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[Cincinnati Reds]

Should Graham Ashcraft be the closer of the Cincinnati Reds?

Photo by Carmen Mandato/Getty Images

So say you!

Graham Ashcraft brings a devastating cutter to the mound each and every time he steps upon it, at times humming it up and under the elbows of his opponents at nearly 100 mph. Paired with a slider that often tops 90 mph itself, he’s become quite the two-pitch pitcher at this juncture of his career, the kind that often makes an elite relief option.

He’s appeared in 70 games in his career, yet in precisely none of those has he ever picked up a single save. Still, you revealed in the latest MLB Reacts results that you think he’s the current best option to be the closer for the Cincinnati Reds.

Emilio Pagán, who’s been filling the role for much of the year since the injury (and stumbles) from former closer Alexis Díaz, finished runner-up in this admittedly abbreviated list of options, with someone else not listed at all garnering more votes than lefty Taylor Rogers and the former closer himself.

It’s hardly a ringing endorsement of the state of the back-end of the Cincinnati bullpen which, to date, has pitched to a collective 4.90 FIP that ranks as the second-worst in all of baseball. They’ve also already blown 4 saves, which puts them tied for 11th in the middle of the pack in that regard.

How quickly manager Terry Francona moves to readdress the bullpen hierarchy remains to be seen, but it’s hardly looked like either a set-in-stone progression or a well-oiled machine so far in 2025.

Brought to you by FanDuel.

Source: https://www.redreporter.com/2025/4/28/24419414/graham-ashcraft-cincinnati-reds-rumors-reacts

 

[Cincinnati Reds]

Game 29: Reds vs. Cardinals (6:40 PM ET) - Martinez vs. Pallante

Set Number: X28559 TK1 R1 F22

Go Reds!

The Cincinnati Reds open a four-game series against the St. Louis Cardinals on Monday night in Great American Ball Park, and do so with righty Nick Martinez on the mound to start.

First pitch is set for 6:40 PM ET.

Go Reds!

Today's Lineups​

Lars Nootbaar - LF	TJ Friedl - CF
Willson Contreras - 1B	Matt McLain - 2B
Brendan Donovan - 2B	Elly De La Cruz - SS
Nolan Arenado - 3B	Austin Hays - DH
Nolan Gorman - DH	Gavin Lux - LF
Jordan Walker - RF	Noelvi Marte - 3B
Pedro Pages - C	Spencer Steer - 1B
Victor Scott - CF	Jake Fraley - RF
Masyn Winn - SS	Jose Trevino - C
Andre Pallante - RHP	Nick Martinez - RHP

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CARDINALS​

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REDS​

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Source: https://www.redreporter.com/2025/4/28/24419824/cincinnati-reds-st-louis-cardinals-game-thread

 

[Cincinnati Reds]

So the Gavin Lux trade looks pretty good...so far

Photo by Jason Mowry/Getty Images

He’s raking, plain and simple. But will it last?

We do not yet know who will be taken with the 37th overall pick in this summer’s draft, but there’s a good chance they’ll end up a good pick.

We do not yet know how well Mike Sirota, the 3rd round pick of the Cincinnati Reds in the 2024 MLB Draft, will turn out, but he’s already showing a ton of talent (including a 1.104 OPS through 14 games with Class-A Rancho Cucamonga).

What we do know, though, is that Gavin Lux has been completely incinerating all offerings at the plate for the Reds so far in 2025, and that’s something that simply cannot be discounted. We also know, of course, that the complete trade between the Reds and Dodgers from this past offseason has been spelled out above - Sirota and the Reds Competitive Balance Round A pick (#37 overall) for Lux, who the Reds control through the end of the 2026 season.

Among the 110 MLB players who’ve logged at least 80 PA against RHP so far in 2025, Lux ranks 6th with a .448 wOBA. The players in front of him you may recognize, too: Pete Alonso, Aaron Judge, Corbin Carroll, Pavin Smith (?), and Fernando Tatis, Jr.

