The Reds announced that they have designated right-hander Kevin Gregg for assignment. Right-hander Pedro Villarreal has been recalled from Triple-A Louisville to fill his spot in the bullpen.
The 36-year-old Gregg made Cincinnati’s bullpen out of Spring Training after signing a minor league deal this offseason, but he’s struggled all season long. Gregg has appeared in 11 contests for Cincinnati and allowed runs in eight of them, the end result of which is a grisly 10.13 ERA.
Gregg has missed plenty of bats with the Reds, whiffing 14 batters against five walks in his 10 2/3 frames, and he’s also averaged 91 mph on his heater — his best since 2012. His struggles have contributed to a team-wide problem for the Reds. Cincinnati has a collective 5.56 bullpen ERA that ranks dead last in the Majors, with the Rockies’ 5.20 mark representing a relatively distant second-worst.