Tejay Antone Returns to Cincinnati After Third Tommy John — What It Means for the Reds' Bullpen and Team Totals

As MLB.com reported, Cincinnati placed closer Emilio Pagán on the 15-day injured list Tuesday after he strained his left hamstring mid-delivery, and the Reds responded by selecting the contract of right-hander Tejay Antone from Triple-A Louisville. The move was procedurally clean — Pierce Johnson was reinstated from the bereavement list, Chase Petty was optioned down, and Brandon Williamson shifted to the 60-day IL to clear 40-man space — but the ripple effects for Cincinnati's bullpen depth are anything but neat.

Antone's story is one of the more remarkable in recent Reds history. He debuted in 2020 with elite spin rates and swing-and-miss stuff that made him one of baseball's more exciting young relievers, then watched his career get derailed by elbow surgeries in 2021, 2022, and finally a third UCL tear in April 2024 against the Mets. He's 32 now, working his way back through Louisville, where he's posted a 2.25 ERA across 12 appearances this season. The surface numbers are encouraging. The question is how much the third reconstruction has altered his arsenal — specifically the high-spin curveball and upper-80s cutter that generated his 2.47 career ERA in 45 Major League appearances.

The Reds' closer vacancy is the more immediate problem. Pagán was Cincinnati's primary option in the ninth, and without him, David Bell figures to piece together save situations with a committee that now includes Johnson, Antone, and whatever combination of arms survives the next few weeks. Bullpen-by-committee setups historically inflate opponent run-scoring opportunities late in games — missed matchups, extended workloads on secondary options, and the general inefficiency of ad hoc closer decisions tend to cost a run here and there over a stretch.

For bettors, Pagán's absence and Antone's uncertain workload capacity make Cincinnati's team total a live angle. The Reds' over/under has been sitting in the 8–8.5 range in recent series, and a patchwork late-inning unit — especially one that now includes a reliever three Tommy John surgeries deep who hasn't pitched at this level since 2023 — creates real variance on the over side when Cincinnati is pitching from behind. Watch the team total movement in Reds home games specifically; books may be slow to reprice the over given that the rotation changes (Petty optioned, Williamson to 60-day) are the more visible headlines. Antone himself could be a strikeout-prop sleeper if and when he locks in a regular role — his career K/9 sits above 11 — but that conversation starts only after he logs a few clean outings at this level.