The Reds have activated reliever Caleb Ferguson from the 15-day injured list, according to Charlie Goldsmith of Charlie’s Chalkboard. Zach Maxwell is being recalled from Triple-A. Connor Phillips and Jose Franco are being optioned in corresponding moves.

Ferguson signed with the Reds on a one-year, $4.5MM deal back in December. He has not yet appeared in 2026, instead beginning the year on the IL with an oblique muscle strain. That was Ferguson’s first IL placement since 2022, so the Reds are likely confident he can return as the durable groundball specialist that he was from 2023-25.

Ferguson had a 3.85 ERA in an even 180 innings in that span, which he split between five teams. His ERA peaked at 4.64 in 2024, although that came with a .340 opponents’ average on balls in play, suggesting Ferguson was due for regression. Indeed, Ferguson lowered his ERA to 3.58 in 2025, albeit with interesting trends in his peripherals. After striking out 26.9% of opponents in 2024, that fell to 18.9% in 2025, well below the league average. On the flip side, Ferguson upped his groundball rate to 48.7% and did very well at keeping the ball in the yard, allowing just two long balls in 65 1/3 innings.

Ferguson’s velocity didn’t change all that much from 2024-25. That said, the lefty decreased his four-seam usage by 11.7% in favor of his sinker, which Ferguson now used 23.2% of the time. That could partly explain the uptick in groundballs, although the drop in strikeouts was more puzzling given Ferguson’s similar velocity to 2024. Coming off his injury, the Reds can probably expect an ERA in the mid- to upper-3.00’s and an above-average groundball rate from Ferguson, ideally with some recovery of the strikeouts. That would be a huge boost to a bullpen whose 4.98 ERA is third-worst in the Majors, behind only the Angels and Astros.

Maxwell returns from Triple-A Louisville after last appearing in the Majors on May 1st. That wasn’t a good day for him, as Maxwell allowed four earned runs on two homers in a single frame of work. A sixth-round draft pick by Cincy in 2022, Maxwell has only thrown 11 innings in the Majors since debuting last year. He has a 7.36 ERA in that small sample. Maxwell’s minor league work is somewhat more promising. He had a 4.17 ERA in 49 2/3 Triple-A innings last year, which he’s decreased to 3.50 so far in 2026. That said, Maxwell has walked over 14% of hitters since reaching the upper minors in 2024.

The promotion is less about rewarding Maxwell and more about giving Phillips a reset at Triple-A. Manager Terry Francona said of Phillips: “He’s just not throwing enough strikes… He can spin it. But until he starts throwing the ball where he wants to, it can be a struggle.” That’s an accurate assessment of Phillips’ performance in 2026. Despite possessing 95th-percentile fastball velocity, Phillips has failed to capitalize by throwing strikes. His 20.5% walk rate is second-worst among qualified relievers this year and has played a big role in the righty’s 5.06 ERA.

Phillips is only 25 and has plenty of club control left, so he’ll surely get more chances in the future. The same is true of Franco, who now joins Phillips at Triple-A. Franco made the big league club out of spring training but has a 4.30 ERA in 14 2/3 innings so far. He has a troubling 16.4% walk rate in that small sample, although Franco was about five points lower in the upper minors last year. He’ll benefit from working on his control at Triple-A and could feasibly return to the Majors when fresh arms are needed.

Photo courtesy of Jayne Kamin-Oncea, Imagn Images