All signs point to Alexis Díaz returning to Reds tomorrow

Alexis Díaz has been the de facto closer for the Cincinnati Reds dating back to the end of the 2022 season. In that time, he’s compiled 75 saves - good for the 6th most by any reliever in the game - though it hasn’t exactly been all smooth sailing along the way.

Díaz had a fastball that averaged 95.8 mph during the 2022 season, but that’s declined each year since, with the heater sitting at just 94.1 mph last year. His overall K/9 plummeted from 11.73 to 8.79 in that time, and predictably the frequency with which he allowed both dingers and runs began to rise.

Things reached a head in spring camp this year, and Díaz ended up being shut down in Goodyear with a hamstring issue and landed on the…