Reds: 3 minor-league replacements for injured Wade Miley

Who might the Reds turn to with Wade Miley on the 10-IL?

There are any number of ways the Cincinnati Reds could replace Wade Miley during the weekend series in Chicago, but Hunter Greene is not one of them. Neither is Nick Lodolo, so let’s get beyond the idea of Cincinnati turning to one of the top two prospects in order to replace the veteran southpaw.

Tejay Antone would be a name a lot of Reds fans would love to hear as well, but all indications point to David Bell leaving his most reliable relief pitcher in the bullpen. That means Cincinnati will likely turn to one of their Triple-A starters in order to fill in for the injured Miley.

Whoever the team decides to select before Saturday’s game at Wrigley Field will likely come from their 40-man roster. That narrows the pool a bit, but still gives Nick Krall a handful of candidates ready to audition for a full-time role with the big league club.

1. José De León, Reds right-handed pitcher

I know a good majority of Reds fans will gasp when they see José De León’s name on this list, and for me, he’s the least desirable option to replace Wade Miley. The right-hander has two starts under his belt this season, and the results were mixed.

Over 18.1 total innings of work (two starts and seven relief appearances), De León has an 8.35 ERA, allowing 17 runs on 17 hits and walking 11 batters. On the plus side, De León has 33 punch outs, and struck out nine batters in his 2021 debut with the Cincinnati Reds.

De León can pound the strike zone, as evidence by his 16.20 K/9 and 36.3% strikeout-rate. However, the 28-year-old also has 5.40 BB/9 and a 12.1% walk-rate. De León is an option, but there are better pitchers to turn to.