This story was excerpted from Mark Sheldon¡¯s Reds Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.

PHILADELPHIA -- That was a long, and tedious, 707 days for Reds reliever Justin Wilson.

That's how much time elapsed between Major League relief appearances for Wilson -- until his season debut for Cincinnati on Saturday vs. the Nationals. It was the lefty's first big league action since April 23, 2022, when he squared off against the Cardinals as a member of the Reds. A torn ulnar collateral ligament in his left elbow followed, which required Tommy John surgery.

¡°I put a lot of time in," Wilson said. "It¡¯s just nice to be healthy out there and compete in the big league, and not on some kind of rehab stint or something like that.¡±

Wilson pitched one scoreless inning with one hit and one strikeout in the 7-6 loss to Washington. He pitched another scoreless inning on Monday in the 6-3 victory over the Phillies.

There weren't many changes Wilson had to make with his delivery or pitches after the surgery.

¡°It¡¯s more about having confidence in your body after that process," he said. "It¡¯s a really long process. They said it can go on the quick side, 12 months. But after going through it, I don¡¯t know if I believe it. I think most guys, it¡¯s 15, 17 months, or more. Until I really felt like the surgery was behind me, it was a lot longer than I wanted."

As joyful and satisfying professional baseball can be, it also can sometimes feel incredibly cruel. Wilson was set to make his return from elbow surgery on July 28, 2023, for the Brewers against the Braves. On his final warm-up pitch, he felt something.

¡°My lat tendon tore, pretty much all the way," Wilson said. "It wasn¡¯t very fun at the time. But it was probably for the better, truthfully. It gave me a little more time to get my elbow some time to rest and rebuild. I let the lat heal in the offseason and I felt strong going into spring.¡±

Wilson, 36, went into Spring Training this year with the Dodgers on a Minor League deal, but was told he wouldn't make the club and was released on March 12. Three days later, he signed a one-year, $1.5 million contract with the Reds.

Originally acquired by Cincinnati, along with pitcher Luis Cessa, from the Yankees before the 2021 Trade Deadline, Wilson had other offers after he was released by Los Angeles. But the left-hander liked how the stars aligned to bring him back to the Reds.

¡°Absolutely. I enjoyed it the last time I was here ¡­ the players, staff and fans," Wilson said. "I like it here. It¡¯s nice to come back here.¡±