Reds bring back familiar arm after another brutal bullpen setback

The Cincinnati Reds suffered yet another injury blow on Saturday after Pierce Johnson was placed on the 15-day IL with right elbow inflammation. The veteran is the second Reds' reliever to hit the injured list over the past two days; Graham Ashcraft was placed on the 60-day IL ahead of Friday's game against the Atlanta Braves due to an acute UCL sprain.

The Reds replaced Johnson with former second-round pick Lyon Richardson. The right-hander, who was designated for assignment last December, accepted an outright assignment with the Reds during the offseason and was pitching for the team's Triple-A affiliate in Louisville prior to having his contract selected on Saturday.

Richardson made 34 relief appearances for the Reds in 2025, and has logged 30⅓ innings of work for the Louisville Bats to the tune of a 4.75 ERA this season. Richardson will be one of the few Reds' relievers who can give manager Terry Francona multiple innings of relief.

In order to clear a spot on 40-man roster, the Reds DFA'd Kyle Nicolas. The former Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher, who was acquired prior to Opening Day in exchange for infielder Tyler Callihan, made a handful of appearances for Cincinnati this season. But like so many of the Reds' young relievers, he struggled to throw strikes.

In seven Major League outings, Nicolas posted an unsightly 8.59 ERA and 2.864 WHIP. His numbers in the minor leagues weren't much better. Over 15⅔ innings pitched, he posted a 5.17 ERA and recorded an alarming 17 walks to go with 20 strikeouts.

Reds lose Pierce Johnson to IL, and the bullpen is now running on fumes

Johnson had been a reliable option for Francona prior to his placement on the IL. The right-hander owned a 3.27 ERA and 1.227 WHIP while covering 22 innings and was deployed in a variety of situations. He was also one of the few relievers who hadn't struggled with walks this season. At the moment, there's no timeline for his return.

This was about the last thing the Reds needed at the moment. The bullpen just lost their most reliable reliever (Ashcraft) and they're also without their closer (Emilio Pagán). Now with Johnson on the IL, Francona's end-of-game options have been whittled down to Tony Santillan, Brock Burke, and maybe Tejay Antone.

Unfortunaltey, it's that bridge to those three pitchers that's the problem. Richardson will join Sam Moll, Caleb Ferguson, Zach Maxwell, and Yunior Marté as the team's cadre of middle relievers. Outside of Moll (and maybe Ferguson), there's a lot of questionable arms among this group of pitchers.

Francona and the Reds' coaching staff will just have to grin and bear it for the next several weeks, and hope that both Johnson and Pagán are back before the All-Star break. The bullpen gave way during Friday's game against the Braves, and it's quickly become the weakest link on the entire roster.

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