Who Is New Reds Pitcher Zach McCambley? What Fans Need to Know

On Thursday afternoon, the Reds traded Rece Hinds to the Miami Marlins for right-handed pitcher Zach McCambley.

The Reds designated Hinds for assignment last week, which was a big surprise. The Marlins think they can unlock something with the 25-year-old that the Reds couldn't at the big league level.

"He's still young, 25 years old, has performed in Triple-A, had some big years with the Reds in Triple-A, some Major League opportunity," Marlins manager Clayton McCullough told MLB.com's Christina De Nicola. "There's some power, there's athleticism. Give [president of baseball operations] Peter [Bendix] credit. Peter's always looking to how can we continue to improve the organizational talent that we have. You have an opportunity to swing a move for someone that you believe still has age on their side and has talent, and you hope a change of scenery with a talented player can unlock some things. We'll see how he does, and how we can help him."

Who is Zach McCambley?

Red — Zach McCambley (31) pitches during the Monterrey Sultanes vs Pensacola Blue Wahoos (wearing Pok-Ta-Pok uniforms) exhibition baseball game at Blue Wahoos Stadium in Pensacola on Tuesday, April, 2, 2024. Pok-Ta-Pok was a Mesoamerican game played in the 16th century. | Gregg Pachkowski / gregg@pnj.com / USA TODAY NETWORK

McCambley is a 27-year-old right-handed pitcher who was drafted by the Marlins in the third round of the 2020 MLB Draft out of Coastal Carolina University.

During the offseason, the Marlins elected not to add him to their 40-man roster and the Philadelphia Phillies selected him in the Rule 5 Draft. He pitched in eight games for the Phillies in the spring and performed well. In 7 1/3 innings, he has given up just one earned run on five hits. He walked six and struck out four.

However, it wasn't enough to make the roster out of camp so the Phillies had to return him to the Marlins.

He's appeared in 13 games for Miami's Triple-A affiliate and has an ERA of 2.36. In 26 2/3 innings, he's walked 17 and struck out 32.

“He’s really, really tough on right-handed hitters,” Phillies director of professional scouting Mike Ondo said. "And I think that was one of the big appeals for us: to have a guy that can kind of come in, he’s got a starter background, he’s been in the bullpen, but just someone who has some versatility to maybe log some innings, pitch short, whatever the staff might need him to do. But to really kind of get in there and get him on a pocket of right-handed hitters, I think, is really what we’re hoping is where some big value is."

McCambley has dominated right-handed hitters in Triple-A this season, allowing just four hits to the 51 righties he’s faced. Left-handed hitters, however, have given him much more trouble. He has surrendered 13 hits and issued 13 walks against the 57 lefties he’s faced.

He's also a guy who can give you some length out of the bullpen. He hasn't allowed a run over his last four outings, and in two of those appearances, he covered 2 2/3 and 3 innings.

What Pitches Does He Throw?

Feb 19, 2026; Clearwater, FL, USA; Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Zach McCambley (39) poses for media day. Mandatory Credit: Morgan Tencza-Imagn Images | Morgan Tencza-Imagn Images

McCambley relies on four different pitches, although technically five if you count the one changeup he's thrown this season.

He throws his sweeper 39.3% of the time, his cutter 30.1% of the time, his four-seam fastball 23% of the time, and his sinker 7.4% of the time. His sweeper and cutter grade out as above-average pitches, while his four-seamer and sinker grade out slightly below average.

The Reds desperately need bullpen help and wouldn't be surprising to see McCambley in Cincinnati sooner than later.

Add us as a preferred source on Google