That’s it. That’s the entire list ahead of him.

He’s doing it almost completely devoid of power, of course - his .147 ISO ranks tied for just 70th in that group. He’s also doing it with an insane amount of luck, his .518 BABIP far and away the single highest among that group.

That luck is going to run out, surely. Even though he’s often been on the ‘luckier’ side of the BABIP curve (like his .341 mark in 2023), he’s not going to run anywhere close to even .400 at season’s end. Still, it’s worth pointing out that he also owns the highest line-drive rate among that group of 110 MLB players (33.3%), and he’s tied for first in the group with the lowest infield fly rate (at 0%). In other words, yes, he’s sporting an unsustainable BABIP, but he’s also putting the ball in play in perhaps the best possible way to sport a higher than normal BABIP.

At the time, his acquisition was questioned by many, including me. Much in the way the Reds had doubled-down on infielders the previous winter despite a glut already existing there on the roster, I wondered how trading away Jonathan India only to backfill with Lux would shake out in the grand scheme. To date, it’s worked out in a way that already makes him look indispensable, with Spencer Steer banged up, Matt McLain already with an IL stint, Christian Encarnacion-Strand out altogether, and Jeimer Candelario in a funk that looks neverending.

Whether it’s at 2B, in LF, or even at 3B in a pinch, it’s hard to argue that he’s been perhaps the single most consistent cog in a Reds offense that has turned itself around completely after a trio of 1-0 losses early on, and has shown enough defensive versatility already to give Terry Francona a way to make sure that continues even if every other option returns healthy and productive.

Lux is going to slump eventually. That’s just how the baseball gods make this all work. But he’s not only helped carry the Reds through an entire month of baseball, he looks much more like the guy who looked 100% in the second half of 2024 than the guy who was working back from an ACL injury before that, and that’s going to be a boon for Cincinnati going forward.

So far, so very, very good.

Photo by Daniel Shirey/MLB Photos via Getty Images

Source: https://www.redreporter.com/2025/4/...trade-dodgers-cincinnati-reds-sirota-analysis

 

[Cincinnati Reds]

Reds place Jeimer Candelario on IL, call up both Chase Petty & Tyler Callihan

Photo by David Durochiki/Diamond Images via Getty Images

The moves before Wednesday’s doubleheader are in!

The Omaha Storm Chasers blitzed Chase Petty in his season debut, shelling him for 6 ER in just 3.1 IP back on April 2nd.

Fortunately, the Top 100 overall prospect and resident ace of AAA Louisville bounced back quickly. Over his next four starts, he logged 19.2 IP of 3 ER ball, fanning 23 against just 7 walks and looking much more like the former 1st round pick he is.

He’ll get the start for the Cincinnati Reds on Wednesday evening in the second game of a doubleheader in GABP against the St. Louis Cardinals, as the Reds called him up as the team’s 27th man before the games. As MLB.com’s Mark Sheldon relayed, that was part of a two-part transaction, as the club also placed the struggling Jeimer Candelario on the 10-day injured list with a back issue and recalled Tyler Callihan in his stead.

Candelario is going on the 10-day IL with a lumbar spine strain (retro to 4/28). IF Tyler Callahan recalled from Louisville. Also Chase Petty is coming up from Louisville and will start Game 2 for the Reds tonight.

— Mark Sheldon (@msheldon.bsky.social) 2025-04-30T13:52:52.792Z

Petty, who was the 1st round pick of the Minnesota Twins back in 2021 prior to being acquired by Cincinnati in the Sonny Gray deal, will be making his big league debut.

When we say Candelario has ‘struggled,’ it’s hard to emphasize just how struggle-ish that truly was. He picked up a pair of hits on Opening Day, which was cool, but has gone just 7 for 77 since (with an incredibly bad .367 OPS in that time). That’s good for a -3 wRC+ in that time, which you’ll be unsurprised to hear is the single lowest mark of the 169 big leaguers who’ve logged qualifying playing time in that span.

