CINCINNATI -- It's not even the All-Star break yet, but it's already been a 2026 filled with upheaval and change for reliever Zach McCambley, and the right-hander is grateful for all of it.
That's because on Tuesday, the journey brought him to the Major Leagues for the first time with the Reds -- an organization he's been with for just under two weeks.
“It’s been a crazy year,” McCambley said.
A third-round pick of the Marlins in the 2020 Draft, McCambley was picked by the Phillies in December's Rule 5 Draft and went through an entire big league Spring Training before being sent back to Miami's Triple-A club after not making Philadelphia's Opening Day roster.
“I thought it was awesome. I looked at it as a great opportunity,” McCambley said. “When I got sent back, obviously I was disappointed but just kept my nose to the grindstone, kept grinding, and that got me here.”
On May 21, the Marlins traded McCambley to the Reds for outfielder Rece Hinds. He made two appearances with Louisville before his contract was selected by Cincinnati.
When a player moves from one organization to another, and then another, there's usually a family that also must roll with the punches. It was no different for McCambley's parents -- Mike and Kim.
“I really didn’t expect to be coming to Cincinnati,” Mike said. “We thought Miami was going to be it. Then we thought Philly was really going to be it. But once they made the trade, we had an idea because the Reds had been looking at him and they knew what he was about. We had a feeling it would be sooner than later.
“We were really hoping, but we’ve jinxed ourselves so many times. Then we just kind of shut our mouths.”
Once they got word of a promotion around 11 p.m. ET on Monday, McCambley's parents and a total of 12 family members -- including his grandmother and sisters -- made their way to Great American Ball Park. Mike was operating his business in South Carolina while Kim was in Key West, Fla.
But the family made it with the hopes they would see a debut outing.
“Absolutely surreal,” Kim said. “It’s his dream come true. We’re really, really proud of him.”
“It’s been his goal since he was a little kid. It’s great to watch your child achieve their goal,” Mike said.
In 15 games over 30 1/3 Triple-A innings for two organizations this season, McCambley had a 2.37 ERA and 1.19 WHIP. The numbers outpaced his career Minor League numbers of a 4.11 ERA and a 1.29 WHIP over six seasons. What helped him this season was being more aggressive in the strike zone vs. hitters.
“Coming into a game, you don’t want to throw balls and throw the ball all over the place,” McCambley said. “Just attacking the zone, attacking hitters and making them hit the ball has caused me to be able to have good results for myself. I’m just continuing to pound the zone and get ahead early.
“You don’t want any hits, but if you’re going to give up contact, hopefully it’s soft and it’s not damage.”
The Reds' bullpen has been decimated by injuries and struggles -- especially over the past month -- as manager Terry Francona is trying to get more dependable arms he can trust.
Cincinnati's bullpen entered the day with a 5.00 ERA, and its 142 walks led MLB.
“What I would say is right now we’re like the land of opportunity,” Francona said. “I don’t think it’s realistic that everybody that gets called up is going to take it and run with it. But if a couple of guys do, that would really help.”