Tejay Antone's injury may not be as serious as originally feared

The Cincinnati Reds will be without relief pitcher Tejay Antone for at least the next two weeks. The right-hander was placed on the 15-day IL Thursday morning with elbow discomfort.

Antone left Wednesday's games against Detroit Tigers prematurely after experiencing pain in his right elbow. Initially Reds pitching coach Derek Johnson came out to the mound to check on Antone, and the reliever was eventually removed with one on and two outs in the sixth inning.

Antone has been slowly working his way from a second Tommy John surgery that the 29-year-old underwent in the summer of 2021. Wednesday was just Antone's fifth appearance of the 2023 season.

Reds injury update: Tejay Antone's injury may not be as serious as originally feared.

I think when Tejay Antone left the field with a trainer on Wednesday night, fans throughout Reds Country immedaitely thought the worst. Their fears were only heightened after it was reported that Antone felt discomfrot in his right elbow.

But, according to Gordon Wittenmyer of the Cincinnati Enquirer, Antone does not believe that the injury is anything major. Antone will be examined by an orthopedist and have an MRI before further steps are taken, but the Reds are obviously going to be very cautious when it comes to Antone's overall health.

If the MRI doesn't reveal any damage, the chance exists that he could still return to the Cincinnati Reds for the team's finale series of the season agains the St. Louis Cardinals. There are 18 days left in the Reds 2023 season, and the team is still in contention for the postseason.

On Thursday, the Reds activated Ben Lively from the COVID-19-related injured list and returned Connor Phillips to Triple-A Louisville. The Reds also selected the contract of Carson Spiers after placing Tejay Antone on the 15-day IL.