Ross Detwiler may be the Reds only left-handed reliever for the foreseeable future

With Justin Wilson undergoing Tommy John surgery, his season has sadly come to an end. Wilson was the Cincinnati Reds lone left-handed reliever earlier this season.

The Reds have tried a couple of other lefties during the early-going, but Phillip Diehl was not the answer. After finding success in his first couple of appearances, the Cincinnati Reds were forced to designate Diehl for assignment once his ERA ballooned to 11.12. Diehl is currently at Triple-A Louisville.

The most recent addition to the Reds bullpen has been veteran left-hander Ross Detwiler. Despite the 36-year-old's successful matchup against Juan Soto on Saturday evening, you have to think that Detwiler is not the long-term solution as Cincinnati's left-handed specialist out of the bullpen.

Is Ross Detwiler really the Reds only left-handed option out of the bullpen?

Ross Detwiler has enjoyed success early in 2022. Since being selected to join the Cincinnati Reds 40-man roster, Detwiler has made five appearances and struck out four batters over 3.2 innings of work.

But Dewiler can't keep this up, right? The southpaw was actually considering retirement prior to receiving a call from the Reds earlier this year. Dewiler had this to say, via MLB.com, in regards to his opportunity with the Reds this season:

"Once you shut it down, I’m 36. There’s no coming back. This year, the ball is coming out of my hand really well. I developed a cutter last year and started messing around with a changeup the week before I signed here."

Ross Detwiler, Reds reliever

Unfortunately, the Cincinnati Reds do not have many options when it comes to left-handed relievers down on the farm. The aforementioned Phillip Diehl is at Triple-A Louisville, but owns a 5.84 ERA with the Bats.

The Derby City is home to two other lefties; Justin Nicolino, whose ERA is 17.36 in two starts and Reiver Sanmartin, who couldn't cut the mustard with the big league club earlier this season and holds an 8.44 ERA since returning to Triple-A.

The Chattanooga Lookouts have four left-handers on the roster, but both Brandon Williamson and Andrew Abbott are being groomed as starters. Andy Fisher and Connor Curlis, neither of whom are on the Reds 40-man roster, have fared well in 2022 and may be bumped up to Triple-A in the near future.

When it comes to left-handed relief, there's none in sight. So long as Ross Detwiler continues to perform, he'll likely be the only lefty in the Cincinnati bullpen.