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.