Pagan (hamstring) collected his sixth save of the season Friday in the Reds' 2-1 win over the Twins, striking out one batter in a scoreless ninth inning.
Pagan injured his hamstring in his last outing against the Giants on Tuesday, but he was cleared to come out of the bullpen Friday to protect the Reds' one-run lead in the ninth. He needed just 13 pitches (eight strikes) to get through the frame for his sixth save of the season, which is tied with Mason Miller and Paul Sewald for most in the National League. It was a good sign to see Pagan back on the mound, but his usage over the weekend will be worth monitoring.
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Reds' Emilio Pagan: Availability on Wednesday TBD
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Pagan (hamstring) played catch and "felt pretty good," but his availability for Wednesday's game against the Giants has yet to be determined, Charlie Goldsmith of Fox 19 Now Cincinnati reports.
Pagan's hamstring tightened up throughout his relief appearance in Tuesday's 2-1 win, and he felt it grab on his final pitch. However, after seeing the doctor and receiving treatment, he feels as though he's "dodged a bullet" with the injury. Pagan will talk with the Reds staff prior to Wednesday's contest before it's determined whether he will be available to pitch. Consider him day-to-day for the time being. If Pagan isn't cleared to pitch, Tony Santillan would likely be the first choice to fill in at closer.
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Reds' Emilio Pagan: Tweaks hamstring Tuesday
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Pagan struck out a batter in a perfect ninth inning Tuesday to record his fifth save of the season in a 2-1 win over the Giants, but he appeared to injure his hamstring on his final pitch, Mark Sheldon of MLB.com reports. "His hammy grabbed a little bit. So we need to check him out. He's getting looked at right now," Reds manager Terry Francona said after the game.
The 34-year-old right-hander had appeared to right the ship after a bumpy start to the season, but the injury could set him back. Pagan blew his first save chance of 2026 and got tagged for five runs and two home runs in his first three appearances, but since then he's converted five straight saves and reeled off six straight scoreless outings, albeit with a 5:5 K:BB in his last six innings. If Pagan winds up missing time, Tony Santillan would likely be the next man up for Cincinnati in the ninth inning.
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Reds' Emilio Pagan: Picks up win against Miami
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Pagan (1-0) earned the win Tuesday against the Marlins, allowing two walks with two strikeouts in a scoreless ninth inning.
Pagan came on in the bottom of the ninth in a 2-2 game and kept it tied to send it to a 10th frame. The Reds scored four in the next half inning and went on to win by three. Pagan leads the league in appearances (seven) and saves (four) and has lowered his ERA to 6.14 with four straight scoreless outings.
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Reds' Emilio Pagan: Grabs fourth save
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Pagan earned the save Monday against the Marlins, tossing a perfect ninth inning.
Entering the ninth inning with a two-run lead, Pagan needed just 13 pitches to secure the save, turning in a clean and efficient frame. The 34-year-old has now converted four of his five save opportunities this season, though his 7.11 ERA remains inflated from a rough outing against Pittsburgh last Wednesday. Since then, Pagan's bounced back well, allowing just one hit while striking out two in three appearances.
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Reds' Emilio Pagan: Picks up third save Saturday
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Pagan collected his third save in Saturday's 2-0 win over the Rangers, allowing one hit and two walks with one strikeout in a scoreless ninth inning.
Pagan walked Jake Burger to lead off the inning but got Joc Pederson to ground into a double play. The right-hander then got back into trouble by allowing another walk and a single, but he struck out Evan Carter to end the threat. Pagan has converted three of four saves chances this year, but his outings have been adventurous thus far, as he owns an 8.44 ERA and 6:3 K:BB across 5.1 innings.
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Reds' Emilio Pagan: Converts second save
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Pagan earned the save in Friday's 5-3 win over the Rangers, striking out one in a perfect ninth inning.
Pagan was called upon to protect a two-run lead in the ninth and did so on just 13 pitches. It marked the 34-year-old's first clean frame of the season and was a much-needed rebound after he allowed four runs in a non-save situation Wednesday. He's now 2-for-3 in save chances while allowing five earned runs through 4.1 innings.
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Reds' Emilio Pagan: Unavailable for Monday's save
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Pagan was one of three relief pitchers unavailable in Monday's 2-0 win over the Pirates, per Mark Sheldon of MLB.com.
With the game on the line, Cincinnati manager Terry Francona turned to Connor Phillips, who walked the first two batters before converting the save. Pagan should be available if a closer is needed Tuesday.
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Reds' Emilio Pagan: Earns first save
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Pagan earned the save in Sunday's 3-2 win over the Red Sox, allowing one hit and one walk in a scoreless ninth inning. He did not record a strikeout.
Pagan was summoned to protect a one-run lead in the ninth and worked around a one-out double to slam the door. It was an encouraging rebound after he allowed a homer and blew his first save chance Saturday. The 34-year-old could be unavailable Monday after throwing 34 high-leverage pitches over the past two days.
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Reds' Emilio Pagan: Light use early
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Pagan and teammate Tony Santillan will likely see less work in spring training games this year, especially early in the spring, Charlie Goldsmith of The Dayton Daily News reports. "We'll slow play them a little," pitching coach Derek Johnson said. "We need to give them a bit of time on the front end to build and maybe not be in games right away.
Pagan and Santillan were heavily used by the Reds last season, particularly down the stretch as the team tried to make the playoffs. The Reds did acquire Caleb Ferguson, Pierce Johnson and Brock Burke this offseason to help lighten the load on the two returning high-leverage arms.
