The Reds announced they have selected the contact of right-hander Tejay Antone and activated right-hander Pierce Johnson from the bereavement list. In corresponding active roster moves, they optioned right-hander Chase Petty and placed righty Emilio Pagán on the 15-day injured list with a left hamstring strain. To open a 40-man spot for Antone, left-hander Brandon Williamson has been transferred to the 60-day IL. C. Trent Rosecrans of The Athletic reported on Antone’s promotion prior to the official announcement.
It’s a pretty incredible moment for Antone, considering all that he’s been through. For years, he’s been dealing with an incredibly unfortunate series of injuries and surgeries. He first underwent Tommy John surgery as a minor leaguer in 2017 then required another one in August of 2021. He missed the 2022 season while rehabbing from that procedure. A number of setbacks prevented him from returning until late in 2023. He required yet another major elbow surgery early in 2024 after tearing a tendon off his bone and suffering a ligament tear.
The Reds outrighted Antone off the roster following that 2024 season. He was back on the mound in 2025, making a few minor league appearances in August and September. He re-signed with the Reds on a new minor league deal for 2026. He has logged 12 Triple-A appearances so far this year, allowing 2.25 earned runs per nine. He has struck out 15 of the 49 batters he has faced, a strong clip of 30.6%. His control hasn’t been perfect, perhaps not surprising for a guy who has missed so much time. His six walks lead to high rate of 12.2% and he has also hit a batter and thrown two wild pitches.
Due to all those injuries, Antone only threw 36 official innings over the four-year span from 2022 to 2025, majors and minors combined. At this point, it’s anyone’s guess what he can provide going forward, but his recent results have been encouraging and his previous track record was good. Over the 2020 and 2021 seasons, he gave the Reds 69 innings with a 2.48 ERA, 32.3% strikeout rate and 10.8% walk rate. Just making it back to the majors surely feels like a huge accomplishment for Antone but any success from here on out would be icing on the cake.
Williamson hit the 15-day IL at the end of April due to shoulder fatigue. His current status is unclear but it’s not a good sign that he’s been quickly moved to the 60-day IL. He also spent some time on the IL due to a shoulder strain in 2024.
Pagán clearly injured himself in yesterday’s game, grabbing at his hamstring and needing to be carted off the field. He tells reporters today, including Gordon Wittenmyer of the Cincinnati Enquirer, that he’ll miss about four to eight weeks. He added that he’s actually pleasantly surprised because he figured his season was over, given the amount of pain he was in. Guys like Tony Santillan and Graham Ashcraft will probably have to step up to help with save situations while Pagán is sidelined.
Petty was just recalled but that was apparently for a spot start. Nick Lodolo is listed as Friday’s starter, so it seems he’ll come off the IL to rejoin the rotation alongside Andrew Abbott, Brady Singer, Rhett Lowder and Chase Burns.
Photo courtesy of Frank Bowen IV, Imagn Images
