Cincinnati Reds Have Reason to Worry After a Top Prospect Hastily Leaves Rehab Start

Rhett Lowder threw 12 pitches in a rehab start at Triple-A Louisville, then was done for the night.

Cincinnati Reds pitcher Rhett Lowder (25), center, has a conversation with a staff member, left, and non-roster invitee Chase Burns (81) after a pitching session during spring training, , Feb. 21, 2025, at the Cincinnati Reds Player Development Complex in Goodyear, Ariz. | Frank Bowen IV/The Enquirer / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Alarm bells might be going off in the executive offices of the Cincinnati Reds after what happened Wednesday night in Louisville, Ky.

Rhett Lowder, the No. 31 overall prospect as ranked by MLB Pipeline, made a rehab start for the Louisville Bats against the Gwinnett Stripers. The No. 2 prospect in the Reds system, Lowder threw just 12 pitches before being removed from the game, making that ominous walk off the field with a trainer.

After a leadoff walk in the first inning, Lowder retired the side. When he took the mound in the second inning, he threw just one pitch before Reds staff left the dugout to talk with him – then left the diamond with him due to an apparent injury.

Rhett Lowder left his rehab start tonight for Louisville after just 12 pitches with an injury.#Reds #RedsMiLB pic.twitter.com/dWN7mtd1pF

— Chatterbox Sports (@CBoxSports) May 22, 2025

In a rehab start last week against Triple-A Indianapolis, Lowder got just one out and departed after giving up four runs on four hits and a walk, throwing 29 pitches.

Heading into the game Thursday night, the 23-year-old Lowder was 0-3 in three starts and a 14.21 ERA. In 6.1 innings at three levels, he’d given up 13 hits, with batters crushing the ball against him, hitting .394.

He has been sidelined since spring training by elbow soreness in his right pitching arm.

The Reds selected Lowder with the No. 7 overall pick of the 2023 MLB Draft out of Wake Forest, making him the next pitcher taken after Pittsburgh Pirates star Paul Skenes.

In 2024, he made a fast rise through the Reds system, going from High-A to Double-A to Triple-A and finally to Cincinnati after just 22 starts. He was 6-4 with a 3.64 ERA, striking out 113 batters and walking 24 in 108.2 innings in the minors.

In six starts with the Reds, he was 2-2 with a 1.17 ERA in 30.2 innings.

Lowder showed enough promise in his stint in the big leagues last season that the Reds had to be excited about his potential. Now, they must be wondering what is next with this alarming apparent injury.

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