Carson Spiers hit a meaningful checkpoint in his return from Tommy John surgery on Monday, taking the mound for his first rehab outing with High-A Dayton since the procedure in July of 2025.
The right-hander worked 3 2/3 innings and gave up two runs on three hits. He punched out four and did not issue a walk while throwing 66 pitches, 48 of them strikes. At this stage, the line matters less than the simple fact that he was back in a game and able to stretch out to that pitch count in his first rehab appearance.
Spiers has had a long path to this point. After the surgery, the Reds designated him for assignment, then brought him back on a minor league deal. He has spent parts of three seasons with Cincinnati and has a 5.69 ERA in 29 appearances, bouncing between the bullpen and the back end of the rotation.
The Reds originally signed him as an undrafted free agent out of Clemson in 2020, after the MLB Draft was shortened to five rounds because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
A return to Cincinnati this season looks unlikely, but just getting Spiers healthy and back on the mound is a positive development as he keeps working his way back.
There was also a quirky bit of Reds history over the weekend. Matt McLain’s solo homer Saturday night against Dennis Santana was the 44th home run of his career, and all 44 have come against different pitchers. That puts McLain in rare company in team history, joining Elly De La Cruz, who did it with his first 45 home runs, and Tucker Barnhart, who did it with his first 44.
And Hector Rodriguez picked up a milestone of his own Saturday night against the Diamondbacks. He launched the first home run of his major league career, a solo shot off Zac Littell. Rodriguez is the only Reds player to hit his first career home run this season, and he became the 87th player in the majors to do it in 2026.
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Reds Fans Just Got A New Reason To Debate Nick Krall
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That is why Nick Kralls name keeps coming back into the conversation in Cincinnati. Promoted in 2023, the Reds president of baseball operations has not met performance expectations, and a disappointing 2026 season has only sharpened the scrutiny around the job. The Astros decision offers a clean comparison point, and it leaves open a question Reds fans know well: how much patience is left before the organization decides its own leadership needs a change? [Read more 🡒]