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Phillips earned the save Monday against the Pirates, walking two in a hitless and scoreless ninth inning. He struck out one.
Closer Emilio Pagan was likely unavailable after working each of the past two days for Cincinnati, opening the door for Phillips to claim his first save opportunity of the year. Monday marked Phillips' first career major-league save, though the right-hander doesn't figure to see very much ninth-inning work in 2026 when Pagan or other Reds high-leverage arms are available.
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Reds' Connor Phillips: Extra-inning win
Rotowire
Phillips (1-0-) threw two scoreless innings against the Red Sox on Saturday, picking up the win when the Reds walked it off in the 11th inning. He struck out three without allowing a hit or a walk.
Phillips played an increasingly important role in the Reds bullpen when they pushed to win a wild-card spot last season. He's unlikely to displace Emilio Pagan, Tony Santillan or even Graham Ashcraft in the bullpen pecking order for the Reds, but he could serve as a nice pivot whenever one or more of them is unavailable.
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Reds' Connor Phillips: Secures Opening Day spot in pen
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Phillips was informed by the Reds that he has made the Opening Day roster, Gordon Wittenmyer of The Cincinnati Enquirer reports.
Phillips got off to a rough start to begin spring training, as he allowed three earned runs in three of his first five appearances. After allowing three runs March 5, the righty has allowed one earned allowed across 3.1 innings over his past three appearances. The Reds are hoping the former starter can recapture the dominance he found as a reliever to conclude the 2025 season.
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Reds' Connor Phillips: Competing for bullpen spot
Rotowire
Phillips is part of a group competing for the final spots in the Reds' bullpen, Mark Sheldon of MLB.com reports.
Phillips made the transition from starter to reliever in 2025 following a diagnosis of thoracic outlet syndrome (TOS). To treat and manage TOS, the right-hander received Botox injections, which alleviated the symptoms and allowed him to pitch in shorter stints. Phillips was dominant over the final six weeks of 2025, using a two-pitch mix of four-seamers and sweepers (0.53 ERA, plus-5 Run Value) to post a 1.80 ERA with 28 strikeouts and eight walks over his final 17 appearances. The right-hander will compete with the likes of Sam Moll, Zach Maxwell and Luis Mey for a spot on the Opening Day roster.
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Reds' Connor Phillips: Thriving in relief
Rotowire
Phillips (5-0) retired all four batters he faced Friday night against the Brewers, striking out three while picking up the win.
Since getting called back up from Triple-A Louisville, Phillips has posted a 1.45 ERA and 0.64 WHIP, striking out 26 while walking seven over 18.2 innings. Phillips has quietly been one of the success stories for the Reds, converting from starter to reliever while overcoming Thoracic Outlet Syndrome in the neck. Given Phillips's 33.0 percent strikeout rate and 98.3-mph average fastball, his role in the Reds' bullpen in 2026 could be elevated.
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Reds' Connor Phillips: Back in majors
Rotowire
The Reds recalled Phillips from Triple-A Louisville on Sunday.
Phillips received a brief look with the Reds in late June and will now get another chance in the majors. The right-hander kept the opposition off the board in three of his four relief appearances for Cincinnati but surrendered four earned runs in the other outing and has a 4:4 K:BB overall in five innings.
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Reds' Connor Phillips: Sent back to minors
Rotowire
The Reds optioned Phillips to Triple-A Louisville on Tuesday.
Phillips pitched two relief innings in Monday's game against the Red Sox, allowing four runs in the outing. Since he would have been unavailable for a day or two, the Reds will supplement their bullpen with a fresh arm.
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Reds' Connor Phillips: Promoted Friday
Rotowire
The Reds recalled Phillips from Triple-A Louisville on Friday.
The right-hander is joining the Reds ahead of Friday's game in St. Louis as Wade Miley (forearm) heads to the injured list. Chase Petty will be added to the MLB roster Saturday to start in place of Miley, so it could be a short stay in the majors for Phillips, who last appeared in the majors in 2023 and had a 6.97 ERA over 20.2 innings.
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Reds' Connor Phillips: Call-up pending
Rotowire
Phillips is expected to be recalled from Triple-A Louisville on Friday, Gordon Wittenmyer of The Cincinnati Enquirer reports.
Phillips is set to join the Reds' bullpen Friday after tallying a 3.21 ERA in 14 innings at Louisville this season. The 24-year-old had exclusively operated as a starter before 2025, including his five-start stint with the Reds back in 2023, when he logged a 6.97 ERA and a 26:13 K:BB over 20.2 innings.
