Graham Ashcraft shouldn't be the only Reds starter moving to the bullpen

As it stands, there is already full occupancy in the 2025 Cincinnati Reds' starting rotation. The Reds made it a point to bolster their pitching staff this offseason, which included trading for former Kansas City Royals starter Brady Singer and re-signing Nick Martinez..

While the overall depth is a good thing for the Reds, it is not so great news for a few pitchers. If all the supposed starters are healthy, Graham Ashcraft is likely heading to the bullpen. But the transition from starter to reliever might not stop at just Ashcraft. Carson Spiers, who has yet to find his footing in the big leagues, could be the next Reds pitcher to moved into a reliever role.

Carson Spiers could join Graham Ashcraft in the Reds bullpen

In his two major league seasons, Spiers has split his time as a starting pitcher and as a reliever. In both roles, he hasn't found much success to date, but he was clearly better coming out of the bullpen.

Over the past two seasons, Spiers has logged 12 starts with the Reds to the tune of an uninspiring 6.90 ERA. Hitters have slugged .578 against Spiers as a starter. At 27 years old, and with young pitchers like Chase Burns, Rhett Lowder, and Chase Petty in the pipeline, Spiers may have already missed his chance to cement a full-time job in the Reds rotation.

In 14 career games out of the bullpen, Spiers' opponent slugging percentage isn't nearly as inflated. Last season, while his strikeout numbers dropped as a reliever, he did a much better job of keeping the ball in the yard. Spiers allowed 2.79 home runs per nine innings pitched as a starter, but only 0.92 as a reliever. As a long reliever in 2024, Spiers registered a trio of three-plus scoreless inning outings, including a seven-strikeout performance in 5 ⅔ frames back in June against the Chicago Cubs.

Spiers came on in relief for the Reds on Monday against the Los Angeles Dodgers. While still auditioning to be part of the rotation, Reds manager Terry Francona had to be encouraged by his five strikeouts in two innings. It's definitely something to build on, and is Spiers' best chance to break camp with the big league club.

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