Cincinnati Reds: Paul Janish Breaks Wrist in Louisville, Promotions to Follow?

It was yesterday that I heard of shortstop Paul Janish's possible wrist injury, and today it's been confirmed by beat writer John Fay that he broke it when hit by a pitch in Saturday's game against the Norfolk Tides in Triple-A Louisville.

Janish will be placed on the DL and is likely to miss 6-8 weeks (standard recovery time from a broken wrist).

One of the more likable players in the Reds' organization, Janish may not always produce to fans' standards, but he works hard and is a wizard with the glove.

This year, Janish was punishing Triple-A pitching: in 23 games, he was batting .315/.390/.521 with two home runs, seven doubles, a triple, four RBIs and 11 runs scored.

The Reds will need to replace Janish's production in Louisville, and the best option seems to be promoting lower-level players.

Didi Gregorius is in Double-A right now and he'd be next in line for a promotion at shortstop. He is one of the higher-ranked organizational prospects and is certainly playing like one this season, batting .333/.384/.345 with a double, seven RBIs and 15 runs scored in 22 games played.

Promoting Gregorius would create a vacancy at shortstop in Double-A Pensacola, and the fan favorite super prospect Billy Hamilton is the likely candidate for to fill that role.

Hamilton is killing it in 2012: in 23 games at Single-A Bakersfield, he is batting .393/.481/.591 with a home run, six doubles, four triples, 10 RBIs, 24 runs, and 29 steals.

Hamilton's offensive game is definitely deserving of promotion. His big knock is his defense but as I've mentioned in previous articles, improvement for shortstops on the field tends to come later in their minor league careers.

Hamilton is the organization's most exciting prospect and arguably the fastest player in professional baseball.

It will be interesting to see how the Reds handle Janish's injury. It could have major implications on the progression of two of the Reds' best prospects.