Reds catcher PJ Higgins trusted the process to make MLB return

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Reds catcher PJ Higgins trusted the process to make MLB return

Shelby Dermer, Cincinnati Enquirer · The Enquirer

Fri, Apr 17, 2026 ·

4 min read

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Getaway day was a missed opportunity for the Cincinnati Reds on Thursday, April 16 as their six-game homestand ended at .500 (3-3) with a fiery 3-0 loss to the San Francisco Giants in front of 16,898 fans in attendance.

The bats, much maligned through three weeks, were silenced by a trio of San Francisco pitchers. The Giants avoided a sweep behind timely two-out hitting in a three-run seventh inning and six shutout innings from starter Landen Roupp .

Roupp flirted briefly with a no-hitter, issuing just two walks and hitting a batter through five innings. Reds catcher P.J. Higgins broke up that no-hit bid with a leadoff single in the bottom of the sixth inning. It was Cincinnati's lone hit of the afternoon.

More: Reds drop tense series finale to Giants.

Beyond the box score of a shutout loss, Higgins had a productive day offensive and defensively. The 32-year-old reached base twice, caught Willy Adames stealing in the first inning, then won an ABS challenge for a strikeout of San Francisco catcher Patrick Bailey to end the sixth.

"I feel like we played well. It was a hard-fought game," Higgins said. "We played hard. It was just one of those days, the third game in a series, early in the day. We fought and our guys had good stuff on the mound."

It may have been Higgins best big-league performance since the final game of his last stint in The Show −four seasons ago.

On Oct. 5, 2022, Higgins walked twice, doubled, had three RBI and scored three times in the Chicago Cubs' 15-2 win over the Reds at Great American Ball Park.

P.J. Higgins (48) scored three runs and knocked in three more against the Reds at Great American Ball Park in the 2022 season-finale. He would have to wait four more seasons until his next MLB appearance.

The defeat officially marked only the second 100-loss season in Reds history and was the last time Higgins was on a big-league roster until he was called up a week ago after Jose Trevino went to the IL.

"Yeah, that was my last game in the big leagues. We actually faced Graham (Ashcraft) that day when he was a starter," Higgins said. "Yeah, it was a good day right at the end on the very last day of the season in 2022."

Higgins thought 74 games in the Majors that season would be enough to crack a big-league roster the following year when he signed with Arizona . He would end up playing 331 Triple-A games until his next MLB appearance.

"It's hard. You have your ups and downs. I felt like I had growth (in 2022), experience and knowledge of what to do the next year if I got the opportunity. Unfortunately, I didn't get the opportunity for four years. It was a waiting game," Higgins said.

Higgins is making the most of his long-awaited MLB return, albeit in a small role behind Tyler Stephenson . Thursday was Higgins' third start. The Reds are 0-3.

Higgins went hitless in his Reds' debut April 9 in a loss to Miami , then made his MLB pitching debut in a lopsided loss to the Angels April 10. He worked a scoreless inning on 10 pitches. Two days later, he was one of just two Reds to log a hit against Los Angeles Angels ' right-hander Jose Soriano in a 9-6 loss April 12.

Reds' catcher P.J. Higgins (65) on catching Chase Burns' six shutout innings: "The longer I'm here, the more I can get in flow with them."

Most importantly, Reds' pitching had its best performance with Higgins behind the plate in three games this season in Thursday's loss. Rhett Lowder and Andrew Abbott combined to give up 12 runs in 8 ⅔ innings while working with Higgins against the Marlins and Angels, respectively.

Albeit against a San Francisco lineup that ranks last in the National League in scoring, Chase Burns and Higgins teamed up to shut out the Giants for six innings. Reds pitching did not allow an earned run in Thursday's loss.

"It definitely feels good to get on the same page with Chase (Burns) and work with him a bit. The longer I'm here, the more I can get in flow with them," Higgins said. "I always try to watch film and try to translate what Stephenson does and what I do to make it as smooth of a transition as possible. The more we work together, the better it's gonna be."

