CINCINNATI -- Fresh off another relief appearance in his rehab assignment with Triple-A Louisville, reliever Alexis Díaz was back in the Reds’ clubhouse on Sunday morning at his customary locker.
However, Cincinnati did not activate Díaz from the 15-day injured list -- where he opened the season because of a left hamstring strain during Spring Training.
“We talked about it this morning and we’ll talk about it again after the game," manager Terry Francona said. “We’ve got to figure some things out.”
In five appearances with Louisville, Díaz has a 5.40 ERA with four walks and eight strikeouts. The last two games marked his first time working on back-to-back days. On Friday, he struck out the side during one perfect inning.
On Saturday, in the second game of Louisville's doubleheader vs. Indianapolis, Díaz gave up two runs on three hits, including a home run, with one strikeout. Of the 18 pitches he threw, 14 were strikes. The right-hander felt he was ready for activation.
“For sure. I threw three of the four games and I feel good," Díaz said via interpreter Tomas Vera.
After getting a late start in camp because of the slight hamstring strain, Díaz struggled with his mechanics and throwing strikes. It appeared his status as the Reds’ closer could have been in jeopardy, especially after he encountered similar issues during the 2024 season.
An All-Star for Cincinnati in ‘23, Díaz felt the mechanical adjustment he made with his legs had worked well during the rehab assignment.
“Truly, everything was moving up in the right direction," Díaz said. "What I did the last few outings is what they actually wanted me to do -- attack the hitter, be aggressive and do what I’ve always done. I did what they told me to do."
Francona felt the club would evaluate the health, performance and mechanics of Díaz ahead of any decision.
“I think it’s everything. [It’s] making sure he pitched enough where he can be who he is," Francona said.
To activate Díaz, the Reds would have to send someone out from a bullpen that has worked well through the first two-plus weeks of the season. Graham Ashcraft was the last reliever to make the bullpen out of spring, but he has already proven himself in high-leverage innings. It appears quite unlikely that Ashcraft would be sent down.
Then there is the matter of whether Díaz would get his job back as closer. Emilio Pagán has primarily closed games so far and has performed well while going 4-for-4 in his save chances.
The Reds have a scheduled off-day on Monday before opening a three-game series vs. the Mariners at home on Tuesday.