Tejay Antone is forcing Reds to rethink bullpen hierarchy with Emilio Pagán sidelined

The Cincinnati Reds need to find some solutions to fix a bullpen that went from a dream to a nightmare. There are problems across the board, but one of the biggest questions has been who closes out games while Emilio Pagan is on the injured list.

The logical choice was Tony Santillan, except the setup man, who was so good last season, has struggled mightily with both his fastball and breaking ball. The end result has been a 6.56 ERA.

Next in line would've been Graham Ashcraft, but the rock-solid righty is going to be laid up for a while with a sprained UCL. But just as options seemed to be scarce, a potential solution might have appeared in the form of Tejay Antone.

Antone had a moment that showcased some serious cojones. As Nick Lodolo ran out of gas in the sixth inning on June 5 against the St. Louis Cardinals, giving up a lead-off single to Jose Fermin, and then saw Bryan Torres reach on a Eugenio Suárez throwing error, it was Antone whom Terry Francona turned to, attempting to preserve a 5-4 lead.

A double steal and an intentional walk loaded the bases, amping up the pressure on the righty reliever. However, Antone settled and induced Jimmy Crooks into a 3-2-3 double play before getting Masyn Wynn to harmlessly ground out to shortstop to end the frame unscathed.

Antone returned for the seventh and allowed a lead-off single to Ivan Herrera before striking out the next two batters, giving way to Sam Moll to close out the inning with the Reds again clinging to the one-run lead. Cincinnati ultimately lost the game by a score of 6-5 when Moll came unglued in the bottom of the eighth.

Tejay Antone could be Reds de facto closer during Emilio Pagan's absence

With all of that, Antone has only made 12 appearances and logged a 3.75 ERA over 12 innings pitched this season. His backstory is a major reason why he hasn't pitched more, but also serves as a potential reason to believe in him.

Antone was a surprise to even stick with the Reds after undergoing three separate Tommy John surgeries. However, the team gave him an opportunity by signing him to a minor-league deal over the offseason.

During spring training, his hot start seemed to give him a leg up in the competition for bullpen jobs, but as the warm-up period wore on, he proved that he wasn't quite ready.

So the veteran went down to Louisville to start the year and put in work. He logged another 12 innings down there in Triple-A, posting a 2.25 ERA and 30.6% strikeout rate to go with an impressive ground ball rate of 65.4%.

As injuries and poor performance took hold within the Cincinnati relief corps, his showing down there proved that he was worthy of a shot, and so far, he's been a solid contributor.

Closing out games in the ninth isn't for the faint of heart. It takes talent, but it also takes a certain kind of presence to remain unrattled, even in the face of adversity. The pressure is at a different level, so having the skills to truly overcome seemingly insurmountable obstacles is a huge benefit.

And that's what we've seen from Antone. He did it in relief of Nick Lodolo against the Cardinals, but in a much greater sense, he's been fighting a battle with the odds stacked against him and winning for much longer. With the Reds in need of a solution, he's worthy of getting a shot.

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