Cincinnati Reds pitcher Chase Burns (26) throws a pitch in the first inning of the MLB National League game between the Cincinnati Reds and the San Francisco Giants at Great American Ball Park on Thursday, April 16, 2026.
(Sam Greene/The Enquirer)

San Francisco Giants shortstop Willy Adames (2) is caught stealing and tagged out by Cincinnati Reds shortstop Elly de la Cruz (44) in the first inning of the MLB National League game between the Cincinnati Reds and the San Francisco Giants at Great American Ball Park on Thursday, April 16, 2026.
(Sam Greene/The Enquirer)

San Francisco Giants pitcher Landen Roupp (65) throws a pitch in the first inning of the MLB National League game between the Cincinnati Reds and the San Francisco Giants at Great American Ball Park on Thursday, April 16, 2026.
(Sam Greene/The Enquirer)

San Francisco Giants center fielder Drew Gilbert (0) catches a fly ball off the bat of Matt McClain in the first inning of the MLB National League game between the Cincinnati Reds and the San Francisco Giants at Great American Ball Park on Thursday, April 16, 2026.
(Sam Greene/The Enquirer)

Cincinnati Reds third baseman Ke'bryan Hayes (3) catches a pop up off the bat of San Francisco Giants right fielder Will Brennan (7) in the second inning of the MLB National League game between the Cincinnati Reds and the San Francisco Giants at Great American Ball Park on Thursday, April 16, 2026.
(Sam Greene/The Enquirer)

Cincinnati Reds pitcher Chase Burns (26) throws a pitch in the third inning of the MLB National League game between the Cincinnati Reds and the San Francisco Giants at Great American Ball Park on Thursday, April 16, 2026.
(Sam Greene/The Enquirer)

Cincinnati Reds bench coach/field coordinator Freddie Benavides (45) and manager Terry Francona (77) look on from the dugout in the second inning of the MLB National League game between the Cincinnati Reds and the San Francisco Giants at Great American Ball Park on Thursday, April 16, 2026.
(Sam Greene/The Enquirer)

San Francisco Giants center fielder Drew Gilbert (0) is forced out by Cincinnati Reds shortstop Elly de la Cruz (44) on a double play in the third inning of the MLB National League game between the Cincinnati Reds and the San Francisco Giants at Great American Ball Park on Thursday, April 16, 2026.
(Sam Greene/The Enquirer)

Umpire Junior Valentine (25) exchanges words with the Giants dugout after the top of the third inning of the MLB National League game between the Cincinnati Reds and the San Francisco Giants at Great American Ball Park on Thursday, April 16, 2026.
(Sam Greene/The Enquirer)

Storm clouds pass through the Ohio River valley during the fourth inning of the MLB National League game between the Cincinnati Reds and the San Francisco Giants at Great American Ball Park on Thursday, April 16, 2026.
(Sam Greene/The Enquirer)

Cincinnati Reds second baseman Matt McLain (9) fields a ground ball off the bat of San Francisco Giants first baseman Rafael Devers (16) in the fourth inning of the MLB National League game between the Cincinnati Reds and the San Francisco Giants at Great American Ball Park on Thursday, April 16, 2026.
(Sam Greene/The Enquirer)

San Francisco Giants first baseman Rafael Devers (16) catches a pop up off the bat of Sal Stewart in the fourth inning of the MLB National League game between the Cincinnati Reds and the San Francisco Giants at Great American Ball Park on Thursday, April 16, 2026.
(Sam Greene/The Enquirer)

San Francisco Giants first baseman Rafael Devers (16) catches a pop up off the bat of Eugenio Suárez in the fourth inning of the MLB National League game between the Cincinnati Reds and the San Francisco Giants at Great American Ball Park on Thursday, April 16, 2026.
(Sam Greene/The Enquirer)

Who knows how long that will actually be for Higgins, who is now 2-for-8 in three games with a walk. He'll take the same mindset he had for the last four years into however long this latest MLB stint in Cincinnati lasts.

"It's just like an old cliche of trust the process," Higgins said. "Continue to work hard, play hard and show up when you're name is called."

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Reds catcher PJ Higgins trusted the process to make MLB return

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Reds catcher PJ Higgins trusted the process to make MLB return

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