Candelario had only started once since April 23rd (on April 27th), but at least the Reds can back date the IL placement to April 28th.

Callihan was the Reds 3rd round pick back in the 2019 MLB Draft and signed for an overslot amount out of high school. He’s been regarded as a plus bat throughout his MiLB career, but injuries have repeatedly kept him from being on the field often enough to truly show it. That’s changed since he reached AAA, however, and his .938 OPS so far this year has shown a mix of ability from taking walks to socking homers and taking triples. His versatility should allow Terry Francona to have an all-around-the-diamond utility guy on his bench for the coming period while Candelario recovers, and honestly, it’s impossible that his bat is any worse.

Source: https://www.redreporter.com/2025/4/...ry-cincinnati-reds-chase-petty-tyler-callihan

 

[Cincinnati Reds]

Game 31: Reds vs. Cardinals (6:40 PM ET) - Petty vs. Matz

Photo by ISC Archives/CQ-Roll Call Group via Getty Images

Go Reds!

It’s Chase Petty’s MLB debut!

He’ll toe the rubber for the Cincinnati Reds in the second game of Wednesday’s doubleheader in GABP against the St. Louis Cardinals. And for that, we are grateful.

First pitch is set for 6:40 PM ET.

Go Reds!

Today's Lineups​

Lars Nootbaar - DH	TJ Friedl - CF
Masyn Winn - SS	Matt McLain - DH
Brendan Donovan - 2B	Elly De La Cruz - SS
Willson Contreras - 1B	Noelvi Marte - 3B
Alec Burleson - LF	Spencer Steer - 1B
Nolan Gorman - 3B	Santiago Espinal - 2B
Jordan Walker - RF	Gavin Lux - LF
Pedro Pages - C	Austin Wynns - C
Victor Scott - CF	Blake Dunn - RF
Steven Matz - LHP	Chase Petty - RHP

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CARDINALS​

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REDS​

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Source: https://www.redreporter.com/2025/4/30/24421305/chase-petty-mlb-debut-cincinnati-reds-cardinals

 

[Cincinnati Reds]

Don’t let’s get swept by the Cardinals today

Photo by Brandon Sloter/Getty Images

It’s Game 32!

The Cincinnati Reds were ridin’ high with tears in their eyes when this series began against the St. Louis Cardinals.

Winners of five straight, they boasted the second-best run differential in all of Major League Baseball, and had their home turf on which to play their biggest rivals. Problem is, the Reds simply have not been able to muster any sort of offense in their home park this year despite it being perhaps the single most offensive-inducing park in the bigs.

Their collective 67 wRC+ in home games this year is the worst in all of baseball.

They’ve got a dismal .123 ISO in Great American Ball Park this year, somehow, despite it being as dinger-friendly a park as they come.

Now, they’ll be up against lefty Matthew Liberatore, and they’ve only managed to muster a collective 87 wRC+ against LHP so far this season.

Will something give? Or, will the Reds once again struggle in a scenario where they’d otherwise be expected to excel?

We’ll find out at 12:40 PM ET, with Andrew Abbott on the mound chucking the game’s first pitch.

This, folks, is a Game Thread. Lineups below!

Today's Lineups​

Lars Nootbaar - LF	TJ Friedl - CF
Masyn Winn - SS	Matt McLain - 2B
Brendan Donovan - 2B	Elly De La Cruz - SS
Nolan Arenado - 3B	Noelvi Marte - 3B
Willson Contreras - 1B	Santiago Espinal - LF
Luken Baker - DH	Spencer Steer - 1B
Jordan Walker - RF	Gavin Lux - DH
Yohel Pozo - C	Jose Trevino - C
Jose Barrero - CF	Blake Dunn - RF
M. Liberatore - LHP	Andrew Abbott - LHP

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CARDINALS​

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REDS​

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Source: https://www.redreporter.com/2025/5/...-st-louis-cardinals-avoid-sweep-andrew-abbott

 

[Cincinnati Reds]

Reds option former closer Alexis Díaz to AAA, call up reliever Luis Mey

Photo by Dustin Bradford/Getty Images

The bullpen shuffle continues!

