Emilio Pagán picks up victory against Pirates

Pagan was utilized in the top half of the ninth inning with the score tied at 2-2. He did surrender a two-out single to Jhostynxon Garcia, but followed that with a strikeout of Jake Mangum to end the inning. Pagan then became the beneficiary when the Reds walked it off in the home half of the inning. He now sports a 4.84 ERA, 1.21 WHIP and a 25/8 K/BB ratio over 22 1/3 innings on the season while converting 11 of his 14 save chances.

Barely. With two outs and a man on second, Petey Halpin hit one to the wall in right center. It looked like right fielder Noelvi Marte’s ball to attempt to catch, but center fielder Dane Myers came flying in at the last second and caught it while crashing into the wall (and, for the first time in his career, without suffering a scary injury in the process). Pagan moved to 5-for-5 in save chance since coming off the IL. He seems like a trade candidate, but he’d be more attractive if he didn’t have a $10 million player option for next season.

The 35-year-old stopper was exceptional in this one, needing just 11 pitches (10 strikes) to retire the Cardinals in order — including strikeouts of Ivan Herrera and Lars Nootbaar. It has been a mixed bag of results in an injury-plagued season for Pagan, who holds a 5.31 ERA, 1.23 WHIP and a 21/8 K/BB ratio across 20 1/3 innings on the season while converting 10 of his first 13 save chances.

Pagán has gone 3-for-3 in save chances since returning from his hamstring strain. He could be a trade candidate with the Reds likely to sell at the deadline, but his $10 million player option for 2027 figures to scare away some potential suitors.

Pagán was summoned in the bottom of the ninth to close out the game against the Mariners with a two-run lead. He tossed a scoreless inning, striking out the final batter to lock down his eighth save with a 5.89 ERA, 1.36 WHIP, and 19 strikeouts over 18 1/3 innings.

Pagán returns to Cincinnati’s bullpen as their primary closing option prior to Tuesday’s game against the Brewers. The 35-year-old veteran stopper has been out since early May working his way back from a hamstring strain. He should be rostered in all fantasy leagues based on his track record and minimal in-house competition with the Reds.

Pagán wrapped up a minor league rehab assignment over the weekend and will regain his role as Cincinnati’s closer. The 35-year-old veteran stopper has been out since early May working his way back from a hamstring strain. He should be rostered in all fantasy leagues based on his track record and minimal in-house competition with the Reds.

The Reds could certainly use Pagán back to shore up the back-end of their bullpen with Tony Santillan hitting the injured list with an oblique strain prior to Friday’s series opener against the Pirates. The 35-year-old veteran stopper’s return to Cincinnati’s relief corps feels imminent and he should be rostered in any fantasy leagues where he somehow ended up on the waiver wire after suffering a hamstring strain back in early May.

Pagán checked out fine from a physical standpoint after facing hitters in a 25-pitch live batting practice session on Monday and will kick off a rehab assignment later this week. The 35-year-old veteran stopper has been on the shelf recovering from a left hamstring strain since early May. He’s on track to return to closing games for Cincinnati before the end of June, which would push Tony Santillan back to a setup role.

Reds’ manager Terry Francona told reporters on Sunday that Pagán had a follow-up MRI that came back clean. He threw a side session without issues on Saturday and will repeat the process on Tuesday before progressing to the live session. The next step after that would likely be a couple of tune-ups in a minor league game. It’s possible that if everything goes according to plan, he could return to the Reds’ bullpen before the end of June.