After a prolonged stretch of struggles to begin the year, the Cincinnati Reds have optioned their former Closer, Alexis Diaz, to Triple-A Louisville. Wednesday afternoon's five-run outing was the final straw, as Diaz allowed three home runs, putting the game out of reach in what was a one-run contest. Diaz's ERA ballooned to 12.00 in the process.
The underlying metrics for Diaz were in plain sight, particularly with his xFIP rising season by season since he debuted in 2022. Even worse, Diaz's BABIP sat at a way-too-low-to-not-regress .211, meaning more trouble was on the horizon, given that a mark that below league-average actually suggests Diaz could have been getting lucky that things weren't even worse.
Currently, the Reds' bullpen is 4th-best in the National League with a 3.57 ERA. Diaz's minus-8 Pitching Run Value is near the bottom percentile of the league. His 66 percent usage on his diminished 93 mph fastball is the big catalyst for the struggles, allowing his career xBA of .195 to skyrocket to .335 in 2025.
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Can the corresponding move be a reinforcement?
Diaz had allowed eight runs in his final three appearances before being sent down, and with three options remaining, the Reds will let him work through his struggles, calling in Luis Mey in his place. The corresponding move is a bit of a head-scratcher, as Mey himself has not exactly been deserving of a shot.
With an xFIP of 4.96, primarily due to seven walks in nine innings pitched in Triple-A this season, Mey will need to be sharp in the majors if he can be a key part of Cincinnati's bullpen.
A better option for the Reds may have been Alan Busenitz, who currently owns a 3.52 ERA in Triple-A, but is out of options. The thought there is likely that the team didn't want to bring him up before they had to, given that he won't be able to be sent back down once Diaz hopefully fixes whatever is going on. Still, bringing up Mey may be a project, but the Reds bullpen may be strong enough to stabilize in Diaz's absence.