The Cincinnati Reds recalled former closer Alexis Díaz on April 15th of this year after a reported hamstring issue set him back during spring training. His mechanics had been off dating back to the 2024 season, and it had become clear that something significant was hindering his once-elite ability to deceive batters.

In the two-plus weeks since, we’ve seen his velocity continue to be nearly 2.5 mph from his 2022 peak. We’ve seen him miss spots repeatedly, both within the zone and outside it.

We also got to see a copious amount of dingers allowed, including the trio he gave up in the first game of Wednesday’s doubleheader against the St. Louis Cardinals that put that game on ice.

The Reds, it appears, have seen enough of all of that. They optioned Díaz back to AAA Louisville on Thursday morning ahead of the series finale against the Cardinals, opting to bring up hard-throwing (and zone-averse) righty Luis Mey in his stead.

It’s a tough pill for the Reds at the moment, with Díaz having pitched brilliantly in his debut in 2022 - well enough to finish 5th in National League Rookie of the Year voting - and having made the All Star team in 2023 as the team’s lock-down closer. Beyond just the surface stats, things began to go seriously awry with Díaz during the 2024 season, however, and it’s readily obvious he simply doesn’t ‘have it’ at the moment even if there’s no injury there to diagnose.

Díaz, 28, is earning $4.5 million this year in his first trip through the arbitration process, and this time a year ago would have still held the kind of cache league-wide of being a pretty sought after trade target for high-leverage situations. Now, he’ll look to regain any sort of form in the minors as the Reds begin to ponder whether he’s a bona fide non-tender candidate at season’s end.

In Mey, the Reds will unleash an absolute fireballer. He’s topped out at some 103.5 mph so far, though his command leaves a lot to be desired. However, he showed a much better grasp of that in Arizona Fall League play in 2024, and if Derek Johnson & Co. can find a way to help him hit the zone just slightly more often than he has before, they’ll have a potentially elite arm to slot in somewhere in the bullpen mix.

Luis Mey gets the call! The SNK (which yes, tops out at 103) gets the headlines, but Mey's true calling card is his incredible frisbee-like SL - which posted an insane 69.2% Whiff Rate in AAA (!!!). The command needs work (16.7 BB% in AAA), but the ceiling is undeniable. #Reds

— Reds in Four (@redsinfour.com) 2025-05-01T14:18:54.613Z

Source: https://www.redreporter.com/2025/5/1/24421675/alexis-diaz-cincinnati-reds-rumors-luis-mey-closer

 

[Cincinnati Reds]

Game 33: Reds vs. Nationals (6:10 PM EDT) - Greene vs. Parker

Photo by Dustin Bradford/Getty Images

Today's Lineups​

CJ Abrams - SS	TJ Friedl - CF
James Wood - LF	Matt McLain - 2B
Nathaniel Lowe - 1B	Elly De La Cruz - SS
Keibert Ruiz - C	Noelvi Marte - 3B
Luis Garcia - 2B	Santiago Espinal - LF
Josh Bell - DH	Spencer Steer - 1B
Dylan Crews - RF	Tyler Stephenson - DH
Jose Tena - 3B	Jose Trevino - C
Jacob Young - CF	Blake Dunn - RF
Mitchell Parker - LHP	Hunter Greene - RHP

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NATIONALS​

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REDS​

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Source: https://www.redreporter.com/2025/5/2/24422629/game-33-reds-vs-nationals-6-10-pm-edt-greene-vs-parker

 

[Cincinnati Reds]

Maybe it’s Spencer Steer who claims the 1B spot for the Cincinnati Reds

Photo by Jeff Dean/Getty Images

That’s what y’all say, at least!

