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CINCINNATI, OHIO - JULY 08: Manager Terry Francona #77 of the Cincinnati Reds looks on from the dugout during the ninth inning against the Miami Marlins at Great American Ball Park on July 08, 2025 in Cincinnati, Ohio. (Photo by Jeff Dean/Getty Images)

Cincinnati Reds closer Emilio Pagan threw just one pitch in an appearance on May 5 before grabbing his left hamstring and needing to be carted off the field. The injured right-hander told reporters, including Charlie Goldsmith of FOX19 Cincinnati, that he suffered a Grade 2 hamstring strain and will be out four to eight weeks.

The Reds brought back Pagan on a two-year, $20 million deal after a successful season as their closer in 2025. The right-hander told Goldsmith that he had been receiving treatment for his injured hamstring for the last month.

Pagan had been off to a slow start to 2026. In his first 15 games, the Reds’ closer had pitched to a 6.43 ERA and a 5.86 FIP over 14 innings. He converted six of his first nine save opportunities. It’s unclear if the hamstring issue has been bothering him throughout the season, but his fastball velocity dropped from 95.8 MPH in 2025 to 94.3 MPH in 2026.

Reds Bullpen Situation Without Emilio Pagan

With Pagan out at least four weeks, the Reds will be without their closer until at least the middle of June. Cincinnati currently sits at 20-16, four games back of the Chicago Cubs in the National League Central. They’ll have to weather the storm and stay in the postseason picture over that time period.

Reds manager Terry Francona told reporters, including Goldsmith, “it doesn’t make sense to name a closer”. The team turned to Tony Santillan after Pagan’s injury. Santillan blew the save in a 3-2, extra-inning loss to the Chicago Cubs. FanGraphs lists both Santillan and Graham Ashcraft as co-closers in their closer depth chart for the Reds.

In the interim, the Reds announced a series of roster moves with their bullpen. The club placed Pagan on the 15-day injured list. Additionally, right-hander Chase Petty was optioned to Triple-A Louisville, and left-hander Brandon Williamson was transferred to the 60-day injured list. Right-hander Pierce Johnson has been reinstated from the bereavement list and right-hander Tejay Antone has been selected from Triple-A.

Tejay Antone Returns After Third Tommy John Surgery

Antone is back in the major leagues 754 days following his Tommy John surgery, according to The Athletic‘s C. Trent Rosecrans. His last appearance was April 7, 2024, when he tore the ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow a third time.

Having successfully returned from three separate elbow surgeries. Antone is already in a rare club. Other notable pitchers who bounced back from three elbow procedures include Jason Isringhausen, Jonny Venters, and Drew Rasmussen. The right-hander published his story recovering from surgery in an autobiography called “The Tommy John Protocol”.

“I’ve already written out the part where I actually made the team out of Spring Training,” Antone told MLB.com’s Mark Sheldon on February 24. “If I have to go back and change the story a little bit, that’s fine. It was fun to write that out and see how I wanted it to play out.”

While Antone did not make the club out of Spring Training, he still worked his way back to the roster not too long after.

In 12 games in Triple-A, the right-hander pitched to a 2.25 ERA with 15 strikeouts and six walks in 12 innings. He averaged 94.7 MPH on his four-seamer, which would be the highest mark since the 2021 season, when he averaged 96.8 MPH.

How long this opportunity remains for Antone will be determined by how well he pitches.