After flying through the minor leagues in 2024 and spending the final month in the big leagues with the Reds, this past year was a disaster for Rhett Lowder. He wouldn’t pitch in Cincinnati all season and spent the full year on the injured list.
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The bad news for Rhett Lowder rolled in before spring training began. As he was getting prepared for the start of his time out in Arizona his elbow just wasn’t recovering as it usually does after throwing and it was announced he was going to be behind schedule.
For the 23-year-old it seemed like a small setback and in early May he was back on the mound to start a rehab assignment. His first start came with the Arizona Complex League Reds on the 6th and he threw 3.0 innings with five strikeouts against a lineup of mostly teenagers. His next rehab start was five days later in Dayton and he threw 3.0 innings again, but got hit around a little as he allowed seven base runners and four earned runs.
After that he was moved up to Triple-A with Louisville. Things didn’t go well in his first outing with the Bats as he only recorded one out while giving up four hits, four runs, and a walk before exiting the game having thrown 29 pitches. Five days later he took the mound again and he walked a batter in the 1st inning. As he was warming up for the 2nd inning he injured his oblique and was removed from the game.
He missed nearly four months with that injury before returning to Louisville for another rehab start. He threw 34 pitches and allowed a run in 2.0 innings on September 13th. That would be his final rehab start because following the outing his shoulder didn’t recover quite as much as it normally would.
Three weeks later he was added to the Arizona Fall League. With Peoria he made four starts and was limited in his usage, throwing just 9.0 innings as he pitched once a week.
For all 2025 Season Reviews and Scouting Reports – click here (these will come out during the week throughout the offseason).
Position: Right-handed pitcher | B/T: R/R
Height: 6′ 2″ | Weight: 200 lbs. | Acquired: 1st Round (2023 draft) | Born: March 8, 2002
Fastball | Lowder throws both a 2-seamer and a 4-seamer. In 2025, during his very limited action, he was throwing both a bit harder than he did in 2024 during his time with the Reds.
Slider | It’s an above-average offering in the mid-80’s with downward biting action.
Change Up | An above-average pitch in the mid-80’s with good tumbling action.
Lowder is pretty much big league ready when he’s healthy. Over the final month of the 2024 season he found success with the Reds at the big league level when it comes to preventing runs but there were a lot of reasons to think plenty needed to change if that was going to continue. During that stretch he didn’t give up any home runs, he walked more batters than usual, and his strikeout rate was very low. The chances that he continued to find success with those walk and strikeout rates weren’t high and the chances he continued to not give up any home runs…. well, you can see where it’s all going.
With that said, in the minor leagues and in college prior to that, he never had issues with walks and struck out plenty of hitters. He throws plenty of strikes, and even in the big leagues he threw strikes around a league-average rate, but he struggled to put hitters away during his 2024 season.
Making the adjustment to the big leagues where he can lower those walks a little bit and increase how often he can put away hitters will be the final step he needs to make in terms of what he does on the mound when it comes to hitters. Lowder likely needs to improve on his ability to hold runners on. Since making his professional debut opposing base runners have stolen 23 bases in 26 attempts. That’s an 88% success rate.
After an injury-filled 2025 season where he dealt with some elbow, oblique, and shoulder issues he’s going to have to also show that he can remain on the mound some, too.
Stats
He only rehabbed in 2025. Below are his stats from the 2024 season when he was healthy and not pitching rehab games.
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Interesting Stat on Rhett Lowder
While pitching in the Arizona Fall League in 2025 opposing hitters hit .143/.200/.143 against against him in the 1st inning. They hit .333/.391/.714 against him in the 2nd and 3rd innings, covering 23 plate appearances.