The 1B situation for the Cincinnati Reds has been muddied ever since the club cut ties with Joey Votto and the future Hall of Famer ultimately retired.

The hope was that Christian Encarnacion-Strand and his special, special blend of power would seize control of the job, but so far injuries have kept him away from even attempting to. Jeimer Candelario’s poor defense at 3B put him in the 1B mix, too, but his underperformance and subsequent injury has him on the outside looking in at 1B now, too.

The Reds activated Tyler Stephenson off the injured list on Friday, though they opted to keep the hot-hitting Austin Wynns up as part of a potential catching trio along with Jose Trevino. Might Ty Steves eventually end up getting reps at 1B if that’s how this roster is going to shake out?

Or could Spencer Steer, now working his way out of shoulder-induced DH-only duties and into glovework, claim the 1B job and eschew his otherwise OF/3B versatility?

This week’s MLB Reacts - brought to you by FanDuel Sportsbook - posed a question about the uncertainty at 1B for the Reds. More specifically, we asked you which of the options would end up socking the most homers while playing 1B for the Reds in 2025, and your answer turned out to be Steer above all others.

Two things in particular are worth noting here.

I’m writing this on Friday evening, and the poll was open when Steer socked a big homer in GABP just yesterday, something that a) might have showed voters that his shoulder really is on the mend and b) may well have veered your vote in a more Steer-ish direction. On top of that, Stephenson hadn’t been yet activated, though your pretty strong voting for ‘other’ suggests you think he - or maybe even top prospect Sal Stewart - may well have their say with the dinger-sockin’ at 1B before season’s end.

Also, Candelario getting a rock solid 1% is a pretty hilarious indictment of how underwater the Reds are with that signing at this juncture. Yeesh!

Source: https://www.redreporter.com/2025/5/...er-cincinnati-reds-1b-rumors-tyler-stephenson

 

[Cincinnati Reds]

Game 34: Reds vs. Nationals (6:40 PM ET *DELAYED*) - Lodolo vs. Williams

Photo by Jason Mowry/Getty Images

Go Reds!

Go Reds!

Today's Lineups​

CJ Abrams - SS	TJ Friedl - CF
Amed Rosario - 3B	Matt McLain - 2B
James Wood - DH	Elly De La Cruz - SS
Nathaniel Lowe - 1B	Gavin Lux - DH
Alex Call - LF	Spencer Steer - 1B
Luis Garcia - 2B	Tyler Stephenson - C
Dylan Crews - RF	Jake Fraley - RF
Riley Adams - C	Santiago Espinal - 3B
Jacob Young - CF	Tyler Callihan - LF
Trevor Williams - RHP	Nick Lodolo - LHP

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NATIONALS​

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REDS​

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Source: https://www.redreporter.com/2025/5/3/24423267/cincinnati-reds-washington-nationals-nick-lodolo

 

[Cincinnati Reds]

Hunter Greene’s dozen strikeout game earns him Cincinnati Reds player of the week

Photo by Jason Mowry/Getty Images

So sayeth we, at least!

Hunter Greene was, quite simply, the best pitcher on the face of the planet through the first three-ish weeks of the 2025 Major League Baseball season.

His last two starts, however, began to show a few chinks in his armor, as starts against the potent Baltimore Orioles offense and in Coors Field against the Colorado Rockies saw him yield 8 ER in just 9.0 IP.

Greene got an extra day of rest during his most recent turn through the rotation of the Cincinnati Reds, however, with a postponed game and the MLB debut of Chase Petty giving him an extended chance to regroup. Regroup he did, and on Friday night against the Washington Nationals he turned in yet another dazzling performance.

Greene fanned 12 Nats in a brilliant 6.0 IP outing, allowing a lone earned run on a pair of hits and a pair of walks while flashing his patented combination of wipeout slider and triple-digit velocity. The 114 pitches he tossed were a high for anyone this MLB season, too, and the entirety of the effort was good enough for him to claim this week’s Joe Nuxhall Memorial Honorary Player of the Week award.

