CINCINNATI -- The Reds had the luxury of carrying three catchers for most of 2019, but they are now without all three that they started the season with at a pivotal point in the schedule.

A big shockwave hit the group Thursday when Curt Casali was placed on the 10-day injured list with a right knee sprain. Casali¡¯s backup, Kyle Farmer, was also placed on the seven-day concussion list. Cincinnati has been without primary catcher Tucker Barnhart since he went on the IL June 28 because of a right oblique strain.

¡°I¡¯ve never seen anything like it. Some really, really bad luck there on the last road trip,¡± Barnhart said.

The new catching tandem is now Juan Graterol and Ryan Lavarnway. Graterol had his contract selected from Triple-A Louisville on Wednesday when closer Raisel Iglesias went on the paternity list and then started against the Cubs. Lavarnway was released Wednesday by the Yankees¡¯ Triple-A club and was signed Thursday for the rest of the season by the Reds.

¡°That position is a real premium,¡± Reds manager David Bell said. ¡°It¡¯s an important position and a tough position. You have to have depth. We were lucky we had Graterol. But you can¡¯t plan for three guys going down at the same time.¡±

Cincinnati went 2-4 on its road trip to Colorado and Chicago and came into the day trailing the Cubs by 7 1/2 games in the National League Central. The next seven games are against division rivals -- the Cardinals for four games and three at Milwaukee. The Reds plan on being buyers ahead of the July 31 Trade Deadline, but it's unlikely they would swing a trade to acquire another catcher as a stopgap since Barnhart could be a couple of weeks away.

¡°Part of what you do being in this game -- or any walk of life -- it¡¯s kind of how you respond to things and how you react,¡± Bell said. ¡°What choice do you make? You can start making excuses or see it as a challenge and a way to get better, to get through it. It¡¯s not really a choice for me. You keep going, and if you get through these times, you¡¯re in really good shape.¡±

Casali is expected to be in a knee brace for at least two weeks, and Bell estimated he could be out up to a month. If there is good news for Reds catchers, Barnhart¡¯s timetable for a return has sped up. He was supposed to miss at least six weeks from when he was hurt swinging a bat, but he could now return sooner.

¡°I made a lot of progress during the All-Star break and the last week while the team was on the road. I feel really good,¡± Barnhart said. ¡°I¡¯ve hit in the cage, off a tee, hit front toss, long toss, so we¡¯re kind of pushing it a little bit, but still being careful. I¡¯m making really good progress.¡±

Farmer took a pair of foul balls off his mask on Tuesday vs. the Cubs, with the second one leaving him dazed. He was able to remain in the game, however.

¡°I¡¯m feeling a lot better today. I think yesterday, I was really out of it,¡± Farmer said.

Farmer, a utility player who didn't catch this season until Barnhart went down, unpacked his bag Thursday and discovered one of the face bars on his catcher¡¯s mask was bent by the foul ball. Somehow, he didn¡¯t have to leave the game.

¡°I had the adrenaline rush. It can get you through a lot,¡± he said.

The Yankees agreed to release Lavarnway so he could pursue a Major League opportunity. He slashed .213/.333/.315 across 129 plate appearances with Scranton-Wilkes Barre, but he hasn¡¯t played in the Majors since he appeared in six games as a September callup last season with the Pirates. Lavarnway has also played for the Red Sox, Braves, Orioles and A¡¯s and is a .208 career hitter.

¡°I¡¯ve definitely taken a non-linear career path. I¡¯ve been through maybe 100 ups and downs. If anything would prepare me for an unusual circumstance, I think I¡¯m ready,¡± Lavarnway said. ¡°I think the Yankees were trying to do right by me. There wasn¡¯t a ton of at-bats to go around. They are super deep at catcher -- they are one of the rare teams that are -- so I appreciate them trying to do right by me and allow me to seek out a better opportunity to play.¡±