Why Losing Hunter Greene for Opening Day Could Be A Positive For The Cincinnati Reds

CINCINNATI – With the recent reporting of Hunter Greene starting the season in the injured list, there are three young starting pitchers may be tapped to fill his role to start the year.

Going into Spring Training, the assumption was that the first four of the rotation were set and the final spot would be decided upon with results during camp if everyone is healthy. Mark Sheldon recently reported that ace Hunter Greene will most likely begin the season on the injured list after dealing with an elbow injury this spring. That leaves two spots available with three contenders: Brandon Williamson, Chase Burns, and Rhett Lowder.

Chase Burns was the most likely winner for the final spot in the rotation in mine, and a lot of people's eyes. He was the second-overall pick in the 2024 MLB Draft and flew through the Reds' system in 2025, debuting in June with a dominating performance versus the New York Yankees. He was humbled against the Red Sox, giving up five earned runs in 1/3 of an inning. If you take away that game, Burns had a 3.56 ERA. He pitched out of the bullpen towards the end of the year due to an innings limit. I would like to see more out of him as a starter. This spring, he has a 2.08 ERA in 4 1/3 innings with seven strikeouts and five walks.

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Rhett Lowder missed the majority of 2025 with injury. He pitched in five games in rehab starts and in four games in the Arizona Fall League. The 24-year-old was a serious candidate to make the rotation in 2025 before the injury. In 2024, Lowder was 2-2 with a 1.17 ERA in 30 2/3 innings pitched. So far this spring, he has a 1.80 ERA in five innings with two walks and seven strikeouts. His strikeouts-per-nine is at 12.6 and his walks-per-nine is at 3.6. A healthy Rhett Lowder is deserving of a spot in the rotation.

A pitcher that I really like is Brandon Williamson. He debuted in May of 2023 and pitched better at the Major League level than he did in the Minors. He was 5-5 with a 4.46 ERA in 23 starts with an ERA+ of 104. In 2024, he had a 3.77 ERA in four games. A back injury limited him at the start of the season, but he was pitching well until he tore his UCL in September, causing him to miss all of 2025 with Tommy John surgery. While I will not rule out the possibility of him starting the season with the Reds, I see him starting the year in Triple-A to build back stamina on his surgically repaired elbow and be available down the stretch. He reportedly added velocity this offseason as well. In four innings this spring, Williamson has a 4.50 ERA with six strikeouts and a walk. The 27-year-old has experience on his side, but has a more serious injury that he rehabbed from as well.

While losing your ace isn't ideal, losing Hunter Greene for a brief period of time to start the season might benefit the future of this team. With Brady Singer facing free agency this offseason and no talks of a Nick Lodolo extension, there's no better way to see what you have in a young pitcher than to see them pitch at the Major League level and be ready when the time comes to be a full-time starter at the highest level.

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