Through 7 starts this season, Greene leads all of baseball in WHIP (0.82) while sporting a 2.53 ERA (173 ERA+). Perhaps more importantly, he’s dropped his BB/9 all the way down to just 1.7 (from 3.4 last year), and his 6.88 K/BB ranks in the top five among all MLB pitchers so far.

Greene proved last year that he’s a bona fide ace. This year, he’s showing that he’s still capable of being even better than that.

His next start is scheduled for Wednesday in Atlanta against the Braves in the third game of the four-game series between the former NL West rivals.

Source: https://www.redreporter.com/2025/5/...strikeouts-cincinnati-reds-player-of-the-week

 

[Cincinnati Reds]

Can the Cincinnati Reds get back on track in Atlanta?

We’ll find out!

The Cincinnati Reds are in Atlanta today set to begin a four-game series against the Braves. They’re also looking to regain some of that momentum they had in spades this time a week ago after stumbling through yet another ‘winnable’ homestand.

Cincinnati dropped four of seven at home against the rebuilding St. Louis Cardinals and Washington Nationals, and to date still sport a home wRC+ of just 74 on the season - tied with the lowly Colorado Rockies for the worst mark at home by any MLB club.

The good news, I hope, is that they’re back on the road, a place where they’ve found much more success in the early going. They’re 9-7 away from home so far, their collective 120 wRC+ in road games the fourth best mark in the game.

Up next is an Atlanta club that fell flat out of the gate in a vintage-Reds fashion, dropping each of the first seven games of the season. They’re 15-11 since then as they begin to claw their way back up the standings in the NL East, but they’re a club that’s still very much looking for footing with a roster that looks greatly different than their elite clubs of recent memory.

The starting rotation, in particular, looks radically different. Gone is Charlie Morton, who left in free agency to sign with Baltimore. Reynaldo Lopez, who excelled last year after moving to the rotation from the bullpen, is out for months with a bad shoulder. Spencer Strider, who returned briefly early in 2025 after missing a year with elbow surgery, landed back on the IL quickly with hamstring problems. The end result - even with a healthy Chris Sale - is a team sporting a 4.51 ERA from their starters so far (26th overall).

If you asked every single player in both of these locker rooms where they think they should be in the standings, I think every single response would be ‘in first place.’ That’s both a testament to the caliber players each roster has as well as a combination of expectations and - in the Reds case - how close they’ve been already to winning six, seven more games than they have.

That sets the stage for a four-game series with a lot to play for this week, and the hope is we’ll see the Reds rise to that challenge down in Cobb County.

Pitching Matchups​

Monday, May 5th (7:15 PM ET) - RHP Brady Singer vs. RHP AJ Smith-Shawver

Tuesday, May 6th (7:15 PM ET) - LHP Andrew Abbott vs. LHP Chris Sale

Wednesday, May 7th (7:15 PM ET) - RHP Hunter Greene vs. RHP Grant Holmes

Thursday, May 8th (7:15 PM ET) - LHP Nick Lodolo vs. RHP Spencer Schwellenbach

How to Watch​

All four of these games will be broadcast on FanDuel Sports Network. You can watch FDSN in-market through cable packages, though it’s also available to be streamed in-market with no blackout restrictions even without a cable subscription. Check the link in the above sidebar for more information on how you can do just that.

Each of Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday’s matchups will also be carried on MLB Network, so you can view them there if you get that channel.

Per usual, you can view these games from outside the Reds TV market by catching the FDSN stream through MLB.tv.

Source: https://www.redreporter.com/2025/5/...ds-atlanta-braves-series-preview-how-to-watch

 

[Cincinnati Reds]

Tyler Callihan’s broken arm overshadows Reds near no-hit loss to Braves

Photo by Todd Kirkland/Getty Images

Atlanta defeated Cincinnati in the series opener.

