Right-hander Tejay Antone threw just one pitch before leaving with an injury in Sunday’s 3-1 Reds loss to the Mets. Antone entered for a relief appearance in the sixth inning, but after his opening pitch to Tyrone Taylor, Antone stepped off the mound and was in visible discomfort. After the game, Reds manager David Bell told reporters (including Charlie Goldsmith of the Cincinnati Enquirer) that Antone will get an MRI to evaluate the soreness in his right elbow.
Given Antone’s checkered injury history, the best-case scenario here would be a 15-day stint on the injured list, as the Reds might be cautious even if the MRI comes back clean. However, it looks like Antone might be facing yet another notable injury in a career marked by significant health problems.
Antone has two Tommy John surgeries on his record – one in 2017 while on the way up the ladder in Cincinnati’s farm system and the other in August 2021. The rehab process for the latter procedure sidelined Antone for the entirety of the 2022 season, and he then hit another roadblock with a flexor strain in February 2023. While he avoided another surgery, Antone didn’t return to big league action until last September, and he made only five appearances before hitting the IL again due to elbow discomfort.
Antone looked like a promising relief weapon in his first two big league seasons, posting a 2.48 ERA in 69 innings in 2020-21. Powered with a mid-90s fastball, a plus curveball, and a ton of spin on both pitches, Antone struck out 32.3% of batters and posted a 48% grounder rate. Since Opening Day 2022, however, Antone has thrown only 7 2/3 innings at the MLB level, and it remains to be seen if his arm can hold up long enough for the righty to deliver on his early-career promise.
The Reds have already been hit hard by bullpen injuries, as Sam Moll, Ian Gibaut and Alex Young all began the season on the 15-day IL. Moll and Gibaut have at least started rehab outings and are on track to be back before the end of April, but if Antone is now going to be sidelined, that will leave Cincinnati further short-handed in the relief corps.
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