ST. LOUIS -- The Reds placed left-hander Wade Miley on the 15-day injured list with a left flexor strain and recalled right-hander Connor Phillips from Triple-A Louisville on Friday as part of a flurry of roster moves ahead of a three-game series against the Cardinals.
Miley’s IL placement is retroactive to Tuesday.
“I guess maybe I did it against the Tigers. … I don't know,” Miley said. “I just knew I woke up Monday morning and I was in pain, and Tuesday didn't get a lot better, little better Wednesday, and I tried to throw each day and I’m like, ‘This ain't right.’ I’ve been throwing enough to know the difference between soreness and pain.”
An MRI revealed the injury.
“I think it's been bothering him for a while,” manager Terry Francona said. “I think he's probably an incredibly tough kid, which I think we already knew. His ability to actually get Major League hitters out when he was probably feeling like that is pretty incredible.”
The Reds signed Miley, 38, to a one-year deal on June 4. He is 1-0 with a 6.75 ERA in three appearances (two starts) this season.
Miley’s debut with the Reds on June 4 marked his return after an almost 14-month absence while he recovered from a torn UCL he suffered in 2024 while pitching for the Brewers.
The left flexor strain, coming on the heels of that prolonged recovery, plus Miley’s age complicates a possible return.
Francona said the club will support Miley in whatever he decides.
“I think it makes it a little more emotional for him,” Francona said. “I get it. I mean, the guy loves baseball. You can tell if you've been around him for two minutes, and you know, in my short time with him, even in just Spring Training, he wasn't even pitching, that he's hard not to like.”
Phillips hasn’t pitched in the Majors since 2023. He has a 3.06 ERA in 17 appearances in the Minors this season between High-A Dayton and Louisville.
“Big arm,” Francona said. “He had some things to fight through physically, you know, after Spring Training. But one of the things right now is he can give us one-plus, which could be really advantageous.”
Miley’s injury leaves a hole in the Reds’ starting rotation for Saturday’s game. The club added right-hander Chase Petty to the taxi squad; Francona said he will be activated before the game, but whether he starts or not depends on how the game against the Cardinals goes on Friday.
The Reds also sent infielder Noelvi Marte (left oblique strain) on a rehab assignment to the ACL Reds. Marte will spend the weekend there and is expected to join Louisville in St. Paul on Tuesday.