Reds Designate Veteran Catcher for Assignment, Place Rhett Lowder on Injured List

The Cincinnati Reds made multiple roster moves on Wednesday. They signed veteran starting pitcher Chris Paddack.

To make room for Paddack on the 40-man roster, they designated catcher P.J. Higgins for assignment. They also placed starting pitcher Rhett Lowder on the 15-day injured list with right shoulder pain.

Higgins Move is a Business Move

The Reds already have two healthy catchers on the 40-man roster, which made Higgins the most likely player to get DFA'd. Higgins' specialty has been his ability to challenge balls and strikes with the new ABS system. He's been fantastic in the minor leagues at it and did well with it in his short stint with the Reds.

Higgins appeared in five games for the Reds this season, going 2-10 with an RBI and four strikeouts. 2026 was the first time he's been back in the big leagues since 2022, when he appeared in 74 games with the Chicago Cubs.

What to Expect from Paddack

Red — Apr 21, 2026; Miami, Florida, USA; Miami Marlins starting pitcher Chris Paddack (33) throws against the St. Louis Cardinals during the first inning at loanDepot Park. Mandatory Credit: Rhona Wise-Imagn Images | Rhona Wise-Imagn Images

While fans will be quick to crush the front office for signing Paddack, who has an ERA of 5.35 and 7.63 over the last two seasons, the Reds had to go out and sign someone. They don't have anyone healthy at Triple-A Louisville that is ready to come up and start and there are only a limited amount of free agent starting pitchers available on the market.

Paddack throws six pitches, a four-seam fastball, a changeup, a sweeper, a cutter, a curve, and a sinker.

He throws his four-seamer about 32% of the time, which has given him problems this season. Opponents are hitting .361 off that pitch. His cutter has been even worse. Opponents are hitting .455 against his cutter this season.

While the overall stats look terrible, he's had four of his seven starts where he's given up two runs or less. The other three starts, he got crushed, giving up seven, eight, and five runs.

If Paddack can give the Reds five innings of three-run baseball, I think they'd happily take it. Let's see what Reds pitching coach Derek Johnson can get out of him.

Still Waiting to Hear on Brady Singer

May 1, 2026; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Cincinnati Reds starting pitcher Brady Singer (51) delivers a pitch against the Pittsburgh Pirates during the first inning at PNC Park. Mandatory Credit: Justin Berl-Imagn Images | Justin Berl-Imagn Images

Brady Singer pitched just 3 2/3 innings in Tuesday's loss to the Nationals after he was hit by a 107 mph come-backer on the foot.

While Singer was hopeful he can make his next start, Reds manager Terry Francona sounded a little more concerned.

"He was hurting. He was hurting. He'll never say a word, but I know he was feeling it. It's the foot he drives off of and you could see his velocity dip right after that happened. Like I said, we'll keep an eye on him because he's limping around pretty good."

We will likely hear an update on Singer before tonight's game.

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