Dane Myers made the kind of catch that gets replayed for days. He also paid for it in a way that emptied the Reds dugout.
The Cincinnati center fielder sprinted into left-center gap at American Family Field on Monday night, laid out full extension, and robbed Andrew Vaughn of what looked like a leadoff single in the bottom of the fourth. The problem was the wall. Myers hit it hard, left shoulder first, and stayed down. Trainers ran out. A medical cart rolled onto the field. He was done for the night.
The Reds led 1-0 at the time, and they’d hold that lead to win, but nobody in the clubhouse was celebrating a ballgame after watching their center fielder get carted off. The team hasn’t released an official update on his condition as of early Tuesday, but the collision looked bad enough that fans on social media were already bracing for an IL stint.
Myers has been a pleasant surprise for Cincinnati this season. He came up through the system as a utility guy, someone who could bounce around the outfield and give the regulars a breather. But he’s played his way into a semi-regular role, and his defense has been a genuine asset. Losing him for any extended stretch would sting, especially with the Reds trying to hang around in a crowded NL Central race.
The catch itself was a beauty. Vaughn smoked a 93-mph sinker into deep left-center, and Myers read it off the bat, ranged over, and laid out at the last second to snag it just before his body met the padded wall. The ball stayed in his glove. The impact didn’t look like it was going to stop him, but it did.
That’s the thing about outfielders chasing baseballs at full speed. You’re running blind half the time, trusting your instincts and hoping the wall isn’t closer than you think. Myers guessed wrong on the distance or couldn’t slow down in time. Either way, he got himself out of the game on a cart, clutching his shoulder.
Talkin’ Baseball posted the video on X, and it’s already got a couple million views. People are torn between calling it the play of the night and worrying about the guy who made it. The Reds don’t have a ton of depth in center field, so what happens next matters for a team trying to prove it can hang with the Brewers and Cubs down the stretch.
For now, it’s a waiting game. Myers is getting evaluated. The Reds will put someone else out there Tuesday night, probably Stuart Fairchild or maybe Will Benson slides over. But the guy who made the catch won’t be in the lineup. And that’s the part that stinks.
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