Reds finally make top prospect promotion fans have been clamoring for

It's happening! Rhett Lowder is on his way to the big leagues. The Cincinnati Reds needed an extra arm with Friday's doubleheader against the Milwaukee Brewers, and according to C. Trent Rosecrans of The Athletic, Lowder will make his big league debut later this week.

The Reds front office is oftentimes very reluctant to fast-track prospects through the minor leagues so quickly. Lowder began this season at High-A Dayton, but after five games it was apparent he needed a more difficult challenge. Lowder struck out 29 batters in 25.1 innings and posted a 2.249 ERA.

The Reds quickly added Lowder to the starting rotation at Double-A Chattanooga, and after some initial struggles, the right-hander found his groove. Lowder's final line with the Chattnooga Lookouts saw him strike out 77 batters in 77.1 innings pitched. The 22-year-old posted a 4.31 ERA, but over his final six starts in Double-A, Lowder allowed just four runs while holding opponents to a .478 OPS against. Lowder made his Triple-A debut just last week and pitched six scoreless innings with seven punch outs.

Reds prospect set to make MLB debut on Friday vs. Brewers

Normally, the Reds would probably have preferred to keep Lowder at Triple-A for the remainder of the 2024 season. But with injuries to Hunter Greene, Nick Lodolo, Andrew Abbott, and Brandon Williamson, the Reds were running out of viable arms to deploy.

Cincinnati ran out Jakob Junis to start Tuesday's game against the Oakland A's and will send opener Fernando Cruz to the hill on Wednesