Reds Andrew Abbott Taking it Slow in Spring Training with Shoulder Recovery

Throughout the offseason, the buzz surrounding the Reds centered on their impressive pitching depth and the lingering question: why haven’t they traded a starter to acquire a power-hitting outfielder?

As the old saying goes, you can never have too much pitching.

Rhett Lowder is dealing with elbow soreness that will delay his start of camp and now Andrew Abbott is coming into camp a bit behind others as he continues to recover from the shoulder injury that ended his 2024 season.

“We’re not that far off," Abbott told MLB.com's Mark Sheldon. "Normal offseason, a few hiccups every now and then. I was in contact with them. I told them coming in that it was probably smart to go slower to make sure that we take care of the problem before it becomes an actual problem. They agreed. They’re building it out to what we both believe will be beneficial for us and the team.”

The 25-year-old is already throwing bullpen sessions, but he isn't quite ready for live batting practice sessions quite yet.

“You’re going to see him a little later than the other guys because we need to take care of him," manager Terry Francona said. "We think we can nip something in the bud rather than not do it appropriately. We just want to give him a base where he can go out and log innings.”

Abbott appears to be a shoo-in for the Opening Day rotation, but it’s worth noting that a few major outlets have projected otherwise, predicting rookie Rhett Lowder could claim his spot,

You can read Mark Sheldon's full article here.

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