Reds bring back rookie reliever after another bullpen injury strikes

Zach McCambley is back on the Cincinnati Reds roster. The right-handed rookie was recalled ahead of the Reds' three-game series against the Pittsburgh Pirates on Friday after the team placed Tony Santillan on the 15-day injured list with an oblique strain. Santillan's placement was retroactive to June 23, but these types of injuries typically take at least four to six weeks to completely heal.

McCambley was the player Cincinnati received from the Miami Marlins in exchange for former slugger Rece Hinds. He made his Major League debut earlier this season and covered four innings over the course of three appearances and posted a 6.75 ERA and 3.35 FIP. In five outings with the Reds' Triple-A affiliate in Louisville, McCambley owns a 2.53 ERA and 14 punch outs over 10⅔ innings pitched.

Losing Santillan is not ideal, especially considering how well he'd been performing of late. The hulking right-hander from Texas had some hiccups after the calendar turned to May, but he looked like his former self during his last eight appearances. Santillan locked down three saves over the past couple of weeks while posting a 1.13 ERA and 1.98 FIP over his last eight inning of work.

Tony Santillan's trip to the the IL is just the latest blow for the Reds bullpen

The Reds bullpen has endured a number of difficult injuries already this season. Caleb Ferguson was left off the Opening Day roster after suffering an oblique injury of his own during spring training.

The Reds' closer, Emilio Pagán, is currently on a rehab assignment after missing nearly two months with a hamstring strain. Cincinnati is also without Graham Ashcraft, who was placed on the 60-day IL last month.

The Reds' bullpen has been snake-bitten all season long, and Santillan's trip to the IL is just the latest in a long line of injuries that have kept Cincinnati's relief corps from finding its footing. Reds relievers looked unstoppable during the month of April, but like the ball club as a whole, the bullpen fell apart after May 1.

With Pagán due back any day now, McCambley's time on the Major League roster is likely to be minimal. Pagán's first rehab outing was a no-go because of weather, but the team expects him to join them during the second part of their road trip when they head up to Milwaukee for a four-game stretch against the Brewers.

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