CINCINNATI -- When Double-A Pensacola's postseason ended Saturday after being knocked out of the Southern League playoffs, reliever Abel De Los Santos was prepared to go home for the winter. But the Reds had other plans.
Seeking to fortify their bullpen, especially against other clubs in this month of expanded rosters, the Red called up De Los Santos and fellow right-handed reliever Matt Magill on Monday.
"I already had my ticket to the Dominican, but when the season was over, they told me, 'We changed your ticket flight. You're going to Cincinnati.' It was a really nice surprise. I'm really happy," De Los Santos said via translator Julio Morillo.
Magill's contract was selected from Triple-A Louisville, which prompted the Reds to place pitcher Alfredo Simon on the 60-day disabled list to clear a spot on the 40-man roster. Simon is scheduled to have arthroscopic right shoulder surgery on Tuesday. With left-hander Cody Reed still working through back issues and Keyvius Sampson moved into the rotation for the time being, the Reds' bullpen was shorthanded.
De Los Santos had a 1.54 ERA in 17 relief appearances for Pensacola after being claimed off waivers from the Nationals on July 19. Being let go by Washington caught the 23-year-old off guard, as he had a 3.67 ERA in 29 games for Double-A Harrisburg and Triple-A Syracuse.
"I felt really sad. I thought I was doing a really good job," said De Los Santos, who had two big league stints with the Nationals in 2015. "When they put me on waivers, I felt sad but [told myself], 'OK, one team is going to come and they will pick me.' After that, I was going to work my way up to the big leagues again."
Reds manager Bryan Price looked forward to getting a head start on assessing De Los Santos ahead of Spring Training next year.
"The reports since we got him with the Double-A club have been excellent," Price said. "He's keeping the fastball down, has a really good curveball and it seems like he competes well. He played on a playoff team. It doesn't matter what level you're at. I think it gives you some experience in games that matter."
The Reds initially acquired Magill from the Dodgers in a trade for outfielder Chris Heisey on Dec. 2, 2014. He encountered arm issues, including undergoing Tommy John surgery in 2015 and was released but eventually re-signed with the club. He had a 4.85 ERA in 58 games combined for Triple-A Louisville and Pensacola but showed improved statistics in the second half of the season after still working out the issues of coming back from elbow surgery.
"Toward the end of the year, we're certainly seeing some better velocity numbers and better command of the breaking pitches," Price said. "This is what he worked hard for. He came back as a guy we took off the roster because of the elbow injury. We knew he wasn't going to pitch. He agreed to come back and sign with us. I think this is a nice reward for a guy that stuck it out. He could have gone some place else and wanted to stay with the Reds."
Worth noting
• Homer Bailey (right forearm tenderness) is scheduled to throw in the bullpen on Tuesday. If Bailey recovers well, the club will see if it's possible for him to make one or two starts before the season ends.
• Reed has resumed a throwing program and has been long tossing.