Following the injury, the Reds’ coaching staff decided to move the 24-year-old to the bullpen. Now down the stretch, he’s a dynamic piece in the late-game puzzle for manager Terry Francona. On Monday, Phillips pitched a scoreless eighth inning and picked up the win as the Reds beat the St. Louis Cardinals. Phillips hasn’t allowed a run over his last five appearances.
“Electric stuff plays in high-octane moments,” veteran reliever Brent Suter said. “The swing and miss stuff plays. It’s been a joy to watch him develop. I can’t wait to see what the future holds.”
Phillips is contributing in meaningful games down the stretch for the Reds for the second time in three seasons. He has gone on a trying journey over the last few years.
He debuted in 2023 for a Reds team that saw its veteran pitching depth get decimated. Phillips made his big league debut in September as a starting pitcher for a Reds team that was fighting in the Wild Card race, and he made a good impression in his first few weeks. But then in the game where the Reds got eliminated, he allowed three runs and didn’t record an out in his final start of 2023.
Phillips didn’t return to the big leagues in 2024 as he lost his command. He posted a 8.01 ERA in Triple-A.
Now, Phillips looks like the guy who was one of the Reds’ top pitching prospects in 2023.
“The fastball carry is back,” Phillips said. “Everything has gotten harder for me, and the stuff has stayed pretty much the same. The slider and curveball have gotten better. It’s very easy for me with the fastball command, if I’m not dotting it where I want to, go to the slider and the curveball.”
To simplify his approach, Phillips decided to exclusively pitch out of the stretch this season. That’s helped him keep his command more consistent. “I’m keeping the focus on being able to pitch and not a whole lot of movement up there,” Phillips said. “I’m keeping it simple.”
He’s also doing a much better job of adjusting on the fly in games where his command doesn’t click for him right away. Phillips is in a much better place than he was in last year.
“I had a lot of work to do and a lot of things to fix,” Phillips said. “I’m a pretty confident person. But I’d be lying if I said at some point there wasn’t doubt that crept in. I struggled. I fought through it.”
When Graham Ashcraft and Chase Burns were on the injured list for some meaningful games in early September and with Sam Moll now in Triple-A, there was a wide open lane for a pitcher to step forward.
Phillips as well as rookie Zach Maxwell are filling that role well so far, and Maxwell threw a scoreless seventh in the Sept. 9 win in San Diego with Phillips following him in the eighth inning. The veterans in the Reds’ bullpen are impressed by what they’re seeing from the young guys.
“You can’t let the moment get too big and let that get you sped up,” Suter said. “Just make pitches. Breathe. It’s just a matter of trusting your stuff and being the same guy every pitch.”
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