Reported Reds call-up might be the bullpen shakeup fans have been begging for

According to MLB reporter Héctor Gómez, the Cincinnati Reds are set to call up top pitching prospect Luis Mey before the team's series finale against the St. Louis Cardinals. The question among the Reds fanbase is, of course, which reliever will lose his spot in the bullpen? If the Reds' front office has any sense at all, Alexis Diaz will be on his way to Louisville before the first pitch of today's game.

Diaz has been abysmal this season and a shell of his former self. An All-Star in 2023, Diaz suffered an injury setback during spring training that delayed his ramp-up to the 2025 season. The right-hander was placed on the 15-day IL prior to Opening Day, but returned to the Reds roster on April 15.

Diaz lost his spot at the backend of the Reds bullpen and has been used sparing this season with most of his work coming in the sixth and seventh innings. But on Wednesday, during Game 1 of the Reds doubleheader against the Cardinals, Diaz came on in the ninth inning with Cincinnati trailing 1-0.

Will Luis Mey replace Alexis Diaz in the Reds bullpen?

But disaster stuck when the righty allowed three straight home runs, which ballooned St. Louis' lead to 6-0. A chorus of boos rang out from Great American Ball Park after the third home run cleared the fence in left field, and after facing nine Cardinals batters in the ninth, Diaz left the mound with an inflated 12.00 ERA and more walks (5) than strikeouts (3) on the season.

Whether Diaz is still feeling the effects of his preseason injury or has just completely lost all command of his pitches is undetermined, but what's not debatable is the notion that Cincinnati needs to relieve him of a spot on the active roster. Perhaps Mey's elevation before Thursday's game will do just that.

The fireballer is one of the Reds' top prospects. Though rather raw in terms of experience, Mey has an electric fastball that he can dial up to over 100 mph. An international signee out of the Dominican Republic in 2018, Mey was added to the Reds 40-man roster this past winter after posting a 3.44 ERA and 63 strikeouts in 40 games split between High-A Dayton and Double-A Chattanooga last season.

Get ready to see the radar gun light up, Reds fans. Like so many flamethrowers, Mey has questionable control at times, but when that fastball is in the strike zone, hitters have little to no shot to catch up. If the reporting is correct, this is a surprising, but well deserved promotion for the Reds' right-hander.

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