Forgotten Reds' arm could be the bullpen weapon they've been missing

The Cincinnati Reds bullpen has been outstanding to open the 2026 season, but it never hurts to have a few solid arms down on the farm. The Reds have already recalled one reliever — Kyle Nicolas — this season, but Lyon Richardson could be the next pitcher to receive a call-up back to the big leagues.

Richardson was a non-roster invite to Reds' spring training this year. He made six appearances during Cactus League play, but a 5.87 ERA over 7⅔ innings pitched wasn't going to be enough to be part of the plane ride back to Cincinnati. The Reds sent Richardson to Triple-A Louisville to begin the year.

Since his arrival in the Derby City, he's put up some rather impressive numbers. The right-hander has made nine relief appearances and posted a minuscule 0.59 ERA and 2.55 FIP along with a 24.1% strikeout rate.

Lyon Richardson could offer the Reds length out of the bullpen

While Richardson's sub-1.00 ERA is spectacular, the fact that he's logged more than 15 innings over nine games might mean more to the Reds. Cincinnati had Richardson, Brent Suter, and Nick Martinez on last year's roster, but this season, almost every reliever is positioned to cover just one inning at a time.

José Franco, Emilio Pagán, and Connor Phillips are the only members of the Reds' bullpen who've recorded more innings pitched than games played — typically a sign that pitchers are accustomed to working multiple innings. Both Pagán and Phillips are high-leverage arms, meaning Franco (who's a converted starter) is the only true long reliever in Terry Francona's bullpen.

Richardson possesses that same ability, and proved as much in 2025. The former second-round pick made 39 appearances last season, and he logged more than one inning of work 14 times. Cincinnati may need his services as the season progresses.

Richardson is not currently on the Reds' 40-man roster, meaning a corresponding move would have to be made in order to add him to the roster. That seems rather foolish at the moment considering how well the Reds' bullpen has performed, plus Caleb Ferguson's impending return is already going to squeeze a reliever off the active roster.

For now, the best plan of action for the Reds is to keep a close watch on Richardson's performance at Triple-A. But if he keeps putting away hitters with regularity, soon enough they'll be forced to find a spot on the roster for the 26-year-old reliever.

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