Heath Hembree, the Cincinnati Reds’ leader in saves, was designated for assignment Tuesday and Tony Santillan was called up to replace him in the bullpen.
It was a quick fall for Hembree, who served as the club’s closer as recently as Aug. 3. He allowed an earned run in six of his last eight appearances, yielding 13 runs on 10 hits and seven walks in his last seven innings.
Hembree surrendered five runs in two-thirds of an inning during the Reds’ 14-5 win over the Chicago Cubs on Monday. He owns a 2-7 record and a 6.