ATLANTA — A rough 2026 season for Reds reliever Tony Santillan will end on a sour note. Santillan was placed on the 15-day injured list Tuesday — retroactive to Saturday – with a labral tear in his left hip.
Santillan, 29, was sent to Nashville to see orthopedic hip specialist Dr. Thomas Byrd.
“Pretty good chance he has surgery on his hip Thursday. It’s not a done deal, but a pretty good chance," manager Terry Francona said.
Santillan was second in the Major Leagues last season with 80 appearances and emerged as a primary set-up man while posting a 2.44 ERA and 1.11 WHIP over 73 2/3 innings.
This year went far differently. After he opened the season with 11 straight scoreless appearances over his first 10 2/3 innings, he had an 8.70 ERA over his last 33 games. Overall in 44 games, he is 3-4 with a 6.42 ERA and 1.67 WHIP.
Santillan, who floundered in the closer's role after Emilio Pagán went on the IL for almost two months in May, missed almost two months himself with a left oblique strain from June 23-Aug. 21.
In his final 2026 appearance on Thursday vs. the Dodgers, Santillan gave up two walks over one scoreless inning. Francona noted that the right-hander first felt something with his hip during the road trip at Los Angeles earlier this month but tried to pitch through it.
“It’s probably improbable, but his heart’s bigger than his body. I believe that," Francona said.
To replace Santillan on the roster, the Reds recalled right-handed reliever Connor Phillips from Triple-A Louisville. It marks a return for Phillips, who opened the season with the club and struggled with a 5.53 ERA and 1.77 WHIP over 25 games while walking 28 and striking out 28 before he was demoted on May 23.
At Louisville, Phillips had a 5.06 ERA in 31 appearances but had a 1.80 ERA over his last 15 games.
“He certainly had a bit of a rollercoaster when he first got there," Francona said. "But he’s been throwing the ball better.”