The Reds will place right-hander Rhett Lowder on the 15-day injured list prior to Tuesday’s game against the Nationals. Manager Terry Francona told reporters (including the Cincinnati Enquirer’s Pat Brennan) that Lowder was headed to the IL prior to today’s 5-0 victory over the Astros, though the Reds opted against making a transaction to add a fresh arm to the bullpen for today’s contest. Cincinnati will use Monday’s off-day to evaluate their rotation plans before officially sidelining Lowder, though waiting until Tuesday means that Lowder’s IL stint can be backdated only until May 9.
Lowder’s last start came on May 7, when he allowed three runs in three innings against the Cubs and was pulled due to what was termed as right shoulder discomfort. An MRI didn’t reveal any structural damage, and Francona said Lowder received an injection to help with the discomfort. Lowder will continue to throw for the time being for not off a mound, and Francona indicated that the IL placement is somewhat precautionary.
“Our thought was we’re trying not to put a bandaid on something,” Francona said. “We want this kid to be able to pitch, and pitch for a long time and not get interrupted so, hopefully, a couple weeks down will do him a world of good.”
After posting a 1.17 ERA in his first 30 2/3 big league innings in 2024, Lowder was unable to follow up on that impressive debut due to forearm and oblique injuries that limited him to only 9 1/3 minor league innings in 2025. Returning to action as part of Cincinnati’s Opening Day rotation, Lowder managed a 3.18 ERA over his first six starts before things went south in his last two outings. Lowder’s abbreviated start against the Cubs came five days after the Pirates torched him for eight runs over just 1 1/3 innings.
Some regression was probably due given Lowder’s lackluster Statcast metrics, and his 5.40 ERA is a closer match to his 5.05 SIERA. Lowder has only a 16.3% strikeout rate this season and a 16.7K% for his brief MLB career, as the strong strikeout ability he showed in the minors has yet to carry over to the Show.
With Lowder heading to the IL, the Reds again find themselves down three starting pitchers. Nick Lodolo only just made his season debut on Friday after missing time due to blister issues, Brandon Williamson went on the 60-day IL earlier this week due to shoulder fatigue, and ace Hunter Greene remains out until midseason after undergoing surgery in March to have bone chips removed from his throwing elbow.
Monday’s off-day provides a bit of a reset for the pitching staff, but the likeliest scenario is that Chase Petty will again be called up from Triple-A to fill in for Lowder. Petty made his first appearance of 2026 by filling in for Williamson last Monday, and Petty allowed three runs over 5 2/3 frames in a 5-4 Reds loss to the Nationals.
