According to Bob Nightengale of USA Today, the Reds are telling teams Ryan Ludwick is available.

Ludwick may be an option for teams that miss out on a more impactful bat like Marlon Byrd. The 36-year-old Ludwick is hitting .261/.326/.394 with six home runs this season, and he has a $9 million mutual option with a $4.5 million buyout for 2015.

Ryan Ludwick is not in the Reds starting lineup for Saturday's game against the Yankees.

It's just a routine day off for the veteran slugger who is hitting .265/.324/.400 with six homers and 26 RBI on the year. Chris Heisey will draw the start in his place in left field and hit seventh against Brandon McCarthy.

Ryan Ludwick went 3-for-6 with a solo homer and two RBI against the Cubs on Thursday.

The homer was Ludwick's first in a month. He's been a part-time player of late, but not all that bad of one. Interestingly, he's hitting .383 and slugging .568 in 81 at-bats in day games this year, compared to .191 with a .301 slugging percentage in 136 at-bats in night games.

Ryan Ludwick returned to action on Saturday June 21.

Ryan Ludwick was scratched from the Reds' starting lineup on Thursday due to back tightness.

The veteran is considered day-to-day. Chris Heisey will get the start in left field against the Pirates.

Ryan Ludwick went 4-for-5 with three doubles and two runs scored against the Brewers on Sunday.

Ludwick had four of the Reds' 19 hits on the day as they victimized Marco Estrada and the Brewers bullpen. That no runners were on base for any of his three doubles is just bad luck, but the outfielder did come around to score twice. He's hitting .271/.330/.424 in 52 games this year.

Ryan Ludwick went 2-for-4 with a homer Monday against the Dodgers.

Ludwick is a part-time player, but since he entered with great career numbers against Dan Haren, he was guaranteed the start tonight, and since he went on to homer off Haren, there's a good chance he'll be back in there tomorrow.

Reds manager Bryan Price said Sunday that Ryan Ludwick, Chris Heisey and Skip Shumaker will share the left field position going forward.

Price had a conversation with Ludwick about the decision and said the veteran outfielder "was very professional." The position has been trending toward a timeshare of late, so it's no surprise that Price is making it official. Ludwick is hitting just .246/.314/.352 with three homers and 17 RBI this season.

Ryan Ludwick hasn't started the last two games due to a minor quad injury.

Ludwick did pinch-hit Monday and was available to play Tuesday, so the ailment doesn't seem to be a big deal. However, it's not clear when he'll return to the lineup. "He's got just a little bit of discomfort in the top of his quad," Reds manager Bryan Price said. "It's enough where we didn't want to run him around in the outfield. He hit yesterday, he could have played yesterday, he could have played today. That being said, we don't want to have him out there somewhat hobbled trying to battle his way through that game. We felt better that we use him off the bench, we have guys who are 100 percent healthy that can go out there and play and we'll take a look tomorrow and see how he's feeling."

Ryan Ludwick went 2-for-4 with a double in the Reds' loss to the Braves on Sunday.

The Reds managed only five hits against Julio Teheran and the Braves bullpen, with Ludwick accounting for two. After a slow start he's heated up of late -- all four of his doubles have come in the last seven games, and he's now hitting .290/.342/.435.

Ryan Ludwick went 2-for-3 with a double that plated both Reds runs in Thursday's win over the Pirates.

Ludwick is hitting .293, so there's been little Chris Heisey in left field of late. Ludwick still doesn't have a lot going for him besides the average, with four extra-base hits and four walks in 59 at-bats, but he's doing enough to keep his job.

Ryan Ludwick (toe) finished 2-for-4 with an RBI in his return to the starting lineup Sunday.

Ludwick sat out Saturday after fouling a ball off his big toe on Friday night. The veteran outfielder is hitting .306/.352/.449 with seven RBI in 14 games.

Ryan Ludwick returned to action on Sunday April 20.

Ryan Ludwick is expected miss a few games after fouling a ball off his big toe in Friday's victory over the Cubs.

X-Rays came back negative, but he's still very sore. Chris Heisey is getting the start in his place on Saturday and will see the bulk of the action while Ludwick is sidelined.

Ryan Ludwick is not in the Reds' lineup Wednesday.

It's just a day off for the veteran. Chris Heisey is taking Ludwick's spot in left field. Zack Cozart is also getting a breather, with Ramon Santiago filling in at shortstop.

Ryan Ludwick's Cactus League struggles continued on Sunday, going 0-for-3 in a losing effort against the Angels.

The 35-year-old outfielder is hitting just .188 (3-for-18) in the early going with five strikeouts. With Chris Heisey tearing the cover off the ball in Arizona, he may want to kick things into gear or risk losing playing time in the Reds outfield.

Ryan Ludwick went 1-for-3 with a home run and two runs batted in on Tuesday against the Royals.

Ludwick's first blast of the spring, a two-run shot, came in the first inning against Danny Duffy. Two weeks ago, manager Bryan Price said he'll probably have Ludwick hit in the clean-up spot against lefties and fifth against right-handers. With speedster Billy Hamilton and on-base machine Joey Votto batting in front of him, the RBI opportunities should be plentiful for Ludwick.

Reds manager Bryan Price said that Ryan Ludwick will, "in probability," bat cleanup against left-handers.

He'll bat fifth against righties but will flip-flop with the left-handed hitting Jay Bruce when a southpaw is on the mound. This, combined with Ludwick's recent revelation that he's finally back to 100 percent following shoulder surgery, makes the 35-year-old an intriguing bounce-back candidate. Ludwick batted .275/.346/.531 with 26 homers and 80 RBI in 2012 before last year's injury-shortened season.

Ryan Ludwick estimated Monday that his surgically-repaired right shoulder wasn't fully healthy until the end of December.

Ludwick tore his labrum on Opening Day last season and hit just .240 with two home runs and 12 RBI in 38 games after returning in August. The outfielder expects to have a bounce-back season now that he's back to 100 percent. "I think a lot of people don't understand that you come off of surgery, you rehab for four months, you're not going to be as strong as you are the following year," Ludwick said. "I kept telling people around me that they don't understand that. I've been through surgeries and you're never back feeling good until a year post-op."

Ryan Ludwick is once again hitting in the two-hole in the Reds starting lineup for Saturday's game against the Pirates.

It's certainly a favorable matchup for the veteran slugger against struggling southpaw Jeff Locke. The 35-year-old is hitting .250/.299/.339 through 36 games this season with two homers, 12 RBI and a 29/9 K/BB ratio.