The Reds currently have at least six starters who could be on the Opening Day roster following the Brady Singer trade, Gordon Wittenmyer of The Cincinnati Enquirer reports. In addition to Singer, there's Hunter Greene, Nick Martinez, Nick Lodolo, Andrew Abbott and Lowder.
Greene, Singer and Martinez are shoo-ins for three rotation spots, and after that it's a little less certain. Both Abbott and Lodolo have health concerns, and Lodolo for that matter is coming off of a rough season. Lowder posted a 1.17 ERA and 1.27 WHIP over six late-season starts after roaring through the Reds' minor league system. It's plausible that they could decide he needs more time to develop, especially if Lodolo and Abbott are ready to go.
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Reds' Rhett Lowder: Finishes with five scoreless
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Lowder did not factor into the decision in Saturday's 3-0 loss to the Cubs, allowing three hits and three walks with one strikeout over five scoreless innings.
Lowder generated only six whiffs on 91 pitches but logged his fourth scoreless outing in six chances after being promoted to the Reds. He'll finish the year with a 1.17 ERA, 1.27 WHIP and 22:14 K:BB across 30.2 major-league innings and should factor into the club's rotation plans for next season.
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Reds' Rhett Lowder: Impresses in second win
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Lowder (2-1) got the win Saturday against the Pirates, allowing five hits and two walks while striking out four over five scoreless innings.
Lowder worked in and out of trouble Saturday, including a bases-loaded jam in the fifth to close out his day. The rookie right-hander has now kept opponents off the scoreboard in three of his five career starts. The seventh overall pick in the 2023 draft lowered his ERA to 1.40 over his first 25.2 innings.
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Reds' Rhett Lowder: Saddled with tough-luck loss
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Lowder (1-2) took the loss Sunday, allowing three runs on six hits and one walk across 5.1 innings against the Twins. He struck out five.
Lowder entered the sixth with a one-run lead but was pulled after having allowed two batters to reach base with one out in the inning. Each of those baserunners later came around to score, saddling Lowder with two additional earned runs and handing him a tough-luck defeat. The 22-year-old rookie has been highly effective across four starts since earning the call from Triple-A, having allowed just one earned run prior to the three runs allowed Sunday. An encouraging trend is that he's also kept the walks in check, having allowed just one over his last two starts after allowing eight over his first two appearances. He's currently set up to make his next start in a home matchup against the Pirates.
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Reds' Rhett Lowder: Strong again in first win
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Lowder (1-1) allowed five hits and struck out three without walking a batter over five shutout innings to earn the win over the Cardinals on Tuesday.
Lowder continues to impress in the majors, having allowed just one run over 15.1 innings across his first three starts. He showed improvement in his one weak spot by issuing zero walks Tuesday after walking four batters in each of his first two outings. The right-hander is now at a 0.59 ERA, 1.24 WHIP and 12:8 K:BB. He's tentatively projected for a road start versus the Twins this weekend.
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Reds' Rhett Lowder: Impressive in no-decision
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Lowder did not factor into the decision Thursday against Houston, allowing four hits and four walks over 6.1 scoreless innings. He struck out three.
Lowder got through the first six innings clean before getting into trouble in the seventh but got bailed out by his bullpen. The 22-year-old picked up his first quality outing in his second career start. Lowder has thrown 10.1 innings and allowed just one earned run over his first two career starts. He's the second Reds pitcher over the last 20 seasons with 10 or more innings and no more than one earned run over his first two career starts.
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Reds' Rhett Lowder: Added to roster ahead of debut
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The Reds selected Lowder's contract from Triple-A Louisville on Friday.
Lowder is set to make his major-league debut in the second game of Friday's doubleheader against the Brewers. The No. 7 overall pick in the 2023 First-Year Player Draft, Lowder has collected a 3.64 ERA, 1.15 WHIP and 113:24 K:BB over 108.2 innings across three levels in 2024 and just made his Triple-A debut last week. He's now set for his major-league debut and should be given an opportunity to stick in the Reds' rotation for the remainder of the season.
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Reds' Rhett Lowder: Impressive debut at Triple-A
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Lowder allowed three runs while striking out seven over six scoreless innings for Triple-A Louisville on Thursday, Jesus Cano of MLB.com reports.
