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
Rotowire
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
Rotowire
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
Rotowire
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.
Reds' Connor Phillips: Let down by bullpen in no-decision
Rotowire
Phillips allowed three runs on five hits and three walks while striking out nine batters over five-plus innings in a no-decision against Pittsburgh on Saturday.
Phillips was staked to a 9-0 lead through three innings, and he looked to be in line for a relatively easy win when he left the game with an eight-run lead after giving up consecutive singles to begin the sixth. However, the Reds' bullpen allowed both of those baserunners to score and surrendered three additional runs in the frame, and the Pirates attacked for seven more runs over the seventh and eighth innings to storm back for the win. Despite that outcome, Phillips made a positive overall impression in the outing, racking up 13 whiffs and a career-high nine punchouts. He's posted a solid 26:10 K:BB over 20.2 innings on the campaign and lines up for one more regular-season start, which is tentatively slated to come in St. Louis next weekend.
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Reds' Connor Phillips: Sticks in rotation
Rotowire
Phillips is scheduled to start Saturday's game against the Pirates at Great American Ball Park.
After striking out seven and limiting the Twins to two runs on three hits and one walk over seven innings in his most recent start Monday, Phillips looks like he'll stick in the Reds rotation over Ben Lively. With off days Thursday, Monday and next Thursday, the Reds look as though they'll be able to close out the regular season with a streamlined four-man rotation as they aim to chase down a wild-card spot. Assuming Phillips is able to hold his own in the matchup with the Pirates, he would line up for one final start the following weekend in St. Louis.
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Reds' Connor Phillips: Notches first win
Rotowire
Phillips (1-0) earned his first career win Monday, allowing two runs on three hits and one walk over seven innings in a 7-3 win against the Twins. He struck out seven.
Phillips looked strong in his third career start, using 93 pitches to carve up the Twins over seven innings for the win. He struck out five different batters for his seven total punchouts. The only blemishes on his start were two solo shots yielded to Royce Lewis and Alex Kirilloff. Phillips has thrown to the tune of a 5.74 ERA, 1.28 WHIP and 17:7 K:BB over his first 15.2 innings.
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Reds' Connor Phillips: Call-up official ahead of start
Rotowire
The Reds selected Phillips' contract from Triple-A Louisville ahead of his scheduled start Monday against the Twins.
He'll be making his third start of September with the Reds after posting an 8.31 ERA and 1.85 WHIP in 8.2 innings between his first two big-league outings. After Monday, the Reds will be able to get by with a four-man rotation for the rest of the season as they look to chase down a playoff spot, so Phillips could be a candidate to return to Triple-A immediately after the start.
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