Reds roster purge opens door for intriguing acquisition from Rece Hinds trade

The Cincinnati Reds' quest to find the perfect combination of relievers continued on Tuesday after both Lyon Richardson and Brandon Leibrandt were designated for assignment. The Reds then recalled Luis Mey from Triple-A Louisville and added right-handed pitcher Zach McCambley to the 40-man roster.

The Reds' bullpen is in dire straits, and after the debacle that unfolded on Monday night at Great American Ball Park, nearly every fan in the tri-state area knew a roster shakeup was on the way.

Richardson started Monday's game against the Kansas City Royals in place of Chase Burns who was battling a fever. The former second-round pick didn't last long, however, and was pulled after allowing four runs on just one hit during the first inning. Richardson walked two batters and gave up a grand slam to Royals' outfielder Lane Thomas.

Leibrandt came on in relief of Caleb Ferguson to begin the third inning and he ended up finishing out the game. The lefty covered a total of six innings, but allowed five runs on five hits, including two home runs. The Reds lost by a final score of 9-2.

Reds add bullpen reinforcements Luis Mey, Zach McCambley

The Reds will now turn to the duo of Mey and McCambley to help stop the bleeding. Cincinnati's relief corps has been battered at bruised over the past few weeks, and recently lost both Graham Ashcraft and Pierce Johnson to the injured list. Ashcraft will miss at least the next two months, while there's hope that Johnson will only be out for a few weeks.

Mey has already made his 2026 debut, and it was anything but stellar. The hard-throwing right-hander has six appearances on the year, but his 17.5% walk rate made his time in the big leagues somewhat abbreviated. Mey was optioned back to the minor leagues after allowing two runs in just one-third of an inning back on May 16 to the Cleveland Guardians.

McCambley will be making his Major League debut when he steps onto the mound for the first time. He was sent to Cincinnati earlier this season after the Reds DFA'd Rece Hinds. The Miami Marlins swooped in to make a trade for the fallen slugger, and McCambley joined the Reds' organization in return. Since being deployed at Triple-A Louisville, he's made just two appearances, but has five strikeouts in 3⅔ innings of work.

The Reds are dangerously close to falling below .500, and are seven games back of the division-leading Milwaukee Brewers. Thankfully, the Wild Card exists, and Cincinnati just 1½ games back. The hope is, of course, that these bullpen adjustments will help the Reds string together some much needed wins.

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