Alexis Díaz is back in the Cincinnati bullpen, as the Reds reinstated him from the 15-day injured list this afternoon. (They also welcomed back Matt McLain and Austin Hays from the IL.) However, Díaz will not immediately return to his traditional closer role.
Manager Terry Francona told reporters (including Mark Sheldon of MLB.com) that Díaz won’t step right back into the ninth inning. The Reds relied upon Emilio Pagán in save situations while Díaz was shelved by a hamstring strain. Pagán has four of the team’s five saves, while Tony Santillan picked up the other. Santillan has been Francona’s top setup man. Scott Barlow and Ian Gibaut have gotten a handful of leverage appearances as well.
Pagán has had a solid first three weeks. He has worked 7 1/3 innings of two-run ball, striking out five against one walk. He’s 4-4 in save chances and picked up a hold on Opening Day. Pagán is in the second season of a two-year, $16MM free agent deal. The first season didn’t work out as the Reds had hoped. The righty allowed a 4.50 earned run average over 38 innings. His strikeout and walk numbers were very good, but Pagán’s longstanding issue keeping the ball in the park continued. He also lost a few weeks to triceps tightness and spent two months on the IL with a lat strain.
Díaz has been Cincinnati’s closer for most of his three-year MLB career. He earned his first save chances late in his rookie year, a deserved nod after his 1.84 ERA with 83 punchouts across 63 2/3 innings. Díaz earned an All-Star appearance and saved 37 games during his second season. He walked a tightrope for most of last year, however.
While Díaz successfully locked down 28 of 32 save chances, he did so with a career-worst 3.99 ERA. His strikeout rate — which had sat north of 30% in each of his first two seasons — plummeted to a pedestrian 22.7% mark. Díaz has never had good command, making the drop in whiffs all the more concerning.
His stuff has also backed up. The righty averaged 93.9 MPH on his fastball last season. That’s down nearly two ticks from his 95.7 MPH mark as a rookie and a 94.5 MPH average in 2023. Between those somewhat alarming numbers and the season-opening IL stint, it’s sensible for the Reds to stick with Pagán and Santillan as their top late-game arms while having Díaz work in somewhat lower-leverage spots in the early going.
Thank god. Dude makes you hold your breath every time he comes into the game
Runs in the family
Yes, Mets fans should never want a 2 Diaz bullpen.
Are they related?
Brothers
Just watched him pitch and he’ll be lucky to be installed in the bullpen, but then again the the team seems content with half the lineup having an OPS of around .400!
Cincyfan85;
MLB is not rotisserie league. Overall statistics lie when it comes to a team winning. Two popular sayings of baseball lifers:
1. “It’s not what he hits, it’s when he hits.”
2. “The true test of a pitcher is if he can make a pitch when he has to.”
I wrote the past offseason that Tito would have the Reds in contention for a playoff spot come the stretch run. But that it would take time for the players to learn to play team baseball. Have been watching them, and I may have been wrong. Tito was behind all the offseason acquisitions (I especially loved the one of Austin Hays – the perfect Tito player). He’s putting the players in positions to succeed. He has the pitching and a top-tier pitching coach.
There will be ups-and-downs. But the Reds are for real in 2025. I look for them to be in contention with the Brewers for the NL Central crown.
Others are performing right now while he has not (spring and AAA). . He should have to earn his way back to closer with the ones doing it now failing to perform.as his path. The old saying if it’s not broke, don’t try to fix it.
Totally agree and he’s been tough to watch since near the end of 2023, it would take a lot for me to want him in the ninth again.
Agree with both of you. I kind of expected Ashcraft to be the closer by now with his performance. He has the stuff and bulldog mentality for it.
Diaz is still not right. I have said since last year there is something up, whether physical or mental. Guys just don’t change overnight for no reason.
Yeah, in 2023, Savant says he had elite stuff but it’s been a gradual decline in everything since then. That is definitely not closer material anymore.
Pagan isn’t the long term answer unless he’s truly found a way to stop the longball.
@benhen77
Yeah, that’s tough, given the lack of quality pen arms. I think you’re stuck with Pagan or possibly a mix of guys sharing the responsibility until one takes control. What about Tony Santillan? Again, I’m not saying he’s elite or anything but he’s looked fairly decent this year.
Santillan and Ashcraft have been solid. I think Lodolo will end up in the bullpen too, especially after Lowder and Burns are up for good (there are only so many starting spots). Those three could be nasty boys part deux out of the pen.
If they go anywhere near the playoffs this year, Tito and the pitching will have to carry them. I predicted Tito would get them five more wins and the rest is up to the players because they will get no help from upstairs.
If any of the starters go to the pen it will be Martinez
Very true.
Francona knows what he’s doing. Alexis Diaz will figure it out, but it’ll take some time. His walks/command have to improve before high leverage and closing time happen. Patience, trust, and building back that confidence are the key ingredients to his success. It’ll happen, hopefully sooner, rather than later, but it’s going to happen!
It’s good to now have a manager that sends the message that roles aren’t given but earned. Bell would have put Diaz back at closer. Players respect rules and if they don’t the players can seek employment elsewhere.
octavian8;
Either Diaz will be squared away or he’ll be in-season trade bait. MLB is now a bullpen game. Teams are always looking for bullpen help as the season progresses.
The Reds’ hitters are atrocious right now too. I hope they get that in order sooner than later.
They didn’t in the offseason or at the trade deadline so I wouldn’t hold out much hope.
Diaz may not be what he was a few years ago, but Pagan is not the answer at closer either.
They really need to move on from this guy. Mr. inconsistent..