Rising Reds pitching prospect set to make major league debut

Casey Legumina is on his way to the big leagues. The Cincinnati Reds recalled the right-hander this afternoon after he spent the first couple of weeks at Triple-A Louisville.

Legumina was in the mix to be part of the Reds bullpen out of spring training, but was instead optioned to Triple-A. In four appearances with the Louisville Bats, Legumina has five punch outs in 5.2 innings of work and 1.59 ERA.

On the other end of the equation is Connor Overton. After another bad start on Friday night, Overton was placed on the 15-day IL with a right elbow strain.

Reds news: Casey Legumina set to make his major league debut.

The Cincinnati Reds are definitely in need of some additional relief after Connor Overton's short outing on Friday caused the trio of Kevin Herget, Fernando Cruz, and Reiver Sanmartin to each throw in excess of 30 pitches.

This was also on the heels of the Reds bullpen having to cover nine innings the previous night after left-hander Nick Lodolo was only able to give manager David Bell five innings on Thursday night.

Casey Legumina was part of the trade that sent Kyle Farmer to the Minnesota Twins during the offseason. Legumina was added to the Twins 40-man roster after proving that he could be an effective reliever in 2022.

Legumina made 16 starts in the minors last season and posted a 5.37 ERA with 66 strikeouts in 68.2 innings of work. Legumina was then switched to a relief role in mid-August and took off.

From August 11th through the end of the season, Legumina struck out 26 batters in 17.2 innings and owned a 2.55 ERA and 3.30 FIP. According to FanGraphs, Legumina recorded a 34.2-percent strikeout and 7.9-percent walk-rate.

With Connor Overton heading to the IL, that also means that the Cincinnati Reds will be in need of another starter next week. Look for right-hander Luke Weaver, who'll be returning from a rehab assignment, to take Overton's spot in the rotation.