Red has an open reliever Caleb Ferguson on the 15-day injured list, according to Charlie Goldsmith of Charlie’s Chalkboard. Zach Maxwell recalled from Triple-A. Connor Phillips again Jose Franco they are selected in the parallel flow.
Ferguson signed a one-year, $4.5MM contract with the Reds back in December. He hasn’t appeared in 2026, instead starting the year at IL with an oblique muscle strain. That was Ferguson’s first IL stint since 2022, so the Reds are hoping he can return as the solid ball specialist he was from 2023-25.
Ferguson had a 3.85 ERA in 180 innings over that span, which he split among five teams. His ERA peaked at 4.64 in 2024, though that came with a .340 opponents’ average on balls in play, suggesting Ferguson should have stepped back. Indeed, Ferguson lowered his ERA to 3.58 in 2025, though he has some interesting trends in his pitches. After striking out 26.9% of opponents in 2024, it dropped to 18.9% in 2025, below the league average. On the other hand, Ferguson increased his ground ball rate to 48.7% and did very well at keeping the ball in the yard, allowing just two long balls in 65 1/3 innings.
Ferguson’s pace hasn’t changed much since 2024-25. That said, the lefty has reduced his use of the four-seam by 11.7% in favor of his sinker, which Ferguson now uses 23.2% of the time. That may partially explain the rise in ground balls, though the drop in strikeouts was more puzzling given Ferguson’s 2024-like velocity. If he recovers from his injury, the Reds can expect an ERA in the mid-3.00’s and an above-average ground ball rate from Ferguson, preferably with hit recovery. That would be a huge boost for a bullpen whose 4.98 ERA is third-worst in the Majors, behind only the Angels and Astros.
Maxwell returns from Triple-A Louisville after making his last appearance in the Majors on May 1st. That was not a good day for him, as Maxwell allowed four earned runs on two home runs in one frame of work. A sixth-round draft pick by Cincy in 2022, Maxwell has thrown just 11 innings in the Majors since debuting last year. He has a 7.36 ERA in that small sample. Maxwell’s minor league career is promising. He had a 4.17 ERA in 49 2/3 Triple-A innings last year, which has dropped to 3.50 so far in 2026. That means, Maxwell has walked more than 14% of hitters since reaching the majors in 2024.
The promotion is less about rewarding Maxwell and more about giving Phillips a reset in Triple-A. Manager Terry Francona said of Phillips: “He’s not throwing enough strikes… He can spin. But until he starts throwing the ball where he wants to, it’s going to be a struggle.” That’s an accurate assessment of Phillips’ performance in 2026. Despite having a 95 percent fastball velocity, Phillips failed to capitalize on his strikeouts. His 20.5% walk rate is the second worst among professional pitchers this year and plays a large role in the righty’s 5.06 ERA.
More to come.
