'Really surprised that something broke': Candelario hits IL with toe fracture

TORONTO -- When the Reds spent north of $108 million in the offseason, they put the biggest portion into signing free-agent slugger Jeimer Candelario. On Tuesday, they placed Candelario on the 10-day injured list with a fractured big left toe.

Candelario, 30, was diagnosed after he underwent an in-game X-ray at Rogers Centre on Monday night. He continued to play through the injury and went 0-for-4 with two strikeouts in the Reds' 6-3 win over the Blue Jays.

“It was hurting, but I was really surprised that something broke," said Candelario, who signed his three-year, $45 million contract in December.

“Yesterday he was trying to get himself ready to play and thought he could do it,” Reds manager David Bell said. “As the day went on, it was feeling worse.”

Candelario, who was the Reds' largest expenditure on the free agent market since Mike Moustakas and Nick Castellanos in the 2019-20 offseason, was hit on the foot by Brady Singer during Sunday's 8-1 loss to the Royals.

There is no timeline yet for how long Candelario will be out. He is expected to see the doctors back in Cincinnati soon for a more definitive diagnosis, but he was in the clubhouse wearing a walking boot on his left foot on Tuesday.

“I want to put my mind in the right way to come back this season," Candelario said. "I think we have a really good shot. I put [it] in my mind to come back as soon as I can.”

To take Candelario's place, the Reds added infielder Amed Rosario to the 26-man roster after he reported to the team. Rosario was claimed off waivers from the Dodgers on Sunday.

Candelario is batting .225 with a .708 OPS, and he is second on the club in home runs (20) and RBIs (56). Over his first 23 games, he batted .159 with 34 strikeouts in 82 at-bats, but he eventually got into a groove before seeing his production wane the past couple of months, which included his dealing with tendinitis in his knee.

Initially signed to play both corner infield spots, Candelario has mostly been at first base or designated hitter since late June after rookie Noelvi Marte returned from his 80-game suspension for PEDs.

“It is really tough to not be in the lineup every single day as I usually do,” Candelario said. “It’s part of baseball. It’s part of life. It could be worse than that. At the same time, we’ll wait for it to heal and hopefully we come back stronger.”

Spencer Steer and Ty France will get most of the time at first base while Bell rotates different hitters at DH.

The 28-year-old Rosario, meanwhile, has joined his third team this season, but he entered Tuesday batting .305 with a .746 OPS in 81 games with the Rays and Dodgers. He was pleased to have landed a spot with the Reds.

“I felt pretty good. I know this is a good team," Rosario said. "We have a lot of young talent. For me, that’s special.”

Rosario was traded from Tampa Bay to Los Angeles on July 29. When the Dodgers got Mookie Betts back from the IL last week, Rosario was designated for assignment.

“I understand this is a business," Rosario said. “It’s part of the game too. I don’t try to put so much attention on what happened. I can only control what I can control.”

Rosario can play second base, shortstop, third base and all three outfield spots.

“That’s going to be the way to get him into the lineup, the fact that he can play all over,” Bell said.