Tejay Antone’s latest comeback attempt from his third Tommy John surgery appears set to continue within the Cincinnati Reds organization. According to MLB.com’s Mark Sheldon, the Reds and Antone have agreed to a minor league contract, though the deal hasn’t been formally finalized yet. This reunion comes after Antone chose free agency on November 6th, joining nineteen other players who departed the Reds’ minor league system.
Drafted by Cincinnati in the fifth round back in 2014, Antone has spent his entire professional career with the Reds. He’ll turn 32 in December, but after three elbow reconstructions, the inside of his arm is far “younger” than his age suggests.
Antone first underwent Tommy John surgery in 2017 and has required the procedure two more times within the last four years — an extremely rare situation. Only two pitchers, Jason Isringhausen and Jonny Venters, have successfully returned to the major leagues after three Tommy John surgeries, underscoring how difficult Antone’s road back truly is.
He finally returned to the mound at the end of the 2025 season, pitching across three levels — Triple-A Louisville, Double-A Chattanooga, and High-A Dayton — after being out of action entirely since April 2024. Although his results were rough (17 earned runs in 15 innings), he was once again touching 95 mph, and, more importantly, his arm appeared to be functioning properly. That progress has created real optimism that with a normal offseason — one centered on preparation instead of nonstop rehab — he could see a significantly better outcome in 2026.
Such a development would be huge for the Reds, who saw a large portion of their 2025 bullpen hit free agency — including Scott Barlow, Emilio Pagán, Nick Martinez, and Brent Suter. With Cincinnati unlikely to spend heavily on relievers this offseason, they’ll need internal options to step up. A healthy Antone would be one of the most impactful internal boosts they could possibly get.
Personally, I’m thrilled for Antone. His journey has been relentlessly difficult, and seeing him inch closer to a true return feels like something he genuinely deserves. If the baseball gods are listening, they owe him at least one more meaningful moment on the mound at Great American Ball Park.
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