Fan Favorite Agrees to New Deal to Return to Reds

The Cincinnati Reds and pitcher Tejay Antone have agreed to a new deal for the 2026 season.

Antone and his agency announced the news on Instagram on Friday afternoon.

The fan-favorite pitcher has worked his way back from not one, not two, but three Tommy John surgeries.

Antone appeared in 15 games in the 2025 season for High-A Dayton, Double-A Chattanooga, and Triple-A Louisville. He gave up 23 hits on 17 runs in those 15 innings.

The right-hander underwent his third Tommy John surgery on his right elbow in April of 2024.

"I think I have an opportunity and responsibility to do this not only for myself, but other kids out there dealing with this,"Antone told MLB.com's Mark Sheldon last year. "The cool thing about baseball is [that] contracts are guaranteed. There’s kids out there in high school or in college, their careers are over and they don’t have the best medical attention in the world."

Antone has a 2.47 career ERA with the Reds over four seasons and 61 games.

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