Cingrani (shoulder) will be stretched out on his rehab assignment and could ultimately start again this season.

It's not hard to envision Cingrani displacing Josh Smith or even Michael Lorenzen when he returns. "We're trying to get him stretched out so he can fill multiple roles," Reds manager Bryan Price said on Saturday. "He has more value to us the longer he can pitch, the more innings he can pitch. He was really limited to being anywhere from a situational left-hander to a two-inning guy. The fact we have so many young guys in our rotation and we've used our bullpen quite a bit, his value will be more if he can give us more innings than less, so we're going to get him stretched out a little more than his standard two innings."

Cincinnati Reds pitcher Tony Cingrani will be stretched out to work as a starter while he rehabs from a shoulder injury at Triple-A Louisville, according to the team's official website.

Cincinnati Reds pitcher Tony Cingrani will be stretched out to work as a starter while he rehabs from a shoulder injury at Triple-A Louisville, according to the team's official website. Cingrani could eventually replace either Josh Smith or Michael Lorenzen in the starting rotation. The Reds primarily used Cingrani as a starter the last two seasons, but each of his 24 appearances this year have come as a reliever. "We're trying to get him stretched out so he can fill multiple roles," Reds manager Bryan Price said of Cingrani on Saturday. "He has more value to us the longer he can pitch, the more innings he can pitch. He was really limited to being anywhere from a situational left-hander to a two-inning guy. The fact we have so many young guys in our rotation and we've used our bullpen quite a bit, his value will be more if he can give us more innings than less, so we're going to get him stretched out a little more than his standard two innings."

Cingrani (shoulder) is scheduled to embark on a rehab assignment at Triple-A Louisville on Saturday, Mark Sheldon of MLB.com reports.

Cingrani has been progressing well in his recovery from a strained left shoulder, and he'll continue to ramp up his activity this week before heading to Louisville over the weekend. It's unclear how many rehab appearances he'll require, and the Reds are yet to announce a target return date.

Cincinnati Reds pitcher Tony Cingrani is scheduled to begin a rehab assignment with Triple-A Louisville on Saturday as he continues to recover from a shoulder injury, according to MLB.com.

Cincinnati Reds pitcher Tony Cingrani is scheduled to begin a rehab assignment with Triple-A Louisville on Saturday as he continues to recover from a shoulder injury, according to MLB.com. Cingrani has not pitched in the major leagues since June 13, but is ready to take the next step in his recovery and should be ready to return before the All-Star break.

Cingrani (shoulder) has been making good progress in his rehab.

"It's going great. More good news," manager Bryan Price said. "He's on a regular throwing program. I believe he'll get off the mound after we get back off the road. He's had zero setbacks. His arm feels great. He's been throwing. He initiated throwing right there at the end of the last homestand. He's back to about 105 feet and having no ill-effects from throwing."

Cingrani was placed on the 15-day disabled list Monday with a strained left shoulder.

Cingrani allowed two hits and an earned run in his last outing, which may have been related to his shoulder issue. The club recalled Pedro Villarreal to take his spot in the bullpen, but Cingrani should retake a spot when healthy.

Cingrani struck out the side in the eighth inning Sunday in the Reds' win over the Nats.

Cingrani lowered his ERA to 2.66 with the outing, and avoided the control problems that have plagued him intermittently this season - he had walked three and hit another on Friday night. Cingrani has essentially taken over the set-up duties for the Reds, as sparse as they have been prior to this weekend's sweep of the Nats.

Cingrani earned a hold Saturday, retiring all four batters he faced, striking out three.

After seemingly entering the Witness Protection Program earlier this year, Cingrani has pitched four times in the last seven days, allowing one run over 5.1 innings, with six strikeouts and two walks. This was his first hold, and he may keep getting looks in similar situations going forward.

Cingrani pitched two innings in relief Sunday, retiring all six batters he faced, two by strikeout.

Perhaps this outing will encourage manager Bryan Price to use him more often, and in more important situations.

Cingrani once again wasn't used in Friday's loss to the Cubs, despite the game going 11 innings.

Cingrani last pitched on April 14, and he's thrown 3.1 innings all season. At this point, the organization and Cingrani would both be far better served to have him pitching as a starter in Triple-A so that he can get a better feel for his secondary pitches instead of rotting on the vine on the bench.

Cingrani struggled Tuesday against the Cubs, allowing a single to Anthony Rizzo and a four-pitch walk to Jorge Soler before striking out Chris Coghlan to close out the eighth innnig.