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Reds' Emilio Pagan: Back with Reds
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Pagan signed a two-year, $20 million contract with the Reds on Wednesday, Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reports.
Pagan thrived as the Reds' primary closer this past season, posting a 2.88 ERA and 0.92 WHIP alongside an 81:22 K:BB across 68.2 innings while converting a career-high 32 saves during the regular season. Assuming the Reds don't make another move for a high-leverage reliever, the 31-year-old righty will presumably maintain his hold on ninth-inning duties for Cincinnati.
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Reds' Emilio Pagan: Secures 32nd save
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Pagan earned the save in Saturday's 7-4 win over the Brewers, striking out one in a perfect ninth inning.
Pagan was summoned for the fourth straight day and needed just 13 pitches to close out the ninth. The 34-year-old has now converted saves in three consecutive outings and hasn't allowed a run in his past 10 appearances. For the season, he's 32-for-38 in save chances with a 2.88 ERA, 0.92 WHIP and 81:22 K:BB across 68.2 innings.
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Reds' Emilio Pagan: Notches 30th save
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Pagan turned in a perfect ninth inning in Thursday's 2-1 win over the Pirates to earn his 30th save.
Thanks to Noelvi Marte's home-run robbery in the ninth inning, Pagan has now converted his last four save chances while holding opponents scoreless in his last eight innings -- he's allowed just four hits while striking out eight in that span. The veteran right-hander sports a 2.97 ERA with a 0.95 WHIP and 79 strikeouts across 66.2 innings this season.
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Reds' Emilio Pagan: Secures 28th save
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Pagan gave up a hit in a scoreless ninth inning Friday to record his 28th save of the season in a 7-4 win over the Cubs.
The 34-year-old right-hander has already set a new career high in saves, but with eight games left on the Reds' schedule, Pagan's got a shot at his first 30-save campaign. Opportunities have been hard to come by of late, however -- over the last month, he has a 3.18 ERA, 0.97 WHIP and 17:1 K:BB through 11.1 innings, but Pagan's managed just three saves in four chances.
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Reds' Emilio Pagan: Another blown save vs. Milwaukee
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Pagan blew his save opportunity against the Brewers on Sunday by yielding a walk and a two-run homer in one inning of work.
Pagan was brought out for the ninth inning to secure the Reds' one-run lead. Things started out poorly after he issued a four-pitch walk to Anthony Seigler, and things went from bad to worse two batters later, when Pagan's first pitch to William Contreras was smashed to left-center field to give the Brewers the lead. It was the second game in a row that Pagan has blown his save chance, and he has given up five runs (four earned) on three hits and five walks while striking out five across six innings since the beginning of August.
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Reds' Emilio Pagan: Notches 25th save
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Pagan earned the save in Saturday' 2-1 win over the Pirates, allowing one walk in a scoreless ninth inning. He did not record a strikeout.
Pagan was summoned to protect a one-run lead in the ninth and worked around a leadoff walk to close it out. The 34-year-old has converted eight straight save chances since June 22, holding opponents scoreless in 14 of 18 appearances during that span. For the season, he's 25-for-28 in save opportunities with a 2.92 ERA, 0.91 WHIP and 57:17 K:BB across 49.1 innings.
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Reds' Emilio Pagan: Escapes with 23rd save
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Pagan gave up two runs on two hits and a walk in the ninth inning Friday to record his 23rd save of the season in a 3-2 win over Atlanta. He struck out one.
The veteran righty almost blew a three-run lead, allowing the first three batters to reach base and watching two of them come around to score before Pagan got Jurickson Profar to ground out and end the game. Pagan has been tagged for four runs (three earned) over his last three appearances, his worst stretch since mid-May, but on the season he still sports a 3.04 ERA, 0.93 WHIP and 55:16 K:BB through 47.1 innings while converting 23 of his 26 save chances.
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Reds' Emilio Pagan: Locks down 20th save
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Pagan picked up the save Sunday, striking out one in a perfect ninth inning to close out the 4-2 win over the Rockies.
Pagan made quick work of Colorado in the final frame, needing only 14 pitches to retire the side in order and lock down his 20th save of the season. The veteran right-hander has now converted 20 of 23 save chances and has been especially effective lately, allowing only two earned runs over his last 15 appearances. Pagan continues to provide stability for Cincinnati while keeping his role as the team's preferred closer firmly intact.
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Reds' Emilio Pagan: Secures 19th save
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Pagan earned the save in Friday's 9-6 win over the Phillies, allowing one hit without recording a walk or a strikeout in a scoreless ninth inning.
Pagan was summoned to protect a three-run lead in the ninth inning and did so on 16 pitches. It was the 34-year-old's first save since June 22, but he's now allowed only one earned run over his past 12 outings. On the season, he's 19-for-22 in save chances with a 2.92 ERA, 0.86 WHIP and 45:12 K:BB across 37 innings.
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Reds' Emilio Pagan: Earns save Sunday
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Pagan tossed a perfect inning to convert a save against St. Louis on Sunday.
Pagan entered a 4-1 contest and retired the Cardinals' 3-4-5 batters in order to finish off the win. He struck out four batters in a blown save Saturday but was immediately thrown back into the ninth inning Sunday. Pagan has converted 18 of 21 save chances this season while registering a 3.27 ERA and a 42:11 K:BB.
