Reds To Activate Graham Ashcraft Off 60-Day IL

The Reds are expected to activate right-hander Graham Ashcraft off the 60-day injured list on Sunday, per Charlie Goldsmith of Charlie’s Chalkboard. Ashcraft has been out for over three months with a right forearm UCL sprain. The team’s 40-man roster is currently full, so a corresponding move will be needed to activate Ashcraft. Spencer Steer, who is unlikely to play again this year due to a right wrist injury, could be moved to the 60-day IL to clear space.

Ashcraft was Cincy’s sixth-round pick in the 2019 draft. He debuted in 2022 as a starter but posted mediocre results in that role over the next three seasons. In 60 starts from 2022-24, Ashcraft had a 4.91 ERA and a below-average 16.6% strikeout rate, although he got grounders at an excellent 50.2% clip. ERA estimators backed up his poor run prevention, however, and without noticeable improvement, the righty wasn’t long for the rotation entering 2025.

Fortunately, Ashcraft found his footing when he moved to full-time relief work. In 65 1/3 innings out of the bullpen in 2025, he lowered his ERA to 3.99 while upping his ground ball rate to 55.9%. The latter mark tied for 14th among qualified relievers. Perhaps more impressively, after years of minimal strikeout stuff, Ashcraft struck out 22.5% of opposing hitters in 2025, which checked in a hair above league average. FanGraphs valued his contributions at 1.6 fWAR, and Ashcraft was quietly one of the better relievers in the league that year.

Ashcraft was similarly effective when healthy earlier this season. He carried a 3.33 ERA in 26 appearances through the end of May before suffering the UCL sprain. Ashcraft’s 29.4% strikeout rate was a huge improvement over last year, though he was uncharacteristically struggling with control, posting a 14.7% walk rate. In most other areas, the righty was pitching as well as expected, his 3.42 xERA and 3.74 SIERA backing up his bottom-line performance.

Cincinnati is seven games out of a Wild Card spot and all but certain to miss the postseason for the fifth time in six years. Ashcraft coming back is a non-factor in that regard, but it will at least give the bullpen some reinforcement as the regular season plays out. Reds relievers rank in the bottom 10 in the league this season by ERA, strikeout percentage, and ground ball rate. Their 5.12 ERA since the start of August is third-worst in the Majors. Their 34.4% ground ball rate in that span is tied with the Rockies for second-worst.

Luis Mey and lefty Brock Burke have done well recently. In contrast, closer Emilio Pagán and others have struggled. Ashcraft gives the Reds an experienced righty to cover the middle innings alongside Tejay Antone, Pierce Johnson, and Julian Garcia. Cincy is currently operating with nine relievers, so one of them would need to be optioned or designated to clear active roster space for Ashcraft. He is arbitration eligible in 2027 and should earn a modest raise over this year’s $1.75MM salary.