Tyler Callihan was called up to the big leagues for the first time on Wednesday, the former 3rd round pick of the Cincinnati Reds finally playing good, healthy ball for the longest stretch of his professional career.

The effort from him was clear from his first time on the field, and that effort couldn’t have been more on display on Monday when he made what appeared to be a dazzling, diving catch in the LF corner in the series opener against the Atlanta Braves. In a terrible series of events, though, a split second later he smashed into the wall, the ball popped out, Matt Olson rounded the bases for what was deemed an inside-the-park homer, and Callihan was in tremendous pain in a heap in the field’s corner.

The replay, which I’ll urge you not to watch, showed his left arm bent in a horribly unnatural way. He exited the game with trainers immediately, and the obvious was later confirmed:

He’d broken his forearm.

Mark Sheldon of MLB.com relayed that unfortunate news.

Reds medical update -- Tyler Callihan has a broken left forearm

— Mark Sheldon (@msheldon.bsky.social) 2025-05-06T00:57:57.085Z

What originally looked to be the kind of pick-me-up defensive play that could ignite the Reds from their two-series slump turned sour instantly. The incredible catch became a 2-run homer, and the Reds looked shell-shocked from that point forward.

Braves starter AJ Smith-Shawver took a no-hitter into the 8th inning, in fact, and the Braves eventually held the Reds scoreless in a one-hitter finished off by Enyel De Los Santos.

The first game of the series went to Atlanta by the score of 4-0, but that was hardly the most impactful news on the night. Callihan will land on the injured list, with the likelihood that either Atlanta native Will Benson or the powerful Rece Hinds are recalled from AAA to round out the roster.

Source: https://www.redreporter.com/2025/5/...han-broken-arm-cincinnati-reds-atlanta-braves

 

[Cincinnati Reds]

Reds Injury Update - Rhett Lowder takes the mound, Noelvi Marte scratched

Photo by Emilee Chinn/Getty Images

Scratched, but was he sniffed?

Cincinnati Reds starting pitchers have logged 200.2 IP so far this year, a mark that’s good for the 5th most in all of Major League Baseball. That unit ranks among the Top 7 in each of K/9, BB/9, average fastball velocity, and fWAR through the first month-plus of the season, and has been a bedrock on which this roster has attempted to chase a playoff spot.

So, it’s easy to forget (a bit) that Rhett Lowder, their former 1st round pick and top prospect (according to many) hadn’t thrown a single pitch in a professional game so far this season due to lingering elbow/forearm issues. They haven’t needed him just yet, and perhaps that’s best for the greatest good long-term, with him being 100% at some point later this season potentially vital to the overall depth of the rotation.

Lowder got back on the bump on Tuesday night in Arizona Complex League play, however, and that’s the first step back. He allowed 4 H, 2 ER, and a dinger while fanning 5 (against no walks) in an outing against the ACL Dodgers, a club that just so happened to have future Hall of Famer Clayton Kershaw pitching for them on his own rehab start on the night, too. Reading too deeply into the box score here is folly, as the most important note is that Lowder was up there tossing pitches at all. He’ll get right in short order going forward, I can only assume.

In other Reds injury news...

