Tejay Antone's incredible comeback continues as he makes the Reds' Opening Day roster

Charlie Goldsmith, Cincinnati Enquirer

MESA, Ariz. — In 2023, on the day before Cincinnati Reds reliever Tejay Antone left for spring training, he wasn’t sure if he’d ever throw another pitch. In a long conversation, Antone asked his wife, Kelsi, if he should retire.

Kelsi encouraged him to keep going, despite all the arm injuries that had kept Tejay Antone on the injured list for more than two full seasons.

Recently, Tejay and Kelsi had another emotional conversation. Tejay told his wife that he made the Reds’ 2024 Opening Day roster.

“I was crying earlier,” Antone said. “It’s a journey. We’re a team. We do everything together. It really is a journey. I couldn't do this process by myself. She has been there for me 100%. That’s how relationships should work.”

'This is what I missed': Tejay Antone returns after two years spent on the IL

Reliever Tejay Antone was told that he had made the Opening Day roster. Antone has spent the better part of two seasons on the injured list because of a pair of Tommy John surgeries.
Reliever Tejay Antone was told that he had made the Opening Day roster. Antone has spent the better part of two seasons on the injured list because of a pair of Tommy John surgeries.

Antone, who returned from his second Tommy John surgery and pitched in five MLB games in September of 2023, claimed one of the final spots in the Reds’ bullpen for the start of the 2024 season.

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Last year, Antone had come to terms with the fact that he might never pitch again because of his injuries. Kelsi told him to put less pressure on himself and give pitching another shot. “I decided that if I make it, awesome,” Tejay Antone said last year. “If I don’t, awesome.”

Now, Antone has made it onto the Reds’ Opening Day roster for the first time since 2021. He’s a much different pitcher now than he was back then.

Coming off of two surgeries, Antone stopped chasing velocity and embraced a new sinker.

“I’m out there pitching now,” Antone said. "I’m locating, making the ball move, changing speeds, changing hitter’s timing. I’m landing curveballs really well right now.”

Tejay Antone was pondering retirement but his wife Kelsi told him to put less pressure on himself and give it another try. The last-ditch effort worked and he'll be on the Opening Day roster for the first time since 2021.
Tejay Antone was pondering retirement but his wife Kelsi told him to put less pressure on himself and give it another try. The last-ditch effort worked and he'll be on the Opening Day roster for the first time since 2021.

Earlier in camp, Reds manager David Bell told Antone that he was competing for a spot. Antone said that he had assumed that he was in a good position in the roster battle in the bullpen. “That was probably pretty naive of me,” Antone recognizes now.

Antone said that his conversation with Bell “lit a fire in (his) butt.” Antone had a strong finish to spring training to earn his spot on the Opening Day roster.

“His makeup and his character just continue to shine,” Bell said. “He’s grown incredibly. He’s at a point where he just brings people along with him through his outlook and his attitude. Really happy for him. He deserves it.”

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Following an incredible comeback, Tejay Antone makes the Reds' roster

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