With starting pitcher Nick Lodolo due back from the injured list in the next week or so, Cincinnati Reds manager Terry Francona was asked how he planned to arrange his rotation with six available starters.
“My guess is we’ll figure it out,” he said. “It’s usually not that hard.”
About an hour later, the Reds announced that Hunter Greene was back on the IL after experiencing soreness in his surgically repaired elbow.
Just like that, the man on the mound for the Reds that night, Rhett Lowder, was on the spot.
And on his game.
And looking like part of the answer to the Reds’ next question: What might the Reds’ next chapter in life without Hunter Greene look like, especially if it lingers into next season?
“We’ve done a pretty good job of that all year,” Lowder (4-7) said. “We’ve been through a lot (in the rotation). Guys have been on the IL. I’ve been on the IL. I’ve played multiple roles.
“Everybody’s had each others’ back the entire way. I don’t see that changing now.”
Lowder, who figured to be in the middle of the back-end maneuvering in the rotation to make six starters fit down the stretch, already was one of a handful of players who could use a strong, healthy finish to secure a prominent place in the Reds’ plans for a competitive reset in 2027.
To that end, the rookie right-hander twirled his third consecutive start in which he allowed just two runs – and sixth in seven with two or fewer – when he pitched six impressive innings to beat the Athletics 3-2 in the middle game of this week’s series at Great American Ball Park.
After giving up a leadoff homer to Reds-killer Lawrence Butler in the first, Lowder retired 16 of the next 19 batters he faced until back-to-back one-out hits in the sixth produced the second run against him.
Lowder, who missed all of last season with a series of injuries after a strong debut late in the 2024 season, has a 3.17 ERA in his last three starts.
“I feel like I’m throwing pretty good,” Lowder said. “I kind of flipped the mindset a little bit. I’ve had some good starts and some really bad ones. And when you’re not really helping the team win you want to try to be perfect every time you go out there.
“I just had to be like, ‘You’re not gonna climb out of the hole you dug yourself earlier by being perfect. That’s so much more pressure on yourself. I’m just trying to go out there and have quality innings, make quality pitches and then just see where you’re at, at the end of the game.”
With Brady Singer sticking around after the Reds took him off the trade market at the Aug. 3 deadline, the veteran right-hander could be back next year on a qualifying offer, which could make the Reds’ rotation depth look something like this entering spring training if Greene isn’t ready (minus any offseason additions):
Whatever Greene’s status or offseason moves mean for the overall rotation, Lowder has a chance down the stretch to make his presence felt heading into the planning season.
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Can Rhett Lowder be answer to Cincinnati Reds’ Hunter Greene question?
Reporting by Gordon Wittenmyer, Cincinnati Enquirer / Cincinnati Enquirer
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Gordon Wittenmyer, Cincinnati Enquirer | USA TODAY Network
