Rhett Lowder’s efforts to rejoin the Cincinnati Reds’ starting rotation suffered a significant setback Thursday night. In just his second outing with the Triple-A Louisville Bats, the rehabbing prospect exited in the top of the second inning after throwing only one pitch. The right-hander appeared to be favoring his right side and was promptly replaced by Alan Busenitz.
Lowder had previously dealt with an elbow injury during spring training that sidelined him for Opening Day. After a lengthy rehab stint in Arizona, the former first-rounder began pitching in the Arizona Complex League and later moved up to High-A Dayton.
His Triple-A debut last week ended early after he faced just six batters and hit his pitch limit before completing the first inning. On Thursday, Lowder made it through one inning, but his abrupt departure adds to growing concerns about both his health and the Reds’ rotation depth moving forward.
Brutal pitching injury to Reds prospect Rhett Lowder may wreck their entire rotation outlook
Rhett Lowder was a strong candidate for the Reds’ rotation this spring, but his chances were derailed almost immediately upon arriving in Goodyear when he was shut down from throwing. Injuries to both Lowder and Andrew Abbott led to Carson Spiers stepping in, though he has since landed on the injured list as well.
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Abbott has since returned, and Cincinnati is expected to activate Hunter Greene ahead of Friday’s matchup with the Chicago Cubs. With a core rotation featuring Abbott, Greene, Nick Lodolo, Nick Martinez, and Brady Singer, the Reds have a solid foundation—but Lowder was projected to provide valuable depth behind that group this season.
With both Lowder and Spiers currently unavailable, the next option for rotation reinforcement could be veteran Wade Miley. Miley, who is rehabbing, delivered a shutout performance at Triple-A earlier this week and holds an opt-out clause in his deal that activates on June 1. To bring Miley up, however, the Reds would need to make a corresponding move to clear space on the 40-man roster.
As of now, there has been no update on the exact severity of Lowder’s injury. Further medical imaging is expected, but judging by his visible discomfort, he could be out for several more weeks.
