Connor Phillips Has a New Role and Renewed Confidence Going Into Cincinnati Reds Spring Training
CINCINNATI -- There are a lot of players on this year's Reds team that enter the season with uncertain expectations. Connor Phillips is a player who's still relatively thin on experience. Even though he first broke into the Major Leagues in 2023, he hasn't pitched a lot at that level.
and he'll have tough competition in a deep bullpen the Reds added to in free agency this past offseason.Sep 13, 2025; West Sacramento, California, USA; Cincinnati Reds pitcher Connor Phillips throws a pitch against the Athletics during the third inning at Sutter Health Park. Mandatory Credit: Dennis Lee-Imagn Images | Dennis Lee-Imagn Images Phillips made a big splash in 2025, coming out of the bullpen in high-leverage games down the stretch. Phillips was 4-0 in 17 appearances with a 1.80 ERA, eight walks and 28 strikeouts over his final 20 innings. Coming up to the Big League club in September of 2023, Phillips made five starts and went 1-1 with a 6.97 ERA. Phillips struck out 26 and walked 13 batters. His best start was a seven-inning performance against the Minnesota Twins. “For me, it’s just a lot of confidence from knowing I can go out there and be an extremely good piece for this bullpen,"The 24-year-old right-hander didn't make the Reds Major League roster in 2024, and then in Spring Training of 2025 things took a bigger turn when he was diagnosed with thoracic outlet syndrome . He had nerves and blood vessels compressed between his clavicle and rib cage. Rather than have surgery to remove the first rib near the right shoulder, Phillips underwent Botox injections near his neck and shoulder.. "There’s times when I go out there and my hands or fingers feel really fat. That’s just a blood flow thing. As long as I stay on top of it, then I feel pretty good for the majority of the time. Here and there, it’s like, ‘Hey, this feels terrible.’" That's when Phillips was converted to a reliever. The results have been impressive, brightening his future in Cincinnati. Phillips will look to make the Reds big-league roster this season. A roster that will include a deeper bullpen. New faces include Caleb Ferguson, Brock Burke and Pierce Johnson all acquired in free agency. Emilio Pagán, Tony Santillan, and Graham Ashcraft are all back to lock down the late innings.Alex Frank brings his passion for Reds Baseball and sports media to Reds On SI. With a commitment to original, detailed and accurate reporting and inside, Alex keeps Reds fans informed with the latest breaking news and other information fans need to know about their favorite team. Alex has years of experience, covering the NFL, NCAA and more for a plethora of outlets including SB Nation, CLNS Media, Associated Press, The Wright Way Sports Network, Chatterbox Sports and The Front Office News. While a student at the University of Cincinnati, Alex served as Bearcast Media's Sports Director for three years while hosting weekly talk shows and podcasts and broadcasting Bearcats Football and Men's Basketball games.
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