The Reds have optioned former All-Star closer Alexis Diaz to Triple-A Louisville, per a team announcement. Fellow right-hander Luis Mey is being recalled from Louisville in his place. Mey will be making his MLB debut the first time he takes the mound.
It’s been a brutal season for Diaz, who already lost the closer’s role in Cincinnati. The 28-year-old righty opened the year on the 15-day injured list due to a hamstring strain. He returned a couple weeks ago but has been pitching with a career-low 93 mph average fastball velocity. He currently has more walks (five) and home runs allowed (four) than strikeouts (three). The result is a ghastly 12.00 ERA, which was inflated heavily by yesterday’s five-run meltdown against the Cardinals.
Diaz’s decline hasn’t been completely out of the blue. He was an excellent high-leverage arm in his first two seasons from 2022-23, finishing fifth in ’22 NL Rookie of the Year voting and making the ’23 All-Star team at the midpoint of a 37-save season. His 2024 campaign, however, was rife with red flags.
Last year’s 3.99 ERA wasn’t necessarily a harbinger for significant decline in and of itself, but Diaz’s average heater dropped from 95.2 mph in 2022-23 to 93.9 mph in 2024. His strikeout rate, which had topped 30% in each of his first two seasons, fell to a pedestrian 22.7%. His swinging-strike rate checked in at just 11% last year after sitting at a gaudy 15.6% over the two prior seasons. Diaz has never had good command, walking more than 12% of his opponents even at his peak, which makes the precipitous decline in his ability to miss bats all the more problematic.
More to come.