• Noelvi Marte was a late scratch from last night’s game in Atlanta with a ‘lingering side issue’ stemming from when he was hit by a pitch when still back in AAA. Considering he was last recalled to the bigs on April 17th (and has done a lot of hittin’ in that time), it’s odd that this is something popping up just now. He’s expected to be out of the lineup again on Wednesday as he is evaluated, with the team’s already razor-thin corner infield depth questions yet again.
• Speaking of which, Christian Encarnacion-Strand remains flummoxed on the IL with ‘back inflammation’ and does not yet have a ramp-up schedule available to the public. Looks like he did pick up a new Toyota Tundra though. Them’s some good wheels, I want one, too.
• Tyler Callihan had surgery to repair the multiple fractures in his left forearm yesterday, and will be out of all activities for up to 8 weeks to let them all heal. Best wishes to the dude, who laid it all completely on the line for the Reds, and my best guess is we hope to see him get some rehab time in the minors after about 12-14 weeks once he’s a) healed and b) at all back to ‘try to hit a baseball’ shape again.
• Sam Moll, who’s been dealing with a shoulder impingement in his left (throwing) shoulder, last appeared for AAA Louisville on May 3rd while on his rehab assignment, and he was tagged for a trio of hits and a pair of earned runs in the process. He threw 21 pitches in the outing, which is good on a durability scale, but we’ve not seen him back since.
• It’s likely that Austin Hays will return from his most recent IL stint this weekend. Keep in mind that this soft-tissue IL stint is not the same as his last IL stint, which was also a soft-tissue problem, but that it’s mildy related to one of his multiple IL stints from last season with Baltimore/Philadelphia (which was also soft-tissue related). That’s why he was relatively cheap!
• Meanwhile, old friend Wade Miley will return to rehabbin’ on the mound on Saturday, per Charlie Goldsmith. He’d returned to rehabbin’ from his elbow surgery only to fall idle due to a groin problem, but he’s apparently over that and ready to do some more rehabbin’. Might the Reds actually run into a glut of starting pitching in the near future?

There are surely more updates to injured Reds and Red-peripherals out there, but these are the ones that are most pertinent to the current equation. Unless you consider Jeimer Candelario pertinent, in which case it’s worth pointing out that he hasn’t yet begun a rehab assignment during his current stint on the IL with a ‘being old and not good anymore’ problem.

We’ll be sure to keep you updated on that progress when the information is available!

Source: https://www.redreporter.com/2025/5/...-reds-injury-update-rhett-lowder-noelvi-marte

 

[Cincinnati Reds]

Hunter Greene leaves start with apparent groin injury

Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images

Dammit

The hits just keep coming for the Cincinnati Reds, but not the ones that we would like. With the Reds up 3-0 in the bottom of the 4th inning, Hunter Greene was cruising just as he has all season. Having allowed only 2 hits and already accumulating 6 strikeouts across his 3 innings, the Reds were seemingly well on their way to victory. That was, until Greene felt something awkward in his leg while throwing a warm-up pitch before the bottom of the 4th. Greene motioned to the dugout, a meeting was held, and Greene walked slowly to the dugout.

#Reds RHP Hunter Greene left tonight's game with a right groin injury.

— Cincinnati Reds (@Reds) May 8, 2025​

Hopefully, for Greene’s sake, this is all precautionary and we’re just looking at a short IL stint. This is, as you can remember, the same leg and hip that sidelined him for a significant portion of the 2023 season so hopefully the two aren’t related. We will all be eagerly awaiting more news about this injury. But until we find out more, we can just add this to the list of injuries that have plagued the Reds in 2025.

Source: https://www.redreporter.com/2025/5/7/24425918/hunter-greene-leaves-start-with-apparent-groin-injury

 

[Cincinnati Reds]

Game 39: Reds at Braves (7:15 PM ET) - Lodolo vs. Schwellenbach

Photo by Kathryn Skeean/MLB Photos via Getty Images

Go Reds!

Go Reds!

Today's Lineups​

TJ Friedl - CF	Alex Verdugo - LF
Matt McLain - 2B	Austin Riley - 3B
Elly De La Cruz - SS	Marcell Ozuna - DH
Gavin Lux - LF	Matt Olson - 1B
Spencer Steer - 1B	Ozzie Albies - 2B
Santiago Espinal - 3B	Sean Murphy - C
Tyler Stephenson - DH	Eli White - RF
Jose Trevino - C	Michael Harris - CF
Rece Hinds - RF	Nick Allen - SS
Nick Lodolo - LHP	S. Schwellenbach - RHP

[th]

REDS​

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[th]

BRAVES​

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Source: https://www.redreporter.com/2025/5/8/24426566/cincinnati-reds-atlanta-braves-thread