Photo: Redleg Nation Staff
Doug Gray 16
Rhett Lowder has not made a single start in the big leagues in 2025. Injured in the offseason, he got a late start in spring training and didn’t pitch in any spring games. When May rolled around, Lowder’s elbow was feeling good enough for him to begin a rehab assignment. He pitched in one game out in Arizona, then one game in Dayton. He then pitched two games in Louisville, but in that second game he injured his oblique while warming up for his second inning and then didn’t pitch again for nearly four months.
Last week Lowder returned to Louisville and threw 2.0 innings for the Bats, giving up a run on two hits and a hit batter while striking out two of the nine batters he faced. He was scheduled to begin a second rehab start tonight for Louisville but that is no longer happening.
Prior to tonight’s game with the Chicago Cubs, manager Terry Francona told the assembled media in his pre-game scrum that Lowder was scratched from the start as his shoulder did not recover well after his last start. He underwent an MRI and there were no structural issues, but that’s going to change his rehab moving forward. This was first reported by Mark Sheldon of Reds.com.
This ends any thought that Lowder was going to be able to return this season. While the chances were already slim since the Reds have just nine games left this year and he was going to pitch on rehab tonight, it was at least theoretically possible he could pitch out of the bullpen in the final week of the regular season and then do the same if Cincinnati could sneak their way into the playoffs.
This, though, brings that thought process to a halt. And where it leaves the Reds and Lowder is unknown. The minor league season ends in the next week. Louisville’s final game is Sunday, and while Chattanooga is in the playoffs their season may end tonight but even if they win the league title their last game would be played on Tuesday or Wednesday. Cincinnati does have their instructional league taking place right now out in Arizona for minor leaguers and it will run for about two more weeks from today, but even that doesn’t seem to line up much with getting Lowder into “games”.
It’s been a disaster of a year for Lowder. First he had the elbow issues, then an oblique injury, and now his shoulder isn’t feeling great. The good news is that there appears to be nothing structural. But the bad news is that he’s basically had a lost season and still isn’t healthy enough to pitch.
The original article was published about Lowder getting ready to make his rehab start tonight. 45 minutes after it was published the team announced that he was scratched from the outing.
16 Responses
Mark Moore Stinks for him. The Oblique stuff is difficult on its own. Wonder if they can get him some AFL work?
See AlsoDisney's Tough Choice: Jimmy Kimmel vs. NFL Deal ExplainedAmazon’s September 30 Event: New Echo, Kindle & Fire TV Reveals!We've Been Recycling Wrong: Scientists Dissolve Plastic With Solvents While AI Exposes OurNASCAR Playoffs 2025: Bell's Dominance, Byron's Comeback & Friesen's Return at New HampshireGet well, get strong. Focus on 2026.
Reply
RedFuture It would be amazing if Lowder can demonstrate the command, control and stuff that he showed at the end of last year.
Reply
RedFuture Scratch that idea!
Reply
RedsGettingBetter A complete season missed always is not good. Reds have hopes on Lowder being part of its starting rotation in some point before this season started. It’s so concerning he can’t stay healthy after started the rehab games…
Reds have seen this year how two top starting pitching prospects like Lowder and Petty will be out of short-term plans, the first because of getting injured permanently and the latter due to a horrific performance…Reply
MK Dues this count as a full year of ML service time?
Reply
Jim Walker Yep, he has been on the MLB IL, so it all counts.
Reply
MK Wasted year for more than one reason. There needs to be a change industry wide on how to get hitters out. Hitters have adjusted to high velocity since they see so much of it now. It seems the sweeper is becoming the pitch of the present and immediate future. Less stress for pitchers need to begin. A Singer type approach rather than Burns Lowder.
SteveAReno I had to go to Louisville yesterday and took in the game last night. Chase Burns has some real problems, too. The Bats were clobbered 15-4. Hoping that Lowder could get at least a game started this year just to make some progress. Pitching setbacks are common with the pitchers today.
Reply
SteveAReno Correction: Chase Petty not Chase Burns. Posters are having setbacks now in getting the names correct in their stories.
Reply
SteveAReno More tidbits: Louisville brought in their catcher Eric Yang as the final pitcher of the game for the last two innings. He can throw it straight over the plate. No runs were scored. Yang has now pitched in 8 games! His ERA is 2.25 which is the second-best reliever on the team behind Buck Farmer. His batting average is just a shade above his ERA, hitting .235! He is a real two-way player but needs side lessons on this technique from Shohei Ohtani in winter ball.
Reply
Erik the Red From my perspective Lowder and Petty are both major question marks in 2026 now. I tend to be a glass half empty person but I think my logic is a lot more realistic that the front office needs to follow. My point if Lodolo, Burns, Greene, Singer, and Abbott can not make 32 starts each next year who is next up? Not sure anyone in AA or AAA is even close.
Reply
Optimist Williamson and Aguiar, and I suppose Acuna is lurking, and Sikkema may get a first and last hurrah. There are plenty of question marks, but they’re better question marks than in recent years.
Reply
Votto4life Which is why I believe the Reds will add a starter in the offseason.
Reply
Votto4life Or perhaps re-sign Nick Martinez, but not at $21 Million dollars.
DTaylor Is it possible to add him to Arizona league roster?
Reply
Votto4life I don’t think they will take a chance with a shoulder injury. I wouldn’t be surprised if they just shut him down and see how he feels in the Spring. He is not going to contribute at the major level this year anyway. Why risk it?
Reply
