Emilio Pagán DVOA, Advanced Stats, & Fantasy Rankings

Cincinnati Reds right-handed reliever Emilio Pagan (lat) started his minor-league rehab assignment at Triple-A Louisville on Saturday, tossing a scoreless inning with one strikeout. Pagan is expected to have three to five rehab outings before being activated from the 60-day injured list. He threw live batting practice to hitters on July 30 at Great American Ball Park and is eligible for activation from the 60-day IL on Thursday. The 33-year-old veteran initially went on the 15-day IL back in June but could be back with the Reds before the calendar flips to September. Pagan wasn't exactly pitching all that well in his first year in Cincy before his injury out of the bullpen, as he posted a 4.43 ERA (4.20 FIP) and 1.38 WHIP with 26 strikeouts and seven walks in 20 1/3 innings of work.

Cincinnati Reds right-hander Emilio Pagan (lat), who was placed on the 15-day injured list on June 9 with a right-lat strain, is scheduled to undergo a new can on Monday to check his healing process. If everything goes well, Pagan could be cleared to begin a throwing program this week. However, the veteran reliever isn't expected to be back in the Reds' major-league bullpen until the second half of the season. When the Reds feel good enough about Pagan to bring him back from the injured list, he'll be serving in a late-inning setup role ahead of closer Alexi Diaz, giving him slight appeal in deep holds leagues. Before his injury, Pagan wasn't all that effective, posting a 4.43 ERA (4.18 FIP) and 1.38 WHIP with 26 strikeouts and seven walks in 20 1/3 innings out of the bullpen.

The Cincinnati Reds placed right-hander Emilio Pagan (triceps) on the 15-day injured list on Thursday due to right-triceps tightness. The move comes after Pagan had not appeared out of the Reds' bullpen since Sunday due to the injury. The 33-year-old veteran setup man had an MRI exam come back negative, so there's hope that he can return to the big-league roster when his 15 days are up. Pagan is a key setup man for the Reds in front of closer Alexis Diaz in his first year in Cincinnati and is currently sporting a 2-3 record, 4.19 ERA (4.32 FIP) and 1.34 WHIP with seven walks and 25 strikeouts in 19 1/3 relief innings. With Pagan out of the picture for at least the next two weeks, the Reds will need setup men Fernando Cruz and Lucas Sims to step up in high-leverage roles.