The waiting has the been the hardest part for Michael Lorenzen, but it'll end Wednesday

Right-hander Michael Lorenzen will almost certainly be activated Wednesday.

He’s happy about that, but he clearly thinks his stay on the disabled list was a tad too long.

“I wanted three weeks ago,” he said. “I guess it’s better than me enjoying the DL. I want to be out there seeing the guys play. It’s tough to watch.”

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Lorenzen has been on the DL since spring training with a Grade 1 strain of the teres major in his right shoulder. Lorenzen rehabbed in Arizona and then made three rehab appearances for Double-A Pensacola. He went four innings and allowed no runs on one hit. He walked one and struck out three. He threw two innings on Sunday.

“I’ve been feeling really good for a really long time,” he said. “We had to check off the boxes and make sure.”

Again, the process took a little too long for Lorenzen's taste, i.e, he would have preferred to be activated Tuesday.

“It feels good to almost be back,” he said. “I think all parties are happy. The training staff is sick of me arguing with them and debating when I should be back. I’m excited to be here and finally see the light at the end of the tunnel.”

Despite Lorenzen's lobbying, the Reds stuck to the protocol set by the training staff.

“I’ve been trying to let Mike know that: Look, we totally want you here, believe in you, but there’s a process the rehab people want you to go through,” Reds interim manager Jim Riggleman said. “It’s not quite completed yet.”

The bullpen has thrown well in Lorenzen’s absence.

“With Jared Hughes and the leadership in the bullpen, they’ve been able to do a really good job without me,” he said. “I’m excited to come back and plug right in and keep on rolling.”

Lorenzen gives the Reds another power arm who can go multiple innings. Lorenzen, 26, is 10-5 with a 3.90 ERA as a reliever.

Riggleman will not ease Lorenzen in.

“The only limitation would be that we would not have him going three or four innings,” Riggleman said. “Mike is very confident. He’ll say, ‘Hey, I can give you five innings tonight.’ That’s who he is. There'll be limitations like any reliever to keep him below three innings and even into the third inning.”

When the Reds sent Lorenzen to Goodyear to rehab, then-manager Bryan Price said they wanted to make sure that Lorenzen’s mechanics were sound to prevent re-injury. Lorenzen was out until June 24 in 2016 with a sprained ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow.

“I don’t think I got hurt because of mechanics,” he said. “I’m fine. It’s just something that kind of happened. Mechanically, I feel great. The ball’s coming out great.

“Each and every one of us gets hurt. There are different issues with each and every one of us. We’ve had guys that it’s crept up on them. It’s been a bummer. Obviously, I do everything I can to stay healthy.”