Cincinnati isn't a layup, though. The Reds are 5-2 over their last 7 after a brutal stretch where they dropped 13 of 17, and they just took 2 of 3 in Queens before flying home. The problem is the guy on the bump tonight. Paddack got DFA'd by Miami on May 5 and Cincinnati picked him up out of need — Hunter Greene is still on the 60-day IL with the elbow, and Rhett Lowder is only just starting a rehab assignment in Louisville.
- Day-To-DayBlake Burkhalter (RP) — Triple-A Gwinnett placed Burkhalter on the 7-day injured list March 27 with back spasms, Jonathan Mayo of MLB Pipeline reports.05/08
- 10-Day-ILDrake Baldwin (C) — Baldwin (oblique) doesn't yet have a timeline for his return, MLB.com reports.05/26
- 10-Day-ILKyle Farmer (DH) — Farmer went 1-for-3 with a double, a run scored and two RBI in Sunday's rout of the Guardians.05/18
- 10-Day-ILSean Murphy (C) — Manager Walk Weiss said Tuesday that Murphy (finger) is expected to be sidelined at least eight weeks, Grant McAuley of the Marietta Daily Journal reports.05/12
- suspensionJurickson Profar (LF) — Profar will miss the full 2026 season after the appeal of his 162-game PED suspension was denied Thursday, Jeff Passan of ESPN.com reports.05/08
- 60-Day-ILSpencer Schwellenbach (SP) — Schwellenbach (elbow) has begun throwing on flat ground, Chad Bishop of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports.05/26
- 60-Day-ILAJ Smith-Shawver (SP) — Manager Walt Weiss said Friday that Smith-Shawver (elbow) has been throwing bullpen sessions, and the next step in his rehab is to face live hitters, Grant McAuley of the Marietta Daily Journal reports.05/22
- 60-Day-ILHurston Waldrep (SP) — Atlanta manager Walt Weiss said May 13 that Waldrep (elbow) has felt fine since he began throwing bullpen sessions earlier in the month, Mark Bowman of MLB.com reports.05/21
- 60-Day-ILJoe Jimenez (RP) — Atlanta manager Walt Weiss revealed Wednesday that Jimenez underwent another surgery on his left knee 3-to-4 weeks ago, Grant McAuley of the Marietta Daily Journal reports.05/13
- 60-Day-ILDanny Young (RP) — Atlanta transferred Young (elbow) to the 60-day injured list Saturday.05/08
- 60-Day-ILJoey Wentz (RP) — Atlanta placed Wentz (knee) on the 60-day injured list Tuesday.05/08
- Day-To-DayConnor Burns (C) — no05/08
- Day-To-DayJosh Staumont (RP) — The Twins reinstated Staumont (calf) from the 15-day injured list Friday and optioned him to Triple-A St. Paul, Aaron Gleeman of The Athletic reports.05/08
- 10-Day-ILJose Trevino (C) — Trevino (hamstring) is scheduled to undergo an MRI on Friday, MLB.com reports.05/27
- 10-Day-ILKe'Bryan Hayes (3B) — Hayes is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Phillies.05/22
- 15-Day-ILRhett Lowder (SP) — Lowder (shoulder) will begin a rehab assignment with Triple-A Louisville on Tuesday, Charlie Goldsmith of Fox 19 Now Cincinnati reports.05/27
- 15-Day-ILEmilio Pagan (RP) — Pagan (hamstring) is scheduled to undergo an MRI on Friday to check on his healing, MLB.com reports.05/27
- OutCarson Spiers (SP) — The Reds re-signed Spiers (elbow) to a minor-league contract with an invitation to spring training Monday.05/08
- 60-Day-ILHunter Greene (SP) — Greene (elbow) threw a successful bullpen session Tuesday, Charlie Goldsmith of Fox 19 Now Cincinnati reports.05/26
- 60-Day-ILBrandon Williamson (SP) — The Reds transferred Williamson (shoulder) from the 15-day injured list to the 60-day IL on Wednesday.05/08
To Paddack's credit, he's actually been better in a Reds uniform — 4.50 ERA across his first two starts after posting a 7.63 in Miami — and he owns a 2.45 career ERA in 5 appearances against Atlanta, so there's a tiny tether to optimism. The bigger issue is the bullpen behind him: Emilio Pagan's hamstring landed him on the 15-day IL and Jose Trevino's hamstring took the backup catcher with him.
Atlanta's own injury list is uglier on paper — Sean Murphy is out at least 8 weeks with the finger, Spencer Schwellenbach and AJ Smith-Shawver are both on the 60-day, and Jurickson Profar is gone for the year on the PED suspension — but the lineup keeps cooking anyway. The total is 9.5, juiced slightly to the under (-114). Hard to bet against the team leading the sport in hits when they're facing a guy with a 6.86 ERA.