The Reds announced Thursday that they’ve designated right-hander Ricky Karcher for assignment. His spot on the 40-man roster will go to right-hander Tony Santillan, who has been reinstated from the 60-day injured list. Righty Brett Kennedy was optioned to Triple-A Louisville to open a spot for Santillan on the active roster.
Karcher, 25, made his big league debut last month when he worked a scoreless inning out of the Cincinnati bullpen. The former 13th-round pick has struggled for the majority of the season in Triple-A Louisville, however, pitching to a dismal 7.18 ERA with more walks (44) than strikeouts (36) in 31 1/3 innings. He’s never had many problems missing bats, but command issues have plagued him throughout his career, evidenced by his 172 walks (and 225 strikeouts) in 174 1/3 total innings as a professional.
The Reds will have a week to trade Karcher or attempt to pass him through outright waivers. He’s in the first of three minor league option seasons and can reach triple digits with his heater, in addition to a slider that grades as an above-average offering, but his location issues are an obvious red flag for other clubs.
Santillan, 26, has yet to pitch in 2023 due to a pair of injuries. Lower back issues derailed his 2022 season, and he was eventually diagnosed with a stress fracture. While still rehabbing his back earlier this season, Santillan was shut down after incurring a knee strain.
In 2021, Santillan looked like an intriguing long-term piece in the bullpen, pitching 43 1/3 innings of 2.91 ERA ball with a 29.5% strikeout rate and 11.1% walk rate as a rookie. The previously mentioned back issues limited him to just 19 1/3 innings last year, however, and he was hit hard during that time. While Santillan saw his velocity tick up to an average of 96.3 mph, he was also torched for a 5.49 ERA with a greatly reduced 21.9% strikeout rate and even higher 12.5% walk rate. Santillan was a starter earlier in his minor league career, and the Reds are in need of rotation help, but he’s been working in short relief during his rehab assignment and figures to once again occupy a bullpen spot moving forward.