Cincinnati Reds Pitcher Rhett Lowder Finds Silver Lining After a Challenging Year

2025 was a frustrating year for Reds pitcher Rhett Lowder; there is no way around it. Lowder dealt with a forearm injury in spring training that kept him out a couple of months before having his rehab assignment cut short due to an oblique strain.

The right-hander didn't make a single appearance with the Reds this season. However, Lowder is finally healthy and he is going to pitch in the Arizona Fall League.

"It's definitely frustrating, but I feel like I've learned a lot this year that is probably good for me in the long run," Lowder told Ben Weinrib at the AFL Media Day. "I've kind of said it, you'd rather have it happen early in your career and learn from it then and try to build on it later in your career. I'm kind of lucky that I'm 23 and dealing with some of this stuff. You never want to get injured, but I've learned a lot about my body and everything. It's been up and down, but I think we're in a better spot than we were."

You can never have too much pitching, but the Reds' rotation was the strength of their team this year. They didn't really miss him. If you could have picked a season for the former first-round draft pick to miss, it probably would have been this season.

Lowder will look to build on his confidence in the AFL since he hasn't thrown to live batters much this season. If all goes to plan, Lowder will be ready for spring training next season.

Other than Lowder, these five players will all particiapte in the AFL: