The 2024 season was quite a miserable one for the Cincinnati Reds. They weren’t an awful team, but they weren’t good either. They finished fourth in the NL Central with a 77-85 record despite heading into the year with postseason aspirations.
Reds Prospect’s Long-Awaited Return
By September of that year, there was nothing to play for record-wise, which allowed top pitching prospect Rhett Lowder to get his cup of coffee. He made just a handful of starts and was quite effective. Above all else, it was an opportunity for him to get his feet wet before getting fully immersed in a big league rotation in 2025.
Unfortunately, that 2025 season never happened for Lowder, but his return in 2026 can be quite exciting if all goes according to plan.
Lowder’s Rookie Year Experience
As mentioned, Lowder had a cup of coffee in Cincinnati in 2024, making six starts. In those six starts, he tossed 30 2/3 innings and had a fantastic 1.17 ERA.
It’s always great for a young prospect to be able to get a taste of the big leagues in a low-pressure environment, and Lowder proved he was possibly ready for a spot in the rotation for 2025.
However, his metrics did not align with his ERA. Lowder had a 4.37 xERA and a .267 xBA, both way higher than his results. Despite this, nobody should write him off, as he was just 21 years old in his debut, and a 4.37 xERA isn’t great, but it’s not awful either.
Lowder’s Major Set Back
Heading into Spring Training in 2025, hopes were high for the right-hander. Unfortunately, it quickly faded as news emerged that he had been dealing with a nagging elbow injury, one that prevented him from making a single MLB appearance in 2025.
He began rehab in May, but made just four starts before injuring his oblique. He would return for one more start in September, but was shut down for the season soon after.
Lowder’s Chance at a Rotation Spot
Now heading into the 2026 Spring Training, Lowder will have the opportunity to battle some internal competition. The top four of the rotation are pretty much set, barring injury, of course. Hunter Greene, Andrew Abbott, Nick Lodolo, and Brady Singer are the ones through four. That leaves Chase Burns, Rhett Lowder, and Chase Petty to fight for the fifth spot in the rotation.
It is unclear at this point whether the Reds will opt for a six-man rotation. It would be a sensible move, as Greene and Lodolo have been susceptible to injury, and Burns, Lowder, and Petty will likely have innings limits if they make the roster, since they are all young. Splitting the season-long workload into six ways could benefit the entire rotation in the long run.
Whether Lowder makes the roster out of Spring Training, he will be in the rotation at some point in the season. It is simply impossible to expect all members of the rotation to stay healthy all season, and Lowder will likely be the first in line if someone goes down.
Main Photo Credits: Albert Cesare/The Enquirer / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images