CHICAGO -- The Reds could be without closer and veteran leader Emilio Pagán after he injured his left hamstring on Tuesday.
Summoned from the bullpen for the bottom of the ninth inning of the Reds' 3-2 loss to the Cubs, Pagán threw his first pitch of the night to leadoff batter Nico Hoerner when he grabbed the back of his left leg while completing his delivery.
Pagán immediately collapsed to the ground in pain and was tended to by trainer Tomas Vera as teammates and manager Terry Francona surrounded him. The reliever was taken off the field on a medical cart, sitting up, and was replaced on the mound by rookie Jose Franco.
During his save conversion on April 14, Pagán felt tightness in his left hamstring on his final pitch and limped off the field. He missed a couple of days but was able to return without a stint on the injured list.
On Monday in a 5-4 loss to the Cubs, Pagán surrendered a walk-off homer to Michael Conforto.