The Reds have spent much of this season trying to steady a bullpen that has swung wildly from one extreme to the other. In April, Cincinnati’s relief corps was the best in Major League Baseball.
By the stretch from May through the All-Star break, it had become the worst in the sport. Right now, the club says it has only two relievers it trusts, and one of them has been locked in during August.
That arm belongs to Mey, who came back up from Triple-A Louisville on August 5 after posting a 3.00 ERA in 13 2/3 innings there. The strikeouts and damage prevention were there, but so were the walks - 12 of them - even as opponents managed only a .200 average against him.
Since rejoining the Reds, though, he has looked like a different pitcher. In 8 2/3 innings, he has not given up a run and has issued just one walk.
Reds manager Terry Francona sounded genuinely impressed when he discussed the right-hander on MLB Network Radio on Tuesday.
"What they did in Triple-A was they started him," Francona said, "so he could pitch a little bit and not just come out of the bullpen and throw as hard as he can for one inning. I really think that helped.
The command of his fastball is vastly improving. Yesterday, he threw some 98, 99’s that looked like bowling balls.
When you've got that much movement and you're throwing strikes, it can get pretty special."
Francona also pointed to the importance of Mey learning how to repeat his delivery.
"Backing it up in our game is huge," Francona said. “He’s started to do that now three, four times. If this stays here, we're going to be really thrilled."
That kind of praise marks a real turnaround from where Mey stood earlier this season. He did not break camp with the active roster because his command was off and opponents hit .324 against him.
The Reds optioned him to Triple-A, then recalled him on April 29. That outing lasted two innings, and the only hit he allowed was a home run.
He found some footing in May, giving up five hits in 6 1/3 innings, but the walks never stopped - at least one in every appearance, six total for the month.
Cincinnati sent him back down on May 17, brought him up again on June 2, then optioned him once more on June 7. He spent the next month working in Triple-A before returning in August.
The raw stuff has never been the question. Mey threw the fastest pitch ever recorded in the Reds’ High-A affiliate’s ballpark history, reaching 103 miles per hour in 2024.
That same offseason, Cincinnati protected him from the Rule 5 draft by adding him to the 40-man roster. He made his major league debut on May 1, 2025, striking out a batter in a clean inning without allowing a hit or a walk.
Over his first 11 appearances, he allowed only two runs.
For all the heat on the radar gun, the issue has always come back to command. That has limited his ability to stick in the majors so far.
But if this current run holds, the Reds could start using him in higher-leverage spots. And if he handles those chances, he could enter Spring Training next season as a real closer candidate.
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Instead, the situation has only deepened the Reds winter dilemma. Friedl is no longer a simple lineup puzzle, because the organization has younger outfielders pushing for chances and more flexibility if it decides to move on from him, which means his place on the roster is suddenly tied to a much bigger offseason decision than anyone would have imagined a year ago. [Read more 🡒]