Lowder made his debut at the highest level of the minors after beginning the season at High-A and made a strong first impression. MLB veteran Tucker Barnhart guided the 2023 first-round draft pick from behind the plate. "He's never caught me, so we laid out my stuff, and he went over the hitters and [we] quickly got on the same page," Lowder said. "It was awesome having him call pitches back there." There's room on the Bats' schedule for the right-hander to make another five starts, if the organization chooses to push him. Lowder already has 108.2 innings under his belt and is approaching the career high of 120.1 IP he threw in 2023 while at Wake Forest. Whatever the Reds decide, Lowder is set up to open 2025 at Louisville, with the potential to reach Cincinnati later in the season.
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Reds' Rhett Lowder: Moving up to Triple-A
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The Reds promoted Lowder from Double-A Chattanooga to Triple-A Louisville on Tuesday.
Lowder will be pitching at his third level this season when he makes his Louisville debut Thursday. A first-round pick in the 2023 First-Year Player Draft, Lowder struggled initially upon his promotion from High-A Dayton to Chattanooga but had collected a 1.06 ERA, 0.79 WHIP and 29:7 K:BB over 34 frames covering his last six starts. Overall, he holds a 3.86 ERA and 106:24 K:BB in 102.2 innings between his two stops.
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Reds' Rhett Lowder: Improvements on display at Double-A
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Cincinnati pitching coach Derek Johnson noted Friday that Lowder has improved his breaking ball since being promoted to Double-A Chattanooga, C. Trent Rosencrans of The Athletic reports.
In addition to the improved breaking ball, which Johnson described as a sweeper, Lowder is doing better against lefties. The breaking ball, in conjunction with the right-hander's changeup and two-seamer, helps in that area. Lowder initially struggled after his promotion, but he's shown improvement in the second half. Lowder, who threw seven innings of one-run ball in his previous start Wednesday, owns a 1.06 ERA and 0.79 WHIP over his last six starts.
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Reds' Rhett Lowder: Turns it around at Double-A
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Lowder logged a no-decision Thursday, allowing four hits and one walk while striking out five over five scoreless innings for Double-A Chattanooga.
Lowder weathered a rough beginning after a promotion from High-A Dayton, pitching to a 7.15 ERA in his first eight starts (34 innings), but the young right-hander has turned it around. The 2023 first-round pick has a 2.23 ERA in his subsequent seven outings and 36.1 innings.
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Reds' Rhett Lowder: Makes Double-A debut
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Lowder (0-1) was Double-A Chattanooga's losing pitcher in Saturday's 5-4 loss. He allowed three runs on six hits and one walk while striking out five over five innings.
Lowder allowed a first-inning run then hurled three scoreless frames before running into trouble in the fifth. It was his debut for the Lookouts after being promoted from High-A Dayton. The 2023 first-round draft pick cruised through the Midwest League, posting a 2.49 ERA with 29 strikeouts over 25.1 innings.
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Reds' Rhett Lowder: Climbs to Double-A
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The Reds promoted Lowder from High-A Dayton to Double-A Chattanooga on Wednesday.
He'll move up a rung on the minor-league ladder after opening his professional career with a 2.49 ERA, 0.96 WHIP and 29:6 K:BB across 25.1 innings through his five starts in the Midwest League. Lowder, the No. 7 overall pick in the 2023 First-Year Player Draft, didn't pitch after signing with the Reds last summer, likely because he had handled a hefty workload for Wake Forest during his final collegiate season earlier in the spring.
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Reds' Rhett Lowder: Throws one inning
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Lowder allowed one hit and struck out two over a scoreless inning of relief in Monday's Cactus League game against Milwaukee.
Lowder, the Reds' first-round pick in the 2023 First-Year Player Draft, was making his first career spring start. He pitched the seventh inning, with the lone hit he allowed a broken-bat single, per C. Trent Rosecrans of The Athletic. The right-hander threw 13 pitches (10 strikes), with both of his punchouts coming on called third strikes.
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Reds' Rhett Lowder: First look coming Monday
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Lowder is scheduled to pitch in one of the Reds' split-squad games Monday, C. Trent Rosecrans of The Athletic reports.
This marks the first time Lowder will throw to professional batters in game conditions. He threw during Fall Instructs, but the right-hander was already at his innings limit when Cincinnati selected him with the seventh overall pick in the 2023 Draft.
