Reds: 3 additional bullpen arms who must be recalled immediately

2. Phillip Diehl, Reds left-handed pitcher

The Cincinnati Reds claimed Phillip Diehl off waivers from the Colorado Rockies last month, and the southpaw has been working at the alternate site for the past few weeks. Diehl, a native of Cincinnati and graduated of Moeller High School, is a strike thrower. After last night’s debacle saw five walks in four innings by Reds relievers, Diehl’s ability to throw strikes could be in high demand.

Diehl is not going to blow you away with his stuff. Typically, Diehl’s fastball sits in the low-90s, and he has a slider that stays in the low-80s. Diehl’s ability to locate his pitches is what makes him effective. With Amir Garrett, Cionel Pérez, and Sean Doolittle leaving a lot to the imagination so far this season, David Bell could use a reliable lefty out of the bullpen.

Diehl has a career-ERA of 8.78, so let’s not get too excited about his potential. His splits show that the 26-year-old has better success against left-handers, which could be useful for Cincinnati as a middle reliever. Doolittle would still be the Reds best option late in games versus left-handed hitters.

Phillip Diehl is not an ideal choice to join the Reds bullpen, but with a spot on the 40-man roster and one minor-league option remaining, it feels like a move thee front office would make. The Reds also have Pérez, Josh Osich, and Brandon Finnegan at the alternate site, but only Pérez is on the 40-man roster, and we’v already seen that he’s not ready for the bigs quite yet.