for the foreseeable future.

Matt McLain, who turned only 23 in May, has torn the cover off the ball since arriving in mid-May. He's slugging .528 in 59 appearances.

The Reds have Noelvi Marte and Edwin Arroyo hanging around in the minors as well. The two are ranked No. 16 and 24, respectively, among MLB.com's top 100 prospects in baseball.

ESPN's Jeff Passan reported on June 1 that Cincinnati had received outside interest in an India trade but that the team was "in no hurry to move him."

Because of his contract status, the Reds don't need to move India right now. They can stand pat for the remainder of the season before revisiting the topic in the winter. Even if a deal doesn't materialize, getting a firmer idea of his trade market makes plenty of sense.

Cincinnati Reds top prospect Elly De La Cruz is closing in on his Major League Baseball debut, and there are questions about Jonathan India's future with the franchise in 2023 and beyond.

Teams have inquired about India's availability leading up to the Aug. 1 trade deadline, but the franchise is "in no hurry" to move the 2021 National League Rookie of the Year, according to ESPN's Jeff Passan.

While India plays second base and Cruz is a shortstop, the Reds still have a predicament in the infield to solve—albeit it's a good problem to have.

Cruz is the fourth-best prospect in baseball, per MLB.com, behind Jordan Walker (St. Louis Cardinals), Jackson Chourio (Milwaukee Brewers) and Jackson Holliday (Baltimore Orioles). The Reds believe he could be one of the best shortstops in the league, and he's expected to be the team's starter at the position once he gets promoted.

Cruz, 21, is playing for the Triple-A Louisville Bats. He's slashing .303/.401/.648 with 11 home runs, 33 RBI and 11 stolen bases in 34 games.

When Cruz is promoted, Matt McLain, who is Cincinnati's top shortstop on the Major League club, will likely be shifted back to second base as the Reds believe he has the potential to be one of the best defensive second basemen in the majors.

That leads to questions surrounding India and where he will play once Cruz is promoted. It's possible the Reds could use him as their designated hitter, or they could flip him to left field.

India is under club control through the 2026 season and has three years of arbitration eligibility. If he does get traded at some point, he'll likely cost a fortune given his performance and the term on his contract.

The 26-year-old is in his third major league season and is having another stellar year. Entering Thursday's game against the Boston Red Sox, he is slashing .282/.369/.426 with five home runs, 24 RBI and eight stolen bases in 55 games.

The Reds sit third in the NL Central with a 26-29 record, 2.5 games back of the first-place Brewers.

After leaving Thursday's Field of Dreams game against the Chicago Cubs with a leg injury, Cincinnati Reds second baseman Jonathan India is set to make his way back to Cincy in an unconventional way.

According to C. Trent Rosecrans of The Athletic, India was airlifted to an Iowa City hospital Thursday night due to swelling in his leg. Because doctors are concerned about him flying with that amount of swelling, India is driving back to Cincinnati with team trainers rather than flying with the rest of the team.

India left the 4-2 loss to Chicago in the fourth inning after getting hit in the leg by a pitch from Cubs starter Drew Smyly.

Per Bobby Nightengale of the Cincinnati Enquirer, Reds manager David Bell called India "day-to-day" and noted that he didn't suffer a fracture.

The Reds and Cubs have an off day on Friday before resuming their series at Great American Ballpark in Cincinnati on Saturday, and India is expected to be present for the game.

India, 25, was the No. 5 overall pick in the 2018 MLB draft and was once considered one of the top prospects in baseball.

He is in the midst of his second major league season and is coming off a 2021 campaign that saw him slash .269/.376/.459 with 21 home runs, 69 RBI, 98 runs and 12 stolen bases en route to being named National League Rookie of the Year.

India's production has dipped this season to the tune of .243/.308/.385 with seven homers, 24 RBI, 27 runs and two steals, although he has been limited to just 59 games due to a hamstring injury that required two separate IL stints.

Matt Reynolds and Donovan Solano have seen significant playing time this season both when India has been healthy and out, and they figure to play regularly until India returns to the lineup.

Reynolds, who has played all over the field this season, is hitting .255 with three homers and 20 RBI in 73 games. Meanwhile, Solano is hitting .304 with three home runs and 16 RBI in 40 games.

The Reds dealt several key players ahead of the trade deadline earlier this month, including starting pitchers Luis Castillo and Tyler Mahle, third baseman Brandon Drury and outfielders Tommy Pham and Tyler Naquin.

As a result, they are fairly short on depth, but the moves were needed to build up their farm system since they are one of the worst teams in MLB with a 44-67 record.

The Reds will be even more short-handed if India misses time, but the remainder of the 2022 season is more about seeing what they have for the future than winning games.

