Tony Santillan is picking up where he left off

During spring training last year, Reds reliever Tony Santillan was ready to be a setup reliever. But in 2024, Santillan didn’t even make it to the big leagues until the middle of July.

He was lights out in the spring, and he was clearly one of the Reds’ best relievers. But Cincinnati had a lot of bullpen depth at the time, and the relievers who were on the roster bubble didn’t have any minor league options. Santillan was stuck in a numbers game, and he didn’t make the team.

Santillan bided his time in Triple-A for half of the season. All the while, anyone who had seen him pitch knew how much of an impact he’d be making in the big leagues.

He got the call-up in July and was terrific for the Reds during the second half of the season.

“There’s a little less pressure this year,” Santillan said. “It’s very obvious. At the same time, I have to challenge myself every day to be better.”

Santillan is one of the best stories on the Reds.

He debuted in 2021 and posted a 2.36 ERA in 22 appearances out of the bullpen. He started the 2022 season as the Reds’ closer and had the arrow of his career pointed way up. Then, a back issue developed into Spondylolisthesis, which prevented him from “functioning as a human” for months.

Injuries, including a knee strain and a hamstring strain, also went on to define his 2023 season. The Reds designated him for assignment in the middle of the year, and he agreed to a minor-league deal with the Reds entering 2024.

But by that point, Santillan was healthy again. And when Santillan is healthy, he has a track record of being an impact receiver.

“I was banged up for three years,” Santillan said. “I wasn’t able to tap into that full capability. I’ve shown that when I’m fully myself, good things happen.”

As good as Santillan looked, he had to wait his turn last season until a spot opened up on the 26-man roster. It was a bit unfair because knew that Santillan would be helping the Reds win games at the big league level. The Reds were impressed with how he stayed focused, and Santillan was pretty dominant for the first half of last year in Triple-A.

He got his chance in the big leagues when Graham Ashcraft suffered an elbow strain and Nick Martinez moved back into the rotation. Santillan went on to post a 3.00 ERA in 30 innings for the Reds last season, and he spent most of the second half of the season as the team’s primary setup reliever behind Alexis Díaz.

“I knew I was going to do what I did,” Santillan said. “I had the full confidence in myself that it would all work out. I still didn’t make the team out of the spring. It was what it was. I put up some good numbers in Triple-A for a while, and it was what it was. I did my best to control what I could. At the end of the day, an opportunity was going to come up whether it was here or somewhere else. I didn’t let all of that impact my stuff on the field.”

Two games where Santillan allowed three runs inflated his ERA. Across his other 28 appearances, he only allowed four total runs.

The highlight of his season took place in late August against the Brewers. He entered the game in the seventh inning, faced six batters and struck out five of them across 1 ⅔ innings.

Santillan is a true power pitcher who can overwhelm hitters with his velocity combined with a short slider. He posted an elite strikeout rate last year and was pretty unflappable in high-leverage moments.

Santillan’s velocity gives him a different look compared to other potential setup relievers on the team like Emilio Pagán, Sam Moll and Scott Barlow.

Santillan knows where he stands on the bullpen depth chart this spring. He’ll get his first chance at a complete season in the big leagues.

“Once I got got the call up last year, it was about proving that I belong,” Santillan said. “The next step was proving I could win us some games in the back innings. I accomplished my overall goals on the year. Now, it’s about doing that for many years now.”