Cincinnati Reds Outfielder Leaves Game vs. Pirates With Injury

The injury bug continues to haunt the Reds.

Jun 22, 2026; Cincinnati, Ohio, USA; Cincinnati Reds outfielder Blake Dunn (59) catches a fly out hit by Milwaukee Brewers outfielder Garrett Mitchell (not pictured) in the fourth inning at Great American Ball Park. Mandatory Credit: Katie Stratman-Imagn Images | Katie Stratman-Imagn Images

The Cincinnati Reds have been bitten by the injury bug all season long. On Friday afternoon, they announced that Tony Santillan was placed on the injured list with an oblique injury.

During Friday night's series opener, it continued. After Blake Dunn made two throws from the outfield in the fifth inning, he was replaced by Dane Myers in center field in the sixth inning. The Reds announced that he left the game due to elbow discomfort in his throwing arm.

Dunn has been a surprise and one of few bright spots on this team. In 37 games, Dunn is slashing .279/.336/.386. If Dunn is forced to miss time, the Reds have Dane Myers and Noelvi Marte with experience in center field. Matt McLain has also started to take some reps in center field.

Santillan's Injury a Blow to the Bullpen

Cincinnati Reds pitcher Tony Santillan (64) throws a pitch in the 10th inning of the MLB National League Central game between the Cincinnati Reds and the Milwaukee Brewers at Great American Ball Park in downtown Cincinnati on Monday, June 22, 2026. The Brewers won, 2-1, in 10 innings. | Sam Greene/The Enquirer / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Tony Santillan has been much better as of late after struggling for a long stretch. His injury is a big blow to Cincinnati's bullpen, who was slowly starting to get healthy. Reds manager Terry Francona spoke about Santillan to the media ahead of Friday's game.

“It came back that he had a pretty significant oblique injury, so we’re going to lose him for a while."

Francona said Santillan is such a tough guy that he's not actually sure when he suffered the injury.

“The last night he pitched, he didn’t feel anything," Francona told MLB.com's Mark Sheldon. "He came in the next day and he was down [from pitching], so he hadn’t even really picked up a ball much because he knew he wasn’t going to pitch. And I think he felt stiff. Then he went out to throw on Wednesday and didn’t feel good.”

With Santillan out, the Reds will likely rely on Pierce Johnson, Tejay Antone, and Brock Burke to pitch in the high leverage outings. Emilio Pagan tossed a scoreless outing with Triple-A Louisville on Friday and is expected to make one more rehab appearance before rejoining the big league squad.

Sign Up For Our DAILY Newsletter for More Free Coverage of the Cincinnati Reds Delivered to YOU Directly

Follow me on X at @RedsDaily4 for more.

Make sure you bookmark Cincinnati Reds Talk for the latest news, exclusive interviews, and daily coverage of the Cincinnati Reds! Follow Cincinnati Reds OnSI on Twitter/X: @RedsTalkSI. Like Our Cincinnati Reds On SI Facebook Page. Follow Cincinnati Reds On SI on Instagram.