Cincinnati Reds Recall Reliever for Season's Final Road Trip

Ahead of the Cincinnati Reds’ final road trip of the season, the team shuffled up the bullpen by adding a right-handed reliever in exchange for another.

On Tuesday afternoon, the Reds announced they have recalled Connor Phillips from Triple-A Louisville and placed Tony Santillan on the 15-day injured list with a left hip labral tear, retroactive to Sep. 19 and concluding his season.

Phillips has appeared in 25 games this season, but his last appearance with the Reds came at the end of May. The right-hander had struggled in his time at the major league level this season, but will seemingly get another shot with Cincinnati in their final six games of the year.

In 27 ⅔ innings of work with the Reds in the team’s first two months of the year, Phillips had posted a 5.53 ERA with concerning command. Phillips struck out 28 batters, but also allowed 28 walks, a significant dip from his previous totals last season.

Though not the largest sample for a reliever, Phillips had impressed with the Reds last year when he posted a 2.88 ERA in 25 innings. He had held opposing batters to a .133 batting average and held a much better strikeout to walk ratio compared to this season.

Ever since his demotion in late-May, Phillips has not exactly stood out at the Triple-A level either. The right-hander owns a 5.06 ERA in 37 ⅓ innings, but has seen his strikeout numbers improve. His 51 strikeouts to 32 walks is definitely an advancement from his numbers at the big league level, but still an area to keep an eye on as he rejoins the Reds.

After a handful of considerably good seasons, Santillan has been disappointing on the mound in his 2026 campaign. The 29-year-old heads to the IL after posting a 6.42 ERA in 44 appearances in relief.

His 3.86 ERA over his seven outings marked some improvement, but his ERA continued to grow as time went on before that. In his previous 30 outings, Santillan had allowed 26 earned runs in 27 ⅔ innings of work, equating to an abysmal 8.46 ERA in that time frame.

Santillan’s struggles were a discouraging notion for the Reds, as he had broken out as a reliable arm for the Reds in their bullpen last season. In 80 relief appearances last year, Santillan had posted a 2.44 ERA and tossed 75 strikeouts. 

With just under a week to go until the conclusion of the regular season, Santillan’s season comes to an end with his IL stint, while Phillips will get a final go at the major league level this season and an opportunity to grow on what was an unsatisfactory stint with the team earlier this year.