Reds: 3 likely transactions Cincinnati will execute in the coming days

3. Reds select Phillip Diehl and designate Sean Doolittle for assignment.

Sean Doolittle was the Cincinnati Reds lone major league signing this offseason, and it hasn’t worked well for either party. Doolittle is 3-0 with a 4.98 ERA in 25 games. The left-hander has 29 punch outs in 21.2 innings of work.

Over his last seven games, Doolittle has been downright bad. The southpaw has thrown six innings, allowed five earned runs on eight hits with seven strikeouts and four walks. Doolittle’s ERA over that stretch is 7.50. To make matters worse for David Bell, his other left-handed option, Amir Garrett, has been dreadful and owns the highest ERA among active Cincinnati relievers.

Phillip Diehl, however, has been tearing up the competition at Triple-A Louisville. The lefty is 1-0 with a 1.29 ERA in 14 innings of work. Diehl’s WHIP is an impressive 0.86 and he’s struck out 18 batters in 15 games for the Louisville Bats this season.

Diehl is not part of Cincinnati’s 40-man roster, so adding him would require a corresponding move. Sean Doolittle just doesn’t seem to have it. In fact, last season, though he was plagued by injuries, was not a banner year for Doolittle either.

Doolittle saw the field just 11 times, but struck out only six batters and allowed opponents to hit .300 against. This season, Doolittle has a .277 batting average against. His performance seems eerily similar to what we saw from Zach Duke in 2019 and Nate Jones last season. Both were highly regarded relievers, but their best days were behind them. The same seems to hold true for Doolittle.