Reds Activate Caleb Ferguson From 15-Day IL, Recall Zach Maxwell
The Reds have activated reliever Caleb Ferguson from the 15-day injured list, according to Charlie Goldsmith of Charlie’s Chalkboard. Zach Maxwell is being recalled from Triple-A. Connor Phillips and Jose Franco are being optioned in corresponding moves.
Ferguson signed with the Reds on a one-year, $4.5MM deal back in December. He has not yet appeared in 2026, instead beginning the year on the IL with an oblique muscle strain. That was Ferguson’s first IL placement since 2022, so the Reds are likely confident he can return as the durable groundball specialist that he was from 2023-25.
Ferguson had a 3.85 ERA in an even 180 innings in that span, which he split between five teams. His ERA peaked at 4.64 in 2024, although that came with a .340 opponents’ average on balls in play, suggesting Ferguson was due for regression. Indeed, Ferguson lowered his ERA to 3.58 in 2025, albeit with interesting trends in his peripherals. After striking out 26.9% of opponents in 2024, that fell to 18.9% in 2025, well below the league average. On the flip side, Ferguson upped his groundball rate to 48.7% and did very well at keeping the ball in the yard, allowing just two long balls in 65 1/3 innings.
Ferguson’s velocity didn’t change all that much from 2024-25. That said, the lefty decreased his four-seam usage by 11.7% in favor of his sinker, which Ferguson now used 23.2% of the time. That could partly explain the uptick in groundballs, although the drop in strikeouts was more puzzling given Ferguson’s similar velocity to 2024. Coming off his injury, the Reds can probably expect an ERA in the mid- to upper-3.00’s and an above-average groundball rate from Ferguson, ideally with some recovery of the strikeouts. That would be a huge boost to a bullpen whose 4.98 ERA is third-worst in the Majors, behind only the Angels and Astros.
Maxwell returns from Triple-A Louisville after last appearing in the Majors on May 1st. That wasn’t a good day for him, as Maxwell allowed four earned runs on two homers in a single frame of work. A sixth-round draft pick by Cincy in 2022, Maxwell has only thrown 11 innings in the Majors since debuting last year. He has a 7.36 ERA in that small sample. Maxwell’s minor league work is somewhat more promising. He had a 4.17 ERA in 49 2/3 Triple-A innings last year, which he’s decreased to 3.50 so far in 2026. That said, Maxwell has walked over 14% of hitters since reaching the upper minors in 2024.
The promotion is less about rewarding Maxwell and more about giving Phillips a reset at Triple-A. Manager Terry Francona said of Phillips: “He’s just not throwing enough strikes… He can spin it. But until he starts throwing the ball where he wants to, it can be a struggle.” That’s an accurate assessment of Phillips’ performance in 2026. Despite possessing 95th-percentile fastball velocity, Phillips has failed to capitalize by throwing strikes. His 20.5% walk rate is second-worst among qualified relievers this year and has played a big role in the righty’s 5.06 ERA.
Phillips is only 25 and has plenty of club control left, so he’ll surely get more chances in the future. The same is true of Franco, who now joins Phillips at Triple-A. Franco made the big league club out of spring training but has a 4.30 ERA in 14 2/3 innings so far. He has a troubling 16.4% walk rate in that small sample, although Franco was about five points lower in the upper minors last year. He’ll benefit from working on his control at Triple-A and could feasibly return to the Majors when fresh arms are needed.
Photo courtesy of Jayne Kamin-Oncea, Imagn Images
Reds Select Nathaniel Lowe’s Contract
March 23rd: The Reds made it official today, announcing that they have selected Lowe’s contract and placed Greene on the 60-day IL.
March 21st: Nathaniel Lowe has earned a spot on the Reds’ roster, reports C. Trent Rosecrans of The Athletic. The veteran first baseman signed a minor league deal with the club in mid-February. He’s set to make $1.75MM with the big-league squad, with an additional $250K available in incentives. Rosecrans notes that Lowe is expected to take the 40-man roster spot of Hunter Greene, who is headed to the 60-day IL after undergoing elbow surgery.
Cincinnati announced outfielders Rece Hinds and J.J. Bleday were optioned to Triple-A. Lowe and Dane Myers will round out the bench, along with backup catcher Jose Trevino and utilityman Spencer Steer. The Reds also sent right-hander Zach Maxwell to Triple-A. Left-hander Sam Moll has secured the final bullpen spot, per Rosecrans.
