Another former Reds pitcher is coming back to Cincinnati
The Cincinnati Reds are bringing back another pitchers who was with the club in the past. Connor Overton, who underwent Tommy John surgery in May of 2023 and has pitched 44.0 innings for the Reds in the previous two seasons but was outrighted after the end of the season and became a free agent, has signed a minor league deal with the team for 2024 according to Matt Eddy of Baseball America.
In 2022, Connor Overton found some success with the Reds as he posted a 2.73 ERA in six games. He made four starts and pitched in relief twice, throwing 33.0 innings and allowing just one home run. The peripheral stats weren’t ideal as he walked 11 batters – a solid rate – to go with just 14 strikeouts – a very low rate.
In 2023 he was with the big league club from the start. He struggled in his season debut, giving up five runs in 4.0 innings against the Cubs. His next two starts came against the Philadelphia Phillies and he struggled in those two games as well. In Philadelphia he allowed four runs in 4.0 innings. Five days later he faced the Phillies in Cincinnati and gave up five runs in 3.0 innings. That would turn out to be his final game of the year as he then went on the injured list and a little more than a month later would undergo Tommy John surgery.
With a typical recovery from Tommy John surgery being 12-16 months, don’t expect to see Connor Overton in spring training participating in games. But it is possible, though not guaranteed, that he could be able to get back on the mound in games – whether that is in the minor leagues or the big leagues – before the end of the first half of the 2024 season.
