Reds dump trade deadline acquisition to clear roster spot for Rhett Lowder’s debut

The Cincinnati Reds made it official on Friday morning. Rhett Lowder's contract was selected from Triple-A Louisville and in a corresponding move, the Reds optioned Brandon Leibrandt to Triple-A Louisville. Cincinnati then designated infielder Davis Wendzel for assignment.

Leibrandt was added to the Reds' 40-man roster on Thursday to help the Reds weather the storm with so many injuries befalling the starting rotation over the past few weeks. The Reds are without Hunter Greene, Andrew Abbott, Nick Lodolo, and Graham Ashcraft, so Cincinnati needed some length in the bullpen.

Wendzel was acquired from the Texas Rangers at this year's MLB trade deadline. The move itself received very little fanfare, and Wendzel never stepped onto a major league field for the Reds. In 26 games at Triple-A Louisville, Wendzel hit just .233/.327/.279.

Reds dump trade deadline acquisition to clear roster spot for Rhett Lowder’s debut

But the biggest news coming from this announcement is that Lowder is actually joining the active roster and will not act as the 27th man for today's doubleheader. That duty falls to Yosver Zulueta. As the 27th man, Zulueta will receive one day of service time and be optioned back to Triple-A after Friday's games.

This would seem to indicate that Lowder is here to stay for the rest of the 2024 season. Of course, the Reds could always option Lowder back to Triple-A if need be, but given that Cincinnati only has three starting pitchers on their active roster (Nick Martinez, Carson Spirers, and Julian Aguiar) outside of Lowder, it's prudent that he remains in Cincinnati.

Lowder spent the 2024 season climbing up through the Cincinnati farm system. The right-hander stayed just over a month in High-A before making the leap to Double-A. Though Lowder endured a rough patch during his time with the Chattanooga Lookouts, he eventually righted the ship and made the jump to Triple-A Louisville. Now, he's in the big leagues.

Lowder will get the ball for Game 2 of Friday's doubleheader against the Milwaukee Brewers. Martinez drew the start for Game 1 and will be opposed by Brewers' starter Colin Rea.

More Cincinnati Reds News and Rumors