3 Reds starting pitchers who will begin the 2024 season in Triple-A and 2 who won't

Reds LHP Andrew Abbott will begin the 2024 season in Triple-A

Let me be crystal clear here - Andrew Abbott will begin the 2024 season at Triple-A if, and this is a big if, Nick Martinez is one of the five players in the Cincinnati Reds starting rotation and every single one of the pitchers vying for a starting spot leaves Goodyear 100-percent healthy.

There are those who will read this and think that I have a low opinion of Abbott or I watched the 2023 season with my eyes closed. Nothing could be further from the truth. Personally, I believe Abbott is the best young pitcher in the Reds organization and will be the team's No. 1 starter by the end of the 2024 season.

But this is a numbers game. Unless the Reds are interested in entertaining the idea of a six-man rotation, if the quintet of Martinez, Nick Lodolo, Frankie Montas, Hunter Greene, and Graham Ashcraft are all healthy, Abbott is the odd-man out.

But, as fans plainly saw last season, injuries happen. Seeing as how Lodolo, Greene, and Ashcraft all spent time on the 60-day IL during their second big league season, you don't have to squint very hard to see an injury befall one of the Reds starters. Abbot would then be the next man up.

There's reason to believe that Martinez will enter spring training with the opportunity to start, but fail to impress. Perhaps Lodolo and Ashcraft aren't fully healthy after ending the 2023 season on the injured list. Any number of things will factor into David Bell's decision once the club arrives in Arizona next month.

Make no mistake, Andrew Abbott will be a huge factor for the Cincinnati Reds next season. Look for last year's rookie to start at least 20 games, and become a fixture in the starting rotation at some point next season.