Reds outfielder Blake Dunn is scheduled to undergo an ulnar nerve transposition procedure tomorrow, per Mark Sheldon of MLB.com. It’ll be the second surgery in as many months for Dunn, who underwent an internal brace procedure to repair the ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow on Aug. 3.
There’s no indication that this subsequent surgery will push back Dunn’s timetable, though that’s certainly possible. Ulnar nerve transpositions aren’t the most common procedures we see in the sport, but there are a handful of them every year. Liam Hendriks, Endy Rodríguez, Félix Bautista, Keaton Winn, Austin Slater and Michael Fulmer are among the big leaguers to undergo the procedure within the past few seasons.
As the Cleveland Clinic details, ulnar nerve transpositions are performed to alleviate entrapment/compression of the ulnar nerve; the procedure entails repositioning the nerve within the arm — moving it from the pinky side of the elbow joint to other side, thereby alleviating the associated pinching/compression (which can cause inflammation, pain and numbness). The Pirates’ Rodríguez underwent his ulnar nerve procedure mid-August of last year and was playing in games as soon as spring training kicked off this year.
Dunn, who just turned 28, has played in parts of the past three seasons with the Reds. The former 15th-round pick (2021) logged a career-high 155 major league plate appearances in 2026 and turned in a solid .282/.335/.387 batting line. He popped two homers, seven doubles and a triple. Dunn also stole six bases, walked at a 6.5% clip and struck out in a vastly improved 21.3% of his plate appearances (down from 34.6% in his first 104 big league plate appearances).
Though Dunn is on the older side for a player still trying to prove himself in the majors, he’s an accomplished minor league hitter who should be in the mix for major league at-bats next year. He’s a career .282/.391/.428 hitter in six minor league seasons. His power output hasn’t been there in Triple-A, where he’s a .267/.367/.374 hitter, but he’s gone 52-for-58 in stolen base attempts through 981 plate appearances at that level — all while walking at an 11.2% clip. His 24.4% strikeout rate is a bit high, but not egregiously so, and most of those struggles came in his earlier pair of Triple-A campaigns. In 138 Triple-A plate appearances this year, Dunn fanned at an 18.1% clip that’s comfortably lower than average.
The Reds’ outfield is in a state of disarray. No team in baseball has received less production in the outfield than Cincinnati. Reds outfielders are hitting .213/.297/.350 overall. Only two teams (San Francisco, Houston) have received worse OBP marks from their outfield. No team’s outfield has a worse collective batting average, slugging percentage or wRC+ (79) than Cincinnati. It’s not just one or two regulars struggling, either. Basically everyone the Reds have tried on the grass this year has struggled.
Veteran TJ Friedl entered the year locked into center field but has struggled his way to non-tender candidate status, hitting .167/.247/.247 in 88 games. Former top prospect Noelvi Marte hasn’t hit at all and has been optioned multiple times. The Reds looked like they might’ve struck gold by picking up JJ Bleday after the A’s non-tendered him. However, after a .272/.367/.586 start through his first 188 trips to the plate, Bleday has wilted with a .180/.301/.311 slash through a much larger sample of 317 plate appearances. Prospect Héctor Rodríguez hasn’t done much in his first 121 major league plate appearances (.230/.281/.389). Righty-hitting Dane Myers makes for a fine fourth outfielder but is miscast in a larger role given his enormous platoon splits (.296/.379/.470 versus lefties; .245/.337/.303 versus righties). Just-promoted Carlos Jorge has only 17 big league plate appearances, but scouting reports peg him as more of a bench piece than an everyday player. Spencer Steer has plenty of outfield experience, but he’s better defensively at first base and is done for the season due to a torn tendon sheath in his right wrist anyhow.
If healthy, Dunn should get every opportunity to make next year’s club. He’s hit reasonably well in the minors, logged a roughly average batting line in the majors this year, can handle all three outfield positions and — critically — will be out of minor league options next season. The Reds missed the playoffs this season and are planning to retool and try again in 2027 rather than rebuild. Major changes in the front office and dugout aren’t expected. Given all the previously mentioned uncertainty in the outfield, president of baseball operations Nick Krall, GM Brad Meador and the rest of the front office will need to add multiple players to the 2027 mix. Dunn can be a part of that group, but the Reds’ outfield group seems poised for plenty of turnover and reimagining on the heels of this disastrous season.
Hence then, the article about reds blake dunn to undergo ulnar nerve transposition procedure was published today ( ) and is available on MLBtraderumors ( Middle East ) The editorial team at PressBee has edited and verified it, and it may have been modified, fully republished, or quoted. You can read and follow the updates of this news or article from its original source.
Read More Details
Finally We wish PressBee provided you with enough information of ( Reds’ Blake Dunn To Undergo Ulnar Nerve Transposition Procedure )
Also on site :
- ICC must be ‘decolonized’ – human rights advocate (VIDEO)
- How Europe became an accessory to CIA torture
- Drew Barrymore’s ‘Spacious’ Mirrored Medicine Cabinet Is 73% Off, and It’ll Free Up Valuable Counter Space