Tejay Antone

Antone was on the verge of a breakout in 2021 before persistent elbow issues and a right forearm strain required Tommy John surgery. The 29-year-old missed the entire 2022 season, but mentioned during a late November interview that he's on schedule to be ready for spring training. Antone still has some hurdles to clear, but will report early to Goodyear to complete the final phase of his rehab. If cleared, one thing to monitor throughout spring is the velocity on his sinker. Antone typically sat between 95-97 mph in 2021 and was reportedly 93-95 mph towards the end of last season. If his curveball and slider are still effective, Antone could quickly regain ace reliever status, but don't expect an abundance of high leverage opportunities early in the season.

Antone underwent Tommy John surgery in late August and presumably will miss all of the 2022 season. He was on the verge of a breakout season, but multiple trips to the IL failed to solve his elbow woes, so he and the Reds ultimately opted for surgery. The big question is whether he'll attempt to return as a starter or in the ace reliever he briefly occupied in 2021?

A fifth-round pick in 2014, Antone was an unheralded prospect but suddenly became the talk of Reds spring training before it was paused. After sitting high-80s/low-90s in 2019, Antone was dialing it up to the high-90s and sitting 95-96 mph, which he credited to offseason weighted-ball training. Cincinnati brought Antone up the first weekend of the season and the right-hander rode that increased velocity and elite spin to a 2.80 ERA and 20.6 K-BB% over 13 appearances (four starts) during the regular season. He gets good sinking movement and keeps the ball on the ground, which is especially important in Great American Ball Park. Further, Antone has a second breaking pitch with distinctive shape to it, helping offset the lack of a true offspeed pitch. The Reds are trimming payroll and Antone looks no worse than fifth or sixth on the depth chart for starts anyway.