Reds Call Up Hometown Kid: "Dream Come True!"

The excitement must be building in the Diehl household, as 27-year-old Cincinnati native Phillip Diehl is set to join his hometown Cincinnati Reds. The team announced they're adding the left-hander to their 40-man roster, and calling him up to the big leagues. "It's a literal dream come true," Diehl said. "You could write a book about this. It's awesome."

Told that Moeller’s Phillip Diehl, a lefty reliever, is on his way to Cincinnati. Diehl, 27, is 1-0 with a 4.50 ERA with 11 Ks & 1 BB in 8 IP for AAA Louisville. He had a 2.47 ERA last season with 71 Ks & 12 BB in 54.2 IP

— C. Trent Rosecrans (@ctrent) April 27, 2022

Diehl had a sparkling 2.47 ERA with Triple-A Louisville in 2021, with a 0.93 WHIP and a sizzling 11.7 K/9. He'd been in the Colorado Rockies system for the past couple of years, and got into a handful of games at the major league level in 2019 and 2020, but never really finding his footing in 13 innings. 

This season, he's 1-0 with a 4.50 ERA with 11 Ks & 1 walk in 8 IP at Triple-A.

The Cincinnati kid will be a much-needed left-handed arm out of the bullpen for the Reds, particularly after they were forced today to place their only other lefty reliever, Justin Wilson, on the 10-day injured list with left elbow soreness. 

Photo Credit: Kareem Elgazzar/The Enquirer / USA TODAY NETWORK