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Chris Paddack of the Cincinnati Reds.

The Cincinnati Reds returned to the MLB Playoffs a year ago, and with a young core that’s led by the likes of Elly De La Cruz, Spencer Steer and Sal Stewart along with a good young rotation, they appear set to be a contender in the National League for some time to come.

However, around those young players, the team have struggled to figure out which veterans will help them moving forward, and which ones will hurt them, a delicate balance that many front offices struggle to strike perfectly. Through their first 76 games played this season, the Reds have a record of 37-39, and in arguably the toughest division in baseball, they’re within 9.5 games of the National League Central, and as of right now, injuries appear to be holding them back.

Cincinnati Reds Part Ways With Veteran Chris Paddack

GettyChris Paddack of the Cincinnati Reds.

One player they took a chance on early in 2026 was Chris Paddack, who had previously been DFA’d by the Miami Marlins following an 0-5 start to the season with a 7.63 ERA across 30.2 innings of work.

Unfortunately, he struggled to improve much with the Reds, and across 6 appearances, Paddack was 0-2 with an ERA of 6.04 across 22.1 innings of work, as the 30-year-old is clearly struggling to continue pitching at a high level in the big leagues. As a result, less than two months after being picked up by the Reds, the team announced on Monday that the veteran has officially been designated for assignment, with the team instead selecting Julian Garcia and activating Pierce Johnson from the 15-day IL.

Despite having some success early in his career with the San Diego Padres, Paddack has not yet posted an ERA under 4.00 across a full season in the big leagues yet, and as a result, his time at the highest level may be over after this latest move.

Cincinnati Reds Struggling as a Starting Rotation

While the Reds young lineup is finding success despite missing Elly De La Cruz in recent times, the team have posted a 4.58 ERA as a pitching staff, ranking them 24th in baseball as they struggle to find success with Hunter Greene out.

Paddack especially may have been struggling, but this is a team that hasn’t found any consistency on the mound, as they now turn to prospect Julian Garcia, who has posted a 3.03 ERA across 35.2 innings of work at the AAA level this season. On paper, this is a team that could be very good if they find that balance between their offense and their pitching, but right now, it’s hard to see them finding that until they get healthy, with the Cubs, Brewers and Cardinals all flying atop the NL Central right now.

Ultimately, Paddack was never going to be the answer for the Reds, but given his significant innings at the MLB level, it was worth a shot, but after struggling for his second straight team this season, the Reds have now made the right move as Paddack may not see any more MLB innings following a combined ERA of 6.96 in 2026.