Cingrani came on in the eighth only after Kevin Gregg gave up a two-run homer with two outs. The Reds are still searching for an eighth inning option, but Cingrani will have to do better if he's going to be part of the solution.

The Reds are moving Cingrani to the bullpen, John Fay of the Cincinnati Enquirer reports.

While Cingrani has been able to stay healthy this spring after dealing with shoulder issues last season, his move to the bullpen is seemingly a permanent decision based on his lack of secondary offerings. It would hardly be surprising to see Cingrani thrive as a reliever, and he may be considered as an option to close down the road if the Reds part ways with Aroldis Chapman.

Cingrani's fastball topped out at 94 mph in his first spring training outing, the Cincinnati Enquirer reports.

It'll be worth tracking whether Cingrani can maintain his velocity once he and the other Reds starters are able to work deeper into games. So far all of the pitchers competing for the Reds' open rotation slots haven't separated from each other.

Cingrani suggested that some mechanical changes proposed by the Reds have helped him get loose easier, the Cincinnati Enquirer reports.

The Reds have struggled between keeping Cingrani healthier and allowing him to use the motion that got him to the big leagues in the first place. "When a player has an injury, we certainly look at the delivery as a way to rectify the issue beyond the rehab," manager Bryan Price said. " ... Tony is kind of an interesting subject in the sense that he has a delivery where his arm comes through a little bit late and it creates great deception and movement on his ball. It's one of the reasons that he can throw 80 percent fastballs and be successful when he's feeling good. Sometimes if you worry too much about cleaning a guy up, they lose the deception and that thing that is special about what they do."

Cingrani (shoulder) has been deemed ready to go for the start of spring training, Mark Sheldon of MLB.com reports.

A bout of shoulder tendinitis forced Cingrani to the DL a month into the 2014 campaign and the shoulder issues persisted the rest of the year, limiting him to just 13 appearances (11 starts) with the Reds. However, it sounds like the lefty is back close to full strength, with manager Bryan Price reiterating Wednesday that Cingrani has an inside track at one of the team's final rotation spots. The Reds don't really have many viable alternatives, but Cingrani will still need to perform during Cactus League play to solidify his hold on the job.

Cingrani (shoulder) and Anthony DeSclafani are the favorites to fill the Reds' final two rotation spots, according to manager Bryan Price, the Cincinnati Enquirer reports.

Behind Johnny Cueto, Homer Bailey (forearm) and Mike Leake, the Reds' rotation is still very much up in the air less than a month before spring training. While Price noted that Cingrani and DeSclafani are the frontrunners for the final two spots, he noted, "We don't want to be giving away jobs on our ballclub in January." In Cingrani's case, his chances hinge directly on the healthy of his injured shoulder, which limited him to 13 largely ineffective appearances (4.55 ERA, 1.53 WHIP over 63.1 innings) in 2014. He did not have surgery on the shoulder but was treated with a platelet-rich plasma injection last year.

Cingrani (shoulder) could compete either for a rotation or bullpen spot in spring training, the Cincinnati Enquirer reports.

The Reds are being especially cautious with Cingrani due to the nature of his injury, but have been optimistic so far with his progress. Right now the Reds' rotation is spoken for, but between injuries to Homer Bailey and Mat Latos, and the contract situations of Latos, Johnny Cueto, Mike Leake and Alfredo Simon (all four will be free agents after the 2015 season), it's not hard to envision a rotation spot opening up.

Cingrani (shoulder) is not expected to return to the Reds this season, MLB.com reports.

The team was holding out hope that Cingrani could contribute in some capacity during the final weeks of the season, but manager Bryan Price finally caved Tuesday, saying "I don't think he would have enough time to get back and be able to help us in September." Cingrani has been out since late June with a shoulder strain and recently had to shut down his throwing program due to an impingement. He was treated with a PRP injection and may need a second one in the coming weeks.

Cingrani (shoulder) remains unable to throw, the Associated Press reports.

With the minor league season nearing an end, Cingrani's chances to pitch again in 2014 -- at least a starter -- could be very limited. If he's healthy enough to pitch in September, it will likely be out of the bullpen for the Reds, but that's hardly guaranteed given his lack of progress thus far in his recovery.

Cingrani recently tried to resume a throwing program but was shut down after feeling renewed soreness, MLB.com reports.

The team may send Cingrani for a platelet-rich plasma injection following the latest setback with his shoulder, which would theoretically speed up his recovery but also delay his throwing for at least another week. Manager Bryan Price said the team still views Cingrani as "a possible mid-to-late September option" for the big club, but given how long the issue has lingered, it may be in the lefty's best interest to shut him down and look ahead to 2015.