PITTSBURGH -- As his offseason as a free agent stretched through all of the abbreviated Spring Training without a signing, veteran left-handed pitcher Ross Detwiler contemplated retiring.

But on Opening Day, Detwiler signed a Minor League contract with the Reds. Then, on Saturday, the 36-year-old had his contract selected from Triple-A Louisville. To make room on the roster, right-handed reliever Robert Dugger was designated for assignment.

¡°There¡¯s more in the tank. You don¡¯t want to sit back and say, ¡®What if?¡¯ later on down the road,¡± Detwiler said. ¡°Once you shut it down, I¡¯m 36. There¡¯s no coming back. This year, the ball is coming out of my hand really well. I developed a cutter last year and started messing around with a changeup the week before I signed here.¡±

Detwiler made his Reds debut on Saturday vs. the Pirates, pitching a scoreless sixth inning with a walk and two strikeouts in Cincinnati's 3-1 loss at PNC Park.

In seven appearances for Louisville, Detwiler recorded a 3.86 ERA and a 1.57 WHIP over seven innings. He walked five and struck out seven. In 53 games last season for the Marlins and Padres, he posted a 4.64 ERA.

¡°It¡¯s amazing. I never realized how much Spring Training actually mattered until I missed it this year,¡± Detwiler said. ¡°The first couple of games, just tried to get the feeling back. Then I was attacking hitters again and trying to get back to the feeling I had at the end of last year.¡±

With Justin Wilson on the injured list and Phillip Diehl designated for assignment on Monday, the Reds had been without a lefty in their bullpen. Teams tried to exploit it during the past week, none more than the Pirates, who started eight players batting from the left side against right-handed starter Connor Overton on Thursday.

Over his career, lefties are batting .236 vs. Detwiler compared to .295 with right-handed batters. He was primarily a starter for the first half of his 13-year career before moving to a bullpen role, though he made five starts in 2021 for Miami.

¡°He¡¯s not going to be a long guy or anything like that,¡± Reds manager David Bell said. ¡°He¡¯ll definitely pitch an inning or two. He definitely has the experience. He¡¯s done it before, that¡¯s for sure.¡±

The Reds are the 10th big league club with whom Detwiler has pitched.