Off-day moves ahead of the upcoming Cubs series.
Lyon Richardson has looked fully removed (and re-established) in 2025, finally, after overcoming the Tommy John surgery that cost him all of the 2022 season. His ‘stuff’ recovered much quicker, as he’s pitched his way onto the Cincinnati Reds roster in each year since, but it looks sharper, and much more precise already this season.
He’s allowed just 2 ER in 13.2 IP so far at the big league level in 2025, and he’s shown multiple times already that the stuff matches the numbers. In other words, nothing about his success this year has looked flukish or BABIP-lucky. He is, quite simply, one of the better looking relievers the Reds have been able to turn to this season.
So, it’s frustrating to see him optioned to AAA again, as he was earlier on Thursday. The reality is, though, that he pitched on Saturday, Monday, and Tuesday and – unlike so many of his bullpen brethren – has minor league options remaining. That made him the unfortunately roster casualty as the Reds needed to open up a roster spot for ace Hunter Greene, who will be activated to start Friday’s series opener against the Chicago Cubs.
The #Reds optioned to Triple-A Louisville RHP Lyon Richardson (post-game 5/21) and placed on rehab assignment at ACL Reds IF Christian Encarnacion-Strand.
— Cincinnati Reds (@Reds) May 22, 2025
We’ll see Lyon back on the Reds roster soon, undoubtedly. It’s still just a bummer that the numbers crunch made his options so important at this juncture.
As for the other news relayed by the Reds on Thursday, Christian Encarnacion-Strand is heading to Arizona to begin honkin’ homers on rehab with the ACL Reds. He last played on April 16th and has been on the injured list with back problems ever since, a horrid situation given how lost his 2024 season was due to a wrist injury.
Here’s some reality, too – since the start of the 2024, there have been 425 players who have logged at least 180 PA at the big league level. Only one – Martin Maldonado – has a worse wRC+ than CES in that span (22 to CES’ 29). So, there’s obviously still hope that when right CES can step right into this Reds lineup and provide the kind of thump they so desperately need, but the plain facts are that he’s not done that in a really, really long time now.
It’s to the point where I hope he ends up mashing in a sustained way in his progression through the minors before being rushed immediately back to the Reds. Let him find his way at AAA (when he gets there) before ushering him back as something of a hopeful savior to this sputtering roster.