Reds exercising caution with Lowder (elbow) out of the gate

GOODYEAR, Ariz. -- Rhett Lowder isn't worried about his right elbow and neither are the Reds. But the organization's young starting pitcher and No. 2 prospect from 2024 is being handled carefully at Spring Training to the point that he might not be available for their rotation by Opening Day.

Manager Terry Francona declined to give a timetable for getting Lowder back on the mound.

¡°I wouldn¡¯t even put an artificial timetable on him," Francona said on Saturday. "Everybody shoots for Opening Day. I get it; I do, too. We need to do what¡¯s right by him, and we will. So that¡¯s kind of our timetable.¡±

Lowder, who turns 23 on March 8, is ranked by MLB Pipeline as the No. 35 prospect in baseball. He was the seventh overall pick in the 2023 MLB Draft and debuted in the big leagues late last season.

¡°With Lowder, we told him, 'You¡¯re not 37 trying to hang on. You¡¯re a young kid,'" Francona said. "'We need to keep an eye on you and take care of you, so we¡¯ll do that.'¡±

An MRI taken on Lowder's elbow showed no structural damage. As far as Lowder is concerned, the elbow issue is more precautionary than a concern.

"It was January, and I was throwing bullpens and didn¡¯t feel like I was recovering great. I wanted to get checked out to be sure and we came to a good plan. Nothing too serious," he said. ¡°I feel great. I just got in here a little early and started working with the rehab guys. I feel better than ever.¡±

After not pitching professionally in 2023, Lowder moved quickly through the player development system and made only a combined 22 starts at High-A Dayton (five), Double-A Chattanooga (16) and Triple-A Louisville (one) while posting a 3.64 ERA across 108 2/3 innings.

Debuting in the Major Leagues on Aug. 30, Lowder went 2-2 with a 1.17 ERA and a 1.27 WHIP. He allowed 25 hits and 14 walks with 22 strikeouts over 30 2/3 innings.

Those six big league starts should be a boost for him in 2025.

¡°I think it was huge," Lowder said. "It gave me some confidence and opened my eyes to what to expect. I got my feet wet, really, and I¡¯m very grateful for the month I was up here and getting to make those starts. I learned from a lot of these guys. I learned from the competition as well and saw what works and what I need to improve on.¡±

What did the competition tell Lowder?

¡°Everybody is focused and locked in," he said. "Everyone is good, but it¡¯s the same game. As long as I trust my plan and my catcher, just go out there and execute. Usually, the ball will go in your favor, but you never know.¡±

Combining the big leagues and Minor Leagues, Lowder worked 139 1/3 innings last season, more than he's ever pitched.

¡°I don¡¯t think there¡¯s much to that," Lowder said. "I¡¯ve thrown and had long seasons in the past. I threw 120-plus innings the year before. I don¡¯t think it was the workload. I think sometimes there are bumps on the road in the buildup. At this point in my career, you¡¯d rather be safe than sorry. You don¡¯t want to push through something in January."

Lowder worked on his four-pitch mix of four-seam fastballs, sinkers, sliders and changeups during the offseason. He wants to better land his breaking ball to hitters on both sides of the plate.

"In the big leagues, any time you can try to steal a first strike or something, that¡¯s very important," Lowder said. ¡°There were some pitches I had to rely on a little bit more in the Majors that I didn¡¯t necessarily have to rely on in the Minors. Honestly, nothing new but fine-tuning what I had and making sure I¡¯m the best version of myself that I can be. I¡¯m trying to master as much as you can in this game.¡±

For now, however, Lowder will have to take it slow.

¡°There will be a throwing progression first," Francona said. "The good part is [that] he feels really good. He¡¯s champing at the bit. He¡¯ll start to pick up the ball in a couple of days.¡±