Is It Time for the Reds to Be Concerned About Andrew Abbott?

You should always take Spring Training results with a grain of salt. However, for Reds starting pitcher Andrew Abbott, his struggles this spring are hard to ignore.

On Monday afternoon, Abbott struggled mightily against the Arizona Diamondbacks, giving up eight earned runs on eight hits and three walks in just two plus innings of work. His ERA rose to 13.85 this spring.

While you never know what pitchers are working on in Spring Training, Abbott had the below to say after his last start.

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"Execution is still turning a corner. I got more swings and misses today. I was in the zone. My changeup was way better. You can see incremental changes. Now it's about pitching like I'm going into the regular season. It's time to stop working on stuff."

That quote is concerning because it suggests that Abbott went into Monday's start with the idea of pitching as if it were a regular-season game.

After Monday's performance, Abbott admitted he's frustrated.

“I’m overall frustrated,” Abbott told Charlie Goldsmith of Charlie's Chalkboard. “The results aren’t what I want, obviously. I feel my process is there. My work in the bullpens has been there. I’m waiting out the storm, waiting to see when it’ll click.”

Spring Training Struggles Happen

Cincinnati Reds starting pitcher Hunter Greene (21) reacts as Los Angeles Dodgers right fielder Teoscar Hernandez (37) runs the bases on a three-run home run in the third inning of the MLB National League Wild Card Game 1 between the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Cincinnati Reds at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles on Tuesday, Sept. 30, 2025. The Dodgers won game 1 of the series, 10-5. | Sam Greene/The Enquirer / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

If you’re looking for a reason to stay optimistic, spring training results don’t always carry over, good or bad. For example, let's look at Hunter Greene in 2024. In 15 Spring Training innings, Greene had an ERA of 7.20. What did Greene do in the regular season? He became an All-Star for the first time in his career and was voted eighth in the National League Cy Young voting.

Greene had the best season of his career, posting a 2.75 ERA with 169 strikeouts over 150 1/3 innings. Spring training results can be tough to judge, so the hope is Abbott can follow a similar path to Greene’s 2024 season.

With Opening Day less than 10 days away, it's fair for Reds fans to be a bit concerned, but there is no need to panic just yet.

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