Santillan will be a part of the Reds' 60-man player pool this season.

EDGE Analysis

The Reds protected Santillan from the Rule 5 draft this winter, but he would have likely spent the whole season at Triple-A under normal circumstances. However, he is now eligible to provide big-league depth, likely as a reliever or swing man.

Before getting sent down in the first wave of spring training cuts, Santillan pitched in three games, giving up five runs on nine hits and a walk over four innings, good for an 11.25 ERA.

EDGE Analysis

Santillan was added to the Reds' 40-man roster in the fall and was ticketed for Triple-A Louisville even with a good spring. He has a decent slider and fastball, but that's never really translated into decent strikeout numbers above A-ball. He's there in case a couple of the Reds starters break, but his more likely big league future is in the bullpen.

Santillan was added to the Reds' 40-man roster Wednesday.

EDGE Analysis

This move protects him from the Rule 5 draft. Santillan struggled in a return trip to Double-A, logging a 4.84 ERA, 1.60 WHIP and 92:54 K:BB in 102.1 innings (21 starts). There have always been concerns that Santillan's shaky command could force him to the bullpen, but he could be a weapon in such a role thanks to an upper-90s fastball and above-average slider.

Santillan will open the year at Double-A Chattanooga, Jonathan Mayo of MLB.com reports.

EDGE Analysis

Santillan, who turns 22 on April 15, logged a 3.61 ERA, 1.30 WHIP and 61:16 K:BB in 62.1 innings (11 starts) at Double-A to close out last season, so it seemed possible that he might be assigned to Triple-A this year. We should expect him to have success in a return to Double-A before earning a promotion to Triple-A sometime this summer.

Santillan was sent to minor-league camp Tuesday, Bobby Nightengale of The Cincinnati Enquirer reports.

EDGE Analysis

Santillan got to open camp with the major leaguers, but he has just 11 Double-A starts under his belt, so he was never expected to break camp with the team. It's unclear if he'll open at Triple-A Louisville or if he'll need more time with Pensacola.

Santillan was invited to Cincinnati's major-league spring training camp Wednesday.

EDGE Analysis

Santillan reached Double-A for the first time in the middle of last season, making 11 starts for Pensacola with a solid 3.61 ERA. It would be a surprise to see him open the year in the majors, but more strong performances to start this season could lead to a debut at some point this year.

Santillan has been dominant at Double-A Pensacola since his promotion, including a 5.2 inning scoreless outing Monday night where he struck out 11 batters, the Reds' official site reports.

EDGE Analysis

Overall, Santillan has a 1.84 ERA in five outings for Pensacola over 29.1 innings, with a 32:7 K:BB ratio and just one homer allowed. RotoWire rates Santillan as the Reds' #8 prospect.

Santillan was promoted to Double-A Pensacola on Thursday, Doug Gray of RedsMinorLeagues.com reports.

EDGE Analysis

Santillan advanced to the next level within the Reds' minor-league system after posting a 2.70 ERA and 1.19 WHIP with a 73:22 K:BB over 86.2 innings this season at High-A Daytona.

Santillan gave up one run on six hits and a walk and struck out six over 6.2 innings to pick up the win Sunday for High-A Daytona in the club's 5-1 victory over Dunedin.

EDGE Analysis

The right-hander cruised through the first five frames before allowing a solo home run to the leadoff batter in the bottom of the sixth, ending a streak of 21 scoreless innings to begin the season. Santillan escaped the sixth without any further damage and retired the first two hitters in the bottom of the seventh before departing, bringing his ERA down to 0.40 for the season. The 21-year-old has supported the stellar ERA with a 4.8 K/BB, doubling the rate he submitted in what was a solid season at Low-A Dayton in 2017.

Santillan tossed six scoreless innings Wednesday, allowing one hit and two walks while striking out eight for High-A Daytona.

EDGE Analysis

He has 13 strikeouts and has not allowed a run through 10 innings to start the season. The hard-throwing righty has almost given up as many walks (four) as hits (five), which matches his reputation as an electric starter with shaky command/control who may eventually need to move to the bullpen. He turns 21 on April 15, and should continue to put up impressive numbers in the pitcher-friendly Florida State League.