Reds pitcher Johnny Cueto, who won't be on the mound due to a lingering elbow issue, said he feels fine enough to start against the Pirates on Tuesday, according to MLB.com.
Through a translator, Cueto said, "Yeah, I could have pitched today but they’re the ones who know," referring to the coaching and training staff.
Reds manager Bryan Price said Cueto is dealing with some inflammation in his elbow stemming from a previous injury.
“He had that little pocket of inflammation that has been an area where we’ve really tried to strengthen it when we skipped him after the Kansas City start and we haven’t gotten ourselves all the way back to 100 percent,” Price said. “It just seemed to make sense that we weren’t going to be able to get him there without giving him a little time off, and time for treatment and his strength back up. He could pitch. He could have pitched today just like he had the other starts.
"I don’t see another window without having to do something with the roster and send somebody out and start to juggle and do things we didn’t want to do. We’re just taking advantage of a few days off.”
Cueto has had two subpar outings — seven earned runs in 12 1/3 innings — on the mound in a row. Cueto is scheduled to start this Friday against the Mets.