Brock Burke's revenge game highlights a deeper Reds' bullpen

ARLINGTON, Texas — In the top of the eighth inning on Sunday, after the Reds took a 2-1 lead, Brock Burke looked around the bullpen.

He anticipated that Emilio Pagán, Tony Santillan and Graham Ashcraft weren’t going to pitch because of how much they have been used recently. He saw that Connor Phillips was about to take the mound for the bottom of the eighth inning. Burke recognized that he was probably going to end up with the ball in the ninth inning for a shot at his first career save. He’d be getting that opportunity against the Rangers team that he spent most of his big league career with but then released him in 2024.

“I was like, ‘This is it,’” Burke said. “This is what you’ve been waiting for for your whole career.”

Burke debuted with the Rangers in 2019. In 2022, he was one of the best relievers in MLB. In 2024, he got released by Texas, which became a turning point for him. He has been a consistent, valuable reliever over the last two years. Sunday was his chance to prove the Rangers wrong.

Burke looked terrific, hitting 99.7 mph and striking out the side to earn his first save in the big leagues.

“I had some extra energy,” Burke said. “You want to prove them wrong after whatever they did to you. To do that against them for my first save, on Easter, that’s almost a movie.”

It’s not the most exciting topic in the offseason, but the Reds spent November, December and January reinforcing their middle relief core. While everyone waited for the Reds to get that impact bat, the team brought back Pagán, signed Caleb Ferguson and Pierce Johnson and traded Gavin Lux for Burke in a three-team trade.

In 2025, the Reds’ middle relief core was thin. There were times where rookies were called up from Triple-A and thrown into high-leverage duty in a week. The team spent most of the season looking to see if any of the middle relievers could consistently get left-handed hitters out.

Terry Francona ended up asking for as much as possible out of Pagán and Tony Santillan, which was a reflection of the depth around them. All year, there was only one time where a Reds reliever other than Pagán or Santillan recorded a traditional ninth inning save (a game that Scott Barlow finished against the Angels in August).

This year, the Reds already have two wins where a middle reliever got the save. Connor Phillips accomplished that last week, and Burke had his turn on Sunday.

It’s a sign that the Reds have more depth this year.

“It really helps a ballclub when you win and everybody contributes,” Francona said. “It’s nice when Pagán and Santillan and Ashcraft are available. Those other guys, they stepped up. It’ll help us down the road.”

While Pagán and Santillan are still pitching into their velocity following abbreviated spring training and aren’t quite firing on all cylinders yet, they both were very effective in wins over the Rangers on Friday and Saturday. Ashcraft has picked it up a notch this year, showcasing improved velocity and command.

Behind them on the depth chart, the Reds have pitchers in Johnson and Burke who have been impact setup relievers in recent years and have good, consistent track records in MLB. Phillips has to cut down on the walks, but the upside is immense. Sam Moll is on a roll.

Chase Burns gave the Reds six-plus innings of one-run baseball on Sunday. After that, Johnson, Moll, Phillips and Burke didn’t allow a run the rest of the way.

“The depth, the talent, nobody is not big enough for that moment,” Johnson said. “Everyone can have success. Phillips has been lights out for us. His stuff is incredible. Burke, that was so fun to see today. That’s a really, really cool thing.”

Moll is one of the best stories on the team right now. The Reds signed Ferguson to be their left-handed specialist, but then there was an open spot after he suffered an oblique injury in camp. Moll won the roster battle for the final relief spot on the Reds’ pitching staff. He’s out of options, and he would have gone on waivers if he hadn’t made the team.

The Reds are thrilled to have him on the roster right now.

“When Sammy is Sammy, and he has been, he’s one of the best,” Francona said. “He got out of sorts a bit last year. You can tell by the way we’re using him that we feel pretty good about using him”

Shoulder issues have been a part of Moll’s Reds’ career. An inconsistent arm slot prevented him from spinning the ball the way he can.

But when he’s rolling, we’ve seen Moll shut down elite left-handed hitters like Shohei Ohtani.

He’s in a groove now. On Sunday, Moll stranded two runners in scoring position by striking out left-handed leadoff hitter Brandon Nimmo.

“It’s deceptive,” Johnson said. “It’s funky. Nothing is straight. I love it.”

Even after Phillips allowed a double and a walk in the eighth, Francona stuck with him. Phillips got out of the jam.

Then in the ninth, it was Burke’s shot at redemption. He was clearly amped up. He became the fourth lefty reliever in all of baseball this year to hit 99 mph on the radar gun, joining All-Stars Aroldis Chapman and Adrian Morejon, as well as electric Pirates youngster Mason Montgomery.

“Brock was throwing absolute (gas) today,” Johnson said. “He’s a left-hander throwing in the upper-90s and filling the zone. He came in for the three hardest outs of the game and did it with ease.”