Lowe was dealt from the Rangers to the Nationals for reliever Robert Garcia last offseason. He hit just .216 in 119 games with Washington and was cut in mid-August. Lowe then latched on with the Red Sox. He recovered some value in Boston, slashing .280/.370/.420 across 119 plate appearances. The final result was still a career-worst 91 wRC+. The 30-year-old received minimal interest this winter, but a strong Spring Training will propel him to a major league gig. Lowe posted a 143 wRC+ in 15 spring games. He racked up seven extra-base hits, including three home runs.
Hinds did all he could to earn a job in the spring. He belted five home runs and drove in 11 across 43 plate appearances. The 25-year-old is known for his big power, but he also hit .410 in the limited Spring Training sample.
The Reds didn’t necessarily need to keep another first baseman, with Steer a capable backup behind Sal Stewart, but the decision came down to getting Hinds regular reps. “I was very careful with how I worded it with him,” manager Terry Francona said about breaking the news to the outfielder. “(Hinds) did enough to make the team, but the role is a bench role, and we want you to play.”
Bleday signed a one-year deal in late December. He made a strong case for a roster spot himself, launching four home runs and getting on base at a .364 clip. Bleday had seemingly emerged as a consistent contributor with the Athletics, slashing .243/.324/.437 with a career-best 20 home runs in 2024. He stumbled to a .656 OPS over the first two months of the 2025 campaign and found himself back in Triple-A. Bleday returned to the big-league club in August, but was designated for assignment at the end of the season. He and Hinds both have a minor league option remaining.
Maxwell, affectionately known as Big Sugar, will head back to the minors as the Reds opt for another lefty in the pen. The 6’6″, 275-pound righty with the triple-digit fastball delivered solid results in his first taste of the majors last year. Maxwell posted a 30.2% strikeout rate with an xFIP and SIERA just above 3.00. He punched out hitters at a 31% clip this spring, though a few shaky outings to begin Cactus League action led to a 5.40 ERA.
Moll is out of options, while Maxwell still has three left. The veteran gives the Reds another left-handed middle reliever while Caleb Ferguson is sidelined. Cincinnati also added Brock Burke in a trade this offseason. Brandon Williamson is in the pen, though he’ll be more of a long relief/piggyback starter option.
Photo courtesy of Frank Bowen IV of The Enquirer via Imagn Images
Reds Select Zach Maxwell
The Reds announced Friday that they’ve selected the contract of right-hander Zach Maxwell from Triple-A Louisville. Fellow righty Ian Gibaut, who’s been out since late June due to a shoulder impingement, was transferred from the 15-day IL to the 60-day IL to create space on the 40-man roster.
Maxwell, 24, was Cincinnati’s sixth-round pick out of Georgia Tech back in 2022. The hulking 6’6″, 275-pound righty ranked 24th among Reds prospects on the post-draft updates from both Baseball America and MLB.com. He’s spent the entire season in Triple-A so far, tossing 49 2/3 innings out of the bullpen and recording a 4.17 earned run average. Maxwell boasts a plus-plus fastball and slider/cutter, per those scouting reports, with Baseball America noting that he can “look unhittable” when his command is dialed in.
That’s a prominent caveat, however. Maxwell has poor command and has struggled with walks dating back to his college career, when he walked a combined 20.6% of his opponents in his final two years before being drafted. He’s scaled that back a bit, but he’s still doled out a free pass to an untenable 14.5% of opponents this year in Louisville.
Maxwell can miss bats in droves, as one would expect from a massive righty whose velocity climbs as high as 102 mph (and likely appears even faster to opponents, given the extension he can get on a 6’6″ frame). If he can continue to make incremental gains with his command — he’s scaled back from a 16% walk rate in ’24 to this year’s 14.5% mark — he has the makings of a formidable late-game bullpen weapon. It’s a similar skill set to another towering Reds righty, the 6’5″ Luis Mey, though Mey uses a sinker as his primary offering rather than a four-seamer. The Mey/Maxwell pairing could potentially be lethal at the end of Reds games, but both will need to improve their command to reach their ceilings. Mey was optioned to Louisville last night, and Maxwell is taking his spot on the active roster.
Maxwell will be auditioning for a future bullpen spot in the final five weeks or so of the season (while, of course, also trying to help push the team into the postseason). Emilio Pagan is a free agent at season’s end, while other veterans like Scott Barlow and Brent Suter both have club options. The former seems unlikely to be picked up, though the latter could well return, given his Cincinnati roots and the option’s affordable net $2.75MM price point. Either way, there are some potential openings in the 2026 ‘pen that could be claimed by some of the organization’s young arms.