Tyler Stephenson tweeted all that matters is he got the plate out. His Reds teammates have a different opinion.
Stephenson was placed on the concussion list after a collision at home with Luke Voit in Tuesday night’s Reds-Padres game. Voit, the former Yankee who was traded to San Diego last month, hit Stephenson on the head with his arms as he slid inside, resulting in a collision. Upon review, the umpires ruled that the chute was clean, but the Reds still objected to the play.
“The way his hands were beating him was dirty,” outfielder Tommy Pham told reporters. “I do not like that at all. The way [Voit’s] hit hands [Stephenson] It was dirty on the face.
“If Luke wants to work it out, I’ll be fine. Anything – Muay Thai, whatever. I have a [gym] Owner here who will let me set up.”
Stephenson left the game after the collision. Reds manager David Bell said he had no problem with the game but it was scary to see Stephenson on the floor afterwards.
“I wasn’t trying to turn it off or anything,” Voit told reporters. “I think my elbow smoked his head a bit. Hope he’s fine, no hard feelings. It’s baseball. I wasn’t trying to get it dirty or anything. I’m obviously just trying to do a play.”
The Padres won the game 6-2 – the eighth straight loss for the Reds. Pham wasn’t the only Reds player to struggle with Voit.
Padres DH Luke Voit slips towards Reds catcher Tyler Stephenson on April 19, 2022.AP
Padres DH Luke Voit hits Reds catcher Tyler Stephenson in the head during a chute April 19, 2022.AP
“Looking back on the replay, I’m not too happy about the slide,” said shortstop Kyle Farmer. “Not too often do you see a runner slipping and grabbing someone’s head and knocking them to the ground. You usually try to reach for the bag. Maybe he tried that. After watching the replay, it looked like a wrestling move to Tyler’s head and snapped him down.
“I’ve caught it before, and it’s a scary game, especially when a big guy like Voit comes down. I’ve never really seen anyone put their hands to a catcher’s head on a slide.”
Pham seemed ready to handle the situation with his hands.
“I don’t like this at all,” Pham said. “They can say whatever they want. Everyone on this side – they know I’m coming down. I know a place here, I know an owner who lets me use his gym if we need to sort something out. … This piece was dirty.”