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Reds' Connor Phillips: Activated from Triple-A IL
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Phillips (shoulder) was activated from the 7-day injured list at Triple-A Louisville on Friday, Charlie Goldsmith of the Dayton Daily News reports.
Phillips got a late start to the season because of right shoulder fatigue but has been activated following three rehab appearances. He pitched in relief in all three of those outings, and it appears that's the role he'll continue in for the time being.
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Reds' Connor Phillips: Out with shoulder fatigue
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Triple-A Louisville placed Phillips on the 7-day injured list due to shoulder fatigue, Jonathan Mayo of MLB Pipeline reports.
Phillips enters 2025 with a lot to prove, beyond his health, as he walked batters at a 15.3 percent clip at Triple-A in 2024 after walking 13.5 percent of the batters he faced in the majors in 2023. He has the stuff for late-inning work, but he would still need to improve his control to succeed in a high-leverage relief role.
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Reds' Connor Phillips: Heading to Triple-A
Rotowire
The Reds optioned Phillips to Triple-A Louisville on Monday.
Phillips reached the big leagues for the first time in 2023 and made five starts for the Reds, but he appears to have since been passed up by other arms on the organizational pitching depth chart. Though he closed the 2024 campaign on a high note with a 2.49 ERA and 24 strikeouts over 21.2 innings in his final five outings, his season-long ratios at Triple-A were still unsightly (8.01 ERA, 2.03 ERA, 4.3 K-BB% in 78.2 innings). Phillips' control problems once again cropped up this spring, as he had walked six of the 19 batters he faced in Cactus League play. He'll likely need to have a sustained run of success at Triple-A before garnering consideration for a return to the big leagues.
Phillips recorded a 2.49 ERA while striking out 24 over 21.2 innings in his last five starts in 2024.
Phillips, who made his major-league debut in 2023, was rocked at Triple-A Louisville last year. The Reds sent him to the Arizona Complex League in late June after 14 starts with a 10.11 ERA, 7.9 BB/9 and 2.4 HR/9 with the top affiliate. After a two-month reset in the desert, the 23-year-old right-hander returned to Louisville, where he finished strong. Phillips then pitched in the Arizona Fall League and, apart from one clunker, was effective. He needs to find the strike zone with more consistency -- he walked 14 batters in 19.1 innings in the AFL -- but he made adjustments and is trending in a positive direction again following the lowest point of his professional career.
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Reds' Connor Phillips: Sent to rookie ball
Rotowire
Phillips was assigned to the Arizona Complex League on Tuesday.
Phillips has loud stuff, but his control and command have been major weaknesses throughout his career. He gave up 23 earned runs in 10.1 innings over his three most recent starts for Triple-A Louisville, and the assignment to the complex will presumably allow him to work on some mechanical stuff that's easier to address in a less competitive environment.
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Reds' Connor Phillips: Rocked at Triple-A
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Phillips allowed four runs on six hits and five walks while striking out six over 4.1 innings for Triple-A Louisville on Tuesday.
Phillips is getting rocked in the International League, logging an 8.29 ERA and 2.08 WHIP with as many walks (28) as strikeouts through eight starts. The right-hander, who made his MLB debut last season when the Reds suffered injuries to starters, pitched credibly during Cactus League action, but Phillips is struggling to throw strikes at Triple-A -- he has a 7.1 BB/9 in 19 career outings for the Bats. It doesn't look he's in a position at this stage to help the parent club if the Reds need a rotation fill-in.
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Reds' Connor Phillips: Sent down to Triple-A
Rotowire
The Reds optioned Phillips to Triple-A Louisville on Wednesday, Gordon Wittenmyer of The Cincinnati Enquirer reports.
Phillips has a 5:3 K:BB over six scoreless innings this spring but nonetheless finds himself sent to minor-league camp. The talented 22-year-old could still wind up making a decent number of starts for the Reds this season, but there are currently others ahead of him in the pecking order.
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Reds' Connor Phillips: Strong in spring debut
Rotowire
Phillips walked one and struck out two over two hitless and scoreless innings in Tuesday's spring game against the Cubs.
Phillips turned in a strong performance in his spring debut, following an equally impressive outing from starter Frankie Montas. Due to injuries in the Reds' rotation last season, the 22-year-old right-hander was forced to make his MLB debut earlier than expected. Cincinnati has a number of starter candidates in camp and may not be so reliant on its prospects in 2024. Phillips is expected to be part of the rotation at Triple-A Louisville.
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