Reds Pitcher Comes Up Just Short of Important Super-Two Eligibility

CINCINNATI – The deadline to avoid arbitration hearings was on Thursday. The Reds have two players who failed to agree to terms on an extension: Tyler Stephenson and Graham Ashcraft. The reported numbers on their differences are less than $1 million combined.

One player that was speculated to be arbitration-eligible was Brandon Williamson, but it turns out he misses the Super Two deadline by just one day.

What makes this interesting is that second baseman Matt McLain made his Major League debut just one day prior to Williamson. McLain debuted on May 15, 2023, while Williamson debuted on May 16, 2023, against the Colorado Rockies. That makes Matt McLain Super Two eligible and subject to arbitration after two seasons of service time, instead of the traditional three seasons. Elly De La Cruz, Andrew Abbott, Christian Encarnacion-Strand, and Noelvi Marte debuted the same season in June, July, and August. They will not be arbitration-eligible until after the 2026 season.

The 27-year-old missed the entirety of the 2025 season after suffering a torn UCL, requiring Tommy John surgery. In 2023, the left-hander went 5-5 with a 4.46 ERA in 23 starts. He struck out 98 batters, and batters had a .248 average against him.

He began the 2024 season on the injured list with a shoulder strain. That kept him off the active roster until September 1. He tore his UCL just four appearances later. This is what Williamson told reporters in an article from Mark Sheldon.

“I know what next year looks like. I just went through most of it this year," Williamson said. "It’s my challenge now. It’s my career. I’m going to make the best of it. Pouting or being upset about it doesn’t help at all. I’ll just keep laying bricks.”

When asked if he felt the injury coming, he responded.

“It kind of came out of nowhere," Williamson said. "I hadn’t really been feeling anything in my elbow for, dare I say, my career. I’ve always been more of a shoulder guy. I felt like I cleaned my shoulder up and came back, and for whatever reason, my elbow went.”

If he can come back and be ready to start next season, he gives the Reds another option in the rotation to take some pressure off of rookies Rhett Lowder and Chase Burns. To this point, the loss of Nick Martinez and Zack Littell may not be as noticeable if Williamson and Julian Aguiar, who also tore his UCL just days after Williamson, can be in contention for a roster spot coming out of Spring Training.

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