Ashcraft walked one and struck out two over a scoreless inning in Sunday's 3-1 loss to the Phillies.
Ashcraft, fresh off the injured list Friday, had a pair of scoreless outings over the weekend. Both appearances were in the seventh inning, as Ashcraft maintains a late-game role out of the Cincinnati bullpen. He has a 3.96 ERA and a 1.46 WHIP with 41 strikeouts and 15 walks across 36.1 innings.
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Reds' Graham Ashcraft: Reinstated Friday
Rotowire
The Reds activated Ashcraft (groin) from the 15-day injured list Friday.
The right-hander landed on the shelf in mid-June due to a groin strain and will rejoin the big-league bullpen without needing a minor-league rehab assignment. In his first season as a reliever, Ashcraft has a 4.19 ERA, 1.51 WHIP and 38:14 K:BB across 34.1 innings while recording nine holds.
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Reds' Graham Ashcraft: Throws Wednesday
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Ashcraft (groin) threw about 20 pitches in a live batting practice session Wednesday, Molly Burkhardt of MLB.com reports.
Ashcraft is closing in on a return following a couple of bullpen sessions over the weekend and then Wednesday's batting practice. The next step could be a brief rehab stint, or the Reds could opt to activate him, as the right-hander has completed the 15-day minimum on the IL.
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Reds' Graham Ashcraft: Activity picking up
Rotowire
Ashcraft (groin) threw a bullpen session Friday and is scheduled for another one Sunday, MLB.com reports.
If all goes well this weekend, Ashcraft will throw a simulated game Wednesday in Boston. The right-hander transitioned this season from starter to reliever, a role for which the organization feels he's suited, with mixed results. The Reds believe Ashcraft has the right makeup to close games, and there was some chatter back in spring training about him getting ninth-inning chances, but Emilio Pagan is currently thriving in that role for Cincinnati.
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Reds' Graham Ashcraft: Sent to IL with strained groin
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The Reds placed Ashcraft on the 15-day injured list Tuesday with a right groin strain.
Ashcraft has struggled lately, permitting 10 runs over his last 11.1 relief innings. He'll be eligible for activation July 1, but it's unclear whether he'll be ready to go on that date. Luis Mey is taking Ashcraft's spot on the roster and in the bullpen.
Ashcraft blew the save Thursday against Atlanta after allowing two runs and two hits and one walk in the ninth inning. He struck out one.
Closer Emilio Pagan worked each of Cincinnati's past two games, which opened the door for Ashcraft to receive his second save opportunity of the season. However, Ashcraft failed to convert in both instances, and he's given up six runs over his last seven outings after opening the season on a nine-inning scoreless streak. The right-hander owns a 2.95 ERA and 19:9 K:BB over 18.1 innings and should continue to see high-leverage work, but his shakier 1.36 WHIP could give manager Terry Francona some trepidation the next time he needs to choose an arm if/when Pagan is unavailable for a save situation.
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Reds' Graham Ashcraft: Throws three perfect innings
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Ashcraft (2-2) struck out four over three hitless and scoreless innings to earn the win over the Cardinals on Thursday.
A rain delay limited starter Andrew Abbott to four innings, prompting the need for Ashcraft to work multiple frames. Ashcraft retired all nine batters he faced, extending his streak to 13 straight batters that have failed to reach base against him, including eight retired via strikeout. He's handled the transition from starter to reliever with aplomb, posting a 0.57 ERA over 15.2 innings.
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Reds' Graham Ashcraft: Earns multi-inning hold
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Ashcraft allowed one hit and one walk while striking out two over two scoreless relief innings to earn a hold in Friday's 5-3 win over Pittsburgh.
Ashcraft provided the bridge in the seventh and eighth innings, setting up Emilio Pagan for the save and picking up his second straight multi-inning hold. Ashcraft has not allowed a run over six appearances (7.1 innings) this season. Reds manager Terry Francona has leaned on Pagan as the team's closer, as the manager navigates endgame situations without Alexis Diaz (hamstring). However, Ashcraft's move from starter to reliever has been a success thus far and could eventually earn him save chances.
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Reds' Graham Ashcraft: Throws scoreless eighth inning
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Ashcraft allowed two hits over a scoreless eighth inning in Saturday's 3-2 win over the Giants.
Ashcraft worked around traffic with the help of a double-play grounder to earn his first hold. Cincinnati's late-game deployments are under scrutiny after the club placed closer Alexis Diaz (hamstring) on the injured list, and Ian Gibaut blew a save Opening Day. Going back to Ashcraft's days as a starter, Reds coaches have mused about the right-hander's makeup being suited for the bullpen, including as a closer. On Saturday, he worked in a set-up role for Emilio Pagan. This is a not a situation where once Diaz is healthy, he'll automatically get the closer's role back. He had trouble throwing strikes in limited Cactus League usage, which did not please manager Terry Francona.
Ashcraft could be used as the closer if Alexis Diaz does not win the role coming out of spring training, Gordon Wittenmyer of the Cincinnati Enquirer reports. "I think we still have some work to do," Reds manager Terry Francona said. "We want to make sure [Diaz's] got his legs under him, with his delivery and everything. We know what he can do. We just want to make sure he's ready to do it."
