Stephens gave up five runs in one inning against the White Sox on Wednesday on two walks and three hits, including a grand slam by prospect Luis Robert.

EDGE Analysis

Stephens has struggled so far this spring, seeing his ERA rise to 14.29 after this outing. He was already a long shot to make the team, but this poor start might end his chances earlier rather than later.

Stephens is expected to compete for a spot in the Reds' rotation during spring training, Mark Sheldon of MLB.com reports.

EDGE Analysis

Despite last season's tough showing, Stephens will have the chance to earn another shot in the Cincinnati rotation. During the 2017 campaign he pitched seven games, four of which were starts, and logged a 4.68 ERA and 1.12 WHIP over 25 innings. Should the Reds decide to open the season with a different starter in their fifth rotation spot, Stephens could still be used as a reliever.

Stephens (2-1) took the loss Saturday, allowing four runs on four hits and three walks while striking out five over four innings against the Cubs.

EDGE Analysis

He failed to build on the momentum from his strong outing against Boston last week, giving up a couple run-scoring hits to Kyle Schwarber, including a homer. Stephens hides the ball pretty well with his delivery, but his stuff is mediocre. While the 23-year-old should get a chance to compete for a rotation spot in spring training, he will need to show something more before he warrants consideration in standard formats.

Stephens allowed one run on two hits and two walks across six innings in a no-decision Sunday against the Red Sox. He struck out three.

EDGE Analysis

Stephens limited baserunners to great effect for most of the day, with the only real damage against him coming on a solo home run from Rafael Devers in the fifth inning. He was in line for the win upon his removal after the sixth, but a late collapse from the bullpen prevented that from happening. Stephens was coming off a rough outing earlier in the week, but this solid performance lowered his ERA down to a respectable 3.86. The 23-year-old is pitching for a spot in the 2018 rotation and will look to finish this year strong with Saturday's start against the Cubs.

Stephens gave up five runs on five hits -- including two homers -- and a walk over 3.2 innings in a no-decision against the Cardinals on Tuesday.

EDGE Analysis

After a strong three-inning relief appearance against these same Redbirds last week, Stephens got shifted into the rotation to start against them, and it didn't go too well. Of course, this is a guy who posted a 4.92 ERA and 1.49 WHIP in Triple-A this season, so it was hard to expect much from him for fantasy purposes in the first place.

Stephens will move into the Reds' starting rotation, C. Trent Rosecrans of The Cincinnati Enquirer reports.

EDGE Analysis

It sounds like Stephens' second career big-league start will come Tuesday in the series opener against St. Louis. The 23-year-old right-hander has fared well so far in the big leagues, but his numbers over a larger body of work at Triple-A Louisville leave much to be desired (4.92 ERA, 1.49 WHIP, 110:51 K:BB). He works mostly fastball-curveball and profiles as a bullpen arm long term.

Stephens was recalled by the Reds on Tuesday.

EDGE Analysis

Stephens will add more depth out of the bullpen for the Reds during the month of September. He's only appeared in one game for the club this season, giving up three earned runs in five innings against the Cubs on July 1. The right-hander has consistently struggled over the past month and a half for Triple-A Louisville, sporting a 5.56 ERA and giving up multiple runs during every outing since July 14. Although Stephens has the ability to miss bats, he's been hit around by Triple-A batters, and is unlikely to see many high-leverage situations with the big-league team.

Stephens is a candidate to return to the Reds' rotation after the All-Star Break, the Cincinnati Enquirer reports.

EDGE Analysis

The Reds have a road series against the Rockies (i.e., Coors Field) and wanted to have an extra reliever for that series, hence Stephens' demotion Sunday despite his good performance against the Cubs on Saturday.

Stephens was optioned to Triple-A Louisville on Sunday.

EDGE Analysis

Stephens was promoted to the majors Saturday ahead of his first big-league start but will be sent back to Triple-A one day later as the Reds have elected to select the contract of Asher Wojciechowski to round out their rotation. Stephens allowed three runs on six hits, a walk and eight strikeouts over five innings against the Cubs.

Stephens (1-0) allowed three runs on six hits and one walk while striking out eight through five innings during Saturday's win over the Cubs.

EDGE Analysis

Aside from allowing a pair of homers in the third inning, Stephens held his own in his MLB debut. On top of fanning eight Cubs, the 23-year-old knocked a go-ahead, two-run single in the fourth inning to help earn his first career win. His performance may be enough to earn him another turn in the rotation, though it may be unwise to expect a similar performance out of him as he projects to face the Rockies in hitter-friendly Coors Field next.