One Problem Could Derail Brandon Williamson’s Spot in Reds Rotation

Williamson has struggled with his command to start the season.

Apr 22, 2026; St. Petersburg, Florida, USA; Cincinnati Reds pitcher Brandon Williamson (55) pitches during the second inning against the Tampa Bay Rays at Tropicana Field. Mandatory Credit: Mike Watters-Imagn Images | Mike Watters-Imagn Images

The Reds fell to the Rays 6-1 on Wednesday afternoon, ending their five-game win streak. Brandon Williamson took the mound for the Reds and really struggled, giving up five earned runs on seven hits and three walks. He struck out three. While giving up seven in just 4 1/3 innings isn't ideal, it's the walks that are becoming a concern for the left-handed Williamson.

After Williamson got a 1-2-3 inning in the first, he started the second inning by walking former Red Ryan Vilade and walking center fielder Jonny DeLuca. Both of them ended up scoring in the inning. Williamson also hit Nick Fortes with a pitch in the inning.

“I was trying to do too much with those," Williamson told MLB.com's Mark Sheldon about hitting Fortes on an 0-2 pitch. "There are a few where I got to 0-2 or two-strike counts at least and couldn’t finish either because I put it too over the plate or I tried to do too much and then they got back in the count.”

After walking just three batters in his first two starts of the season, Williamson has walked six, four, and three batters in his last three starts. Through five starts, he's got an ERA of 5.40 and a FIP of 6.30. That simply isn't good enough.

When he had command, he was fine," manager Terry Francona said. "He had a good changeup. He spins it. There were unforced errors, I guess you’d call it.”

When you dig into Williamson’s underlying numbers, they don't give you much reason for optimism. His .516 expected slugging and .403 expected wOBA both rank near the bottom of the league, and his 13.4 percent strikeout rate is also in the bottom tier. Simply put, he’s not missing bats.

That’s really what it comes down to right now. Hitters aren’t being fooled, and his stuff just hasn’t been sharp enough to consistently get outs. When you’re not generating swings and misses, you’re getting hit hard, and you’re not consistently throwing strikes, that’s a really tough combination to overcome.

While it's hard to have high expectations on the 28-year-old after not appearing in a game for over a year before this season, the Reds need him to command better until Nick Lodolo returns. Lodolo is expected to make a rehab appearance with High-A Dayton on Friday night.

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