Diaz hasn't pitched a clean inning during Cactus League play, which included a disastrous outing March 15 that prompted him to work on delivery issues with pitching coach Derek Johnson. The pitcher then had a command-challenged outing against minor leaguers Friday, which set off speculation that Diaz may not be the closer and could open the regular season in the minors. Going back to 2024, there's been chatter about Ashcraft having the makeup of a high-leverage reliever. After he competed for the rotation during spring training, Ashcraft was shifted to the bullpen last week and pitched three scoreless relief innings Thursday. "We've all kind of teetered on that idea and what it would look like," Johnson, the pitching coach, said about Ashcraft as a reliever. "Obviously, we haven't seen it so we don't know. But he could be kind of that really nice piece in the bullpen that we didn't have to go out and acquire." Diaz is expected to throw an inning in the Reds' Cactus League finale Sunday, which could provide an indication about who will work as the team's closer when the season kicks off Thursday against the Giants.
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Reds' Graham Ashcraft: Sharp in relief outing
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Ashcraft walked one and struck out two over three scoreless innings of relief in Thursday's spring game against Kansas City.
Ashcraft was sharp in his first outing since losing out on the fifth spot in the rotation. He went 1-2-3 against the top of the Royals order in the fifth inning then added a scoreless sixth (walk, double play) and seventh, facing the minimum number of batters. Earlier in the day, manager Terry Francona decided on Carson Spiers over Ashcraft for the final rotation spot while Andrew Abbott (shoulder) will build up in extended spring training and eventually replace Spiers.
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Reds' Graham Ashcraft: Shifted to bullpen
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Ashcraft will open the season in the Reds' bullpen, Gordon Wittenmyer of The Cincinnati Enquirer reports.
Ashcraft was stretched out this spring as a potential starting option, but he will begin the season in a bullpen role. It's possible he will still get a look as a starting pitcher again down the line, but Ashcraft's repertoire might be better suited for the bullpen, anyway.
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Reds' Graham Ashcraft: Struggles Friday
Rotowire
Ashcraft allowed three runs on three hits and four walks while striking out two over 2.2 innings in Friday's spring start against the White Sox.
Ashcraft allowed four of the first five batters to reach base before being pulled -- he re-entered in the second inning -- and it was a grind in his fifth Cactus League start. With news that Andrew Abbott had an encouraging controlled start in a minor-league game earlier this week, Ashcraft's bid to win a spot in the rotation may have taken a hit. If Abbott can't get ready for the start of the regular season, Ashcraft could take a turn or two in April.
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Reds' Graham Ashcraft: Overcomes early stumble
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Ashcraft allowed one run on three hits and one walk while striking out five over four innings in Sunday's spring start against the Angels.
Ashcraft was greeted by back-to-back doubles to open his fourth Cactus League start but settled in after that. Following the two doubles, he retired seven straight, worked around a couple of base runners in the third inning, then set down the side in order in the fourth. The right-hander then went to the bullpen to throw another 10 pitches, upping his total for the day to 75. With Andrew Abbott (shoulder) getting ready for his spring debut this week and unlikely to be ready for Opening Day, it looks like Ashcraft may open the regular season in the Reds' rotation.
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Reds' Graham Ashcraft: Mixed results third time out
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Ashcraft allowed five runs on eight hits and one walk with two strikeouts over 2.2 innings in Tuesday's split-squad start against the Rockies.
Both Ashcraft and manager Terry Francona believed the outing was better than the results indicate, Mark Feinsand of MLB.com reports. "I thought in the first inning, he was really good," Francona said after the game. "The entire time, the ball came out of his hand really well." All five runs came home in the second inning, when a couple of soft-hit singles and a dribbler down the line contributed to the rally. There was also some loud contact in there, but that he sandwiched two scoreless innings around one unlucky one was a positive. This was Ashcraft's third Cactus League start, and the right-hander bumped his pitch count to 59 (37 strikes).
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Reds' Graham Ashcraft: Makes second spring start
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Ashcraft allowed one run on one hit and two walks while striking out three over two-plus innings in Thursday's spring start against the Diamondbacks.
Ashcraft, who was making his second Cactus League start, retired the side in order in the first inning before running into trouble in the second. A couple of errors, including his own, and a walk led to a one-out, bases-loaded situation, but the right-hander escaped unscathed. After a leadoff double and a walk in the third inning, Ashcraft was pulled after 43 pitches (22 strikes). He told Mark Feinsand of MLB.com that he was pleased with his slider, which had a good shape and landed in the zone, and felt good to get out of the second-inning jam.
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Reds' Graham Ashcraft: Throws two scoreless innings
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Ashcraft allowed one hit and struck out one over two scoreless innings in Saturday's split-squad spring game against the Brewers.
It was a strong start for Ashcraft, who is looking to claim a spot in the Reds' rotation. This was his first time pitching in a game environment since he was placed on the injured list last July with elbow soreness. Once a lock for the rotation, Ashcraft needs to win a spot this spring. He told C. Trent Rosecrans of The Athletic that he picked up good routines during rehab and they carried over into Saturday's outing. With a couple of starter candidates delayed this spring -- Andrew Abbott (shoulder) and Rhett Lowder (elbow) -- Ashcraft is in a good position to claim a spot in the rotation, although ever since he was drafted in 2019, the team has discussed a move to the bullpen. The right-hander said he's open for either role.
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