The Cincinnati Reds' infield depth continued to be tested Monday night, as both third baseman Mike Moustakas (left calf) and second baseman Jonathan India (right hamstring) exited the team’s contest against the New York Mets after the top of the fourth because of injuries.

Nick Senzel moved from center field to third base following the injuries, with Albert Almora Jr. entering the game to play center and Matt Reynolds taking over at second.

Those injuries come after infielder Kyle Farmer was scratched from the lineup with neck stiffness.

In the event Farmer is unavailable to play Monday, catcher Austin Romine would be the only position player available on the bench.

The 2021 season was an injury-plagued mess for Moustakas, who was limited to just 62 games. He missed nearly three months with a heel injury he suffered in May and then went back on the injured list in September with plantar fasciitis.

The three-time All-Star has not been able to find his former pop at the plate to this point in the season. He's hit .197/.287/.325 with six home runs and 21 runs batted in through 72 appearances on the season.

India, the reigning National League Rookie of the Year, entered Monday’s game hitting .251/.312/.400 with seven home runs and 24 RBI in 55 games.

The 25-year-old got off to a slow start, slashing .231/.290/.346 during the first half of the season. He had picked it up in recent weeks, though, hitting /.305/.369/.542 to this point in the second half.

India previously missed more than a month earlier this year because of a right hamstring injury.

Cincinnati will have to piece together lineups should Moustakas or India miss time. Along with Monday's injuries, the team recently traded away outfielders Tommy Pham and Tyler Naquin as well as infielder Brandon Drury.

After getting off to a 3-22 start this season, the Reds have gone 41-41 over their last 82 games, which elevated them to third place in the NL Central.

Cincinnati Reds second baseman Jonathan India and Tampa Bay Rays outfielder Randy Arozarena, as expected, were named the National League and American League Rookies of the Year, respectively, on Monday.

India beat out St. Louis Cardinals outfielder Dylan Carlson and Miami Marlins pitcher Trevor Rogers. Arozarena beat out teammate Wander Franco and Houston Astros pitcher Luis Garcia.

It seemed a foregone conclusion that India, 24, would win the award in the NL. he led MLB's rookies in games (150), on-base percentage (.376), doubles (34), walks (71) and runs scored (98) while ranking second with a .835 OPS. He added 21 homers and 69 RBI.

He took home 29 of 30 first-place votes.

"I can't imagine someone being more deserving than Jonathan," Reds manager David Bell told reporters after the season. "He's done everything. He's done everything in his power to make our team better, and he has done that. He's personally had just a great season, great accomplishments, but he's just simply made us a much better team by being in our lineup every day, and I think that's what it is all about."

The 26-year-old Arozarena was already the favorite to win Rookie of the Year after an incredible 2020 postseason that saw him named the AL Championship Series MVP.

"He set the bar so high, the expectation level coming off his postseason of 2020 probably made it unfair," Rays manager Kevin Cash told reporters. "Nobody in their right mind was going to say he was just going to back that up for the month he produced in the (2020) postseason. But for a 26-year-old rookie, he had a pretty special season."

Indeed he did, hitting 274 with 20 homers, 69 RBI, 94 runs, 32 doubles, 20 steals and a .815 OPS. He led all MLB rookies with a 4.1 WAR, per Baseball Reference.

Arozarena received 22 first-place votes.

It was stiff competition for both players. In the NL, the versatile Carlson—he played all three outfield positions and hit in seven different spots in St. Louis' lineup—hit .266 with 18 homers, 65 RBI, 79 runs and a .780 OPS.

Rogers, meanwhile, went 7-8 with a 2.64 ERA, 1.15 WHIP and 157 strikeouts in 133 innings. Sixto Sanchez was the young pitcher the Marlins were expected to build around for the future, but after he was forced to miss the season, Rogers emerged as another building block in Miami.

In the AL, Franco very likely would have won this award had he played a full season. Nonetheless, he still hit .288 with seven homers, 39 RBI, 53 runs, a .810 OPS and a 3.5 WAR in 70 games.

"I think you could make the argument that he's the most impactful player on any team in baseball," Cash told reporters after the season. "Certainly for us, our team was really good; we got better when he came. He lengthened our lineup. He made our defense better. He worked really hard on his defense to make his defense better, and it made our overall defense better. He is a game-changing player. It's going to be fun to watch for a long time."

Finally, Garcia helped the Astros reach the World Series, finishing 11-8 with a 3.48 ERA and a 1.18 WHIP in 28 starts during the regular season, leading AL rookie pitchers in wins (11), innings (155.1) and strikeouts (167).