Rhett Lowder 'ready no matter what' to find a spot in Reds' rotation

GOODYEAR, AZ. − Rhett Lowder isn’t taking anything for granted ahead of the 2026 MLB season. Even as he’s pitched like the frontrunner in the race to be the Cincinnati Reds’ No. 5 starter, his main goal remained making the Opening Day roster.

Ahead of Lowder’s March 9 start against the Athletics, he’d had allowed just one run and four hits in eight innings of work (including a start against Cuba ahead of the World Baseball Classic). Those numbers were not only comparable to the best of the remaining players vying for the No. 5 starting spot, but they compared favorably to every Reds starter still in big-league camp.

Lowder wasn’t getting ahead of himself.

Cincinnati Reds pitcher Rhett Lowder (25) poses for a portrait during the Cincinnati Reds picture day, Tuesday, Feb. 17, 2026, at the Cincinnati Reds player development complex in Goodyear, Ariz.

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“Obviously, I want to make the team but no matter where I end up, I want to be the best version of myself anyway,” Lowder said. “I’m not trying any less hard if I was going to be in Louisville… I want to play my best baseball no matter where I’m going to be playing, and that’s, I think, no matter the situation, my preparation’s gonna be the same. Obviously, I want to make the team.”

The landscape of the race to be the No. 5 starter could shift, though. The Reds haven’t made it official, but Hunter Greene seems likely to at least start the season late due to being away seeking medical evaluations for right elbow stiffness.

If Lowder was the leading candidate to be Cincinnati’s No. 5. starter, an Opening Day roster that doesn’t feature Greene could bump Lowder up a spot.

Lowder said the Greene situation didn’t change his outlook on the remaining work this spring, and that his goals remained the same.

“I have no idea of his situation. I haven’t heard anything more than − like, I found out from the media,” Lowder said. “I wish him the best because he’s our best pitcher. He’s a huge part of this team and we need him but I think I’ll be ready no matter what. Take (Hunter) out of it, (Matt) Tracy and D.J. (Derek Johnson) are planning out our progressions and I feel good about where I am now.

“We’ve still got a couple weeks, so I don’t think it really changes much. I’m still gonna do the same thing on my end.”

The rest of the starting staff for the outset of the regular season seems to be falling into place. Absent more information about Greene’s injury, 2025 MLB All-Star Andrew Abbott was named the Opening Day starter March 8. There’s no reason to think Nick Lodolo (9-8, 3.33 ERA in 29 starts in 2025) and innings-eater Brady Singer (14-12, 4.03 ERA in 32 starts) wouldn’t follow Abbott.

The questions arise when you consider the possibility of the Reds missing Greene for any amount of time. If Lowder is one of the answers, what remains of the group that started camp looking to be the No. 5 starter − namely, Chase Burns and Brandon Williamson − would still be vying to settle the fifth spot.

On March 9 against the A’s, Lowder had relative struggles for the first time in 2026 Cactus League play. He was charged with three earned runs (five runs total), seven hits and no walks against four strikeouts. Lowder was pulled after 3 2/3 innings (59 pitches).

Even in a rougher outing, there were reasons to feel good about how Lowder looked.

He rebounded from allowing three earned runs in the first inning, facing the minimum number of hitters in the second inning followed by stranding a runner in the third. Only after he departed with two outs in the fourth inning did a runner he allowed score when pitcher Connor Phillips allowed a two-run homer to Jeff McNeil.

The A’s came out swinging, and Lowder made adjustments that worked. He also got some work with traffic on the bases − stressful but necessary work for pitchers during spring training.

“We flipped our game plan. Obviously, they were coming out hunting fastball,” Lowder said. “And so we just flipped the script and it worked… I think today was awesome. This was exactly what I needed, especially coming off not many games last year. Getting some traffic. Getting behind in the count. Having to throw different pitches. See a mix of righties, lefties. This was exactly what I needed, and I feel like I handled it well after getting that adversity early.”

Reds drop game to Athletics

The A’s (7-10) outlasted the Reds, 9-7, at Goodyear Ballpark after Cincinnati had a late flourish at the plate.

Early on, Matt McLain, who played shortstop and hit leadoff, notched singles in his first two at-bats. After his leadoff single in the first inning that trickled into center field, J.J. Bleday hammered a two-run home run to halve the Reds’ deficit at 4-2.

McLain finished the day 2-for-3 with a walk.

Noelvi Marte drove in a run for Cincinnati (7-8) on a double that plated Nathaniel Lowe.

Then came the eighth inning. The Reds plated a run on a sacrifice fly by Jay Allen II, the No. 25-rated prospect in the Cincinnati organization.

Immediately after that, Rece Hinds clapped a three-run homer off the Goodyear Ballpark scoreboard in left field. The tape-measure shot featured an estimated distance of 437 feet. Cincinnati brought the tying run to the plate in the bottom of the ninth but failed to score again.

Next up for the Reds | A trip to play the Rockies

Brandon Williamson is scheduled to start for Cincinnati March 10 against the Colorado Rockies at Salt River Fields at Talking Stick (4:05 p.m. ET). Lyon Richardson, Caleb Ferguson, Anthony Misiewicz are also scheduled to pitch for the Reds.

Wednesday, March 11 will be a big day for observing Reds pitchers with Opening Day starter Andrew Abbott on the mound to start against the Milwaukee Brewers. Behind him, closer Emilio Pagán, Tony Santillan, Graham Ashcraft and Zach Maxwell are also scheduled to pitch for Cincinnati.

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