Fantasy that may yet come true: Connor Phillips could make his Reds debut this season.
At the outset of the 2023 season, had you told me that Andrew Abbott would join the Cincinnati Reds rotation before roster expanded in September, I'd have laughed at you. But here we are, and Abbott has been the Reds most consistent starter since his arrival in the major leagues.
Will the Reds pull the trigger and do the same with Connor Phillips? It seems much more unlikely, but not impossible. Phillips was just recently bumped up to Triple-A Louisville, and if he performs well, don't be shocked if the 22-year-old debuts later this season.
Phillips was the player to be named later in the deal that saw Jesse Winker and Eugenio Suarez shipped off to the Seattle Mariners. But the right-hander has been arguably the best pitching prospect in the Reds farm system this season.
Phillips dominated in his 14 starts with the Chattanooga Lookouts this season. Phillips was 2-2 through nearly 65 innings of work and has the most strikeouts (111) of any minor league pitcher this season.
Injuries have ravaged the Cincinnati Reds starting rotation, and if the team fails to add pitching depth at the trade deadline, it's not out of the realm of possibilities for the club to elevate Connor Phillips to the major league roster later this season.