Alexis Diaz hasn't been activated from his rehab assignment yet, but he was back in the Cincinnati Reds clubhouse on Sunday.
Diaz was present in the clubhouse before the Reds' series-closeout game against the Pittsburgh Pirates. Reds manager Terry Francona said the next step for Diaz hadn't been determined, adding that: "We talked about it this morning and we'll talk about it after the game (Sunday)."
After beginning the season on the injured list and dealing with command issues late in spring training, Diaz appears set to make his return to the big-league club.
Diaz completed successful "back-to-back" appearances on Friday and Saturday for Louisville.
Of Friday's outing, Francona on Saturday morning called it "his best outing yet, his most aggressive with his fast ball."
Of Saturday's outing, Francona said Diaz threw 14 of his 18 pitches for strikes. In both outings, Diaz also struck out three and didn't allow a hit or walk.
Asked about Diaz filling up the strike zone while down with Louisville, Francona said, "strikes are never a bad sign."
Whether or not Diaz returns to the closer role is an open question. In the absence of Diaz, the Reds have five saves − four from Emilio Pagán, tying him for the fifth-most in MLB, and one from Tony Santillan − and two blown saves.
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Here's the latest on Alexis Diaz, who was in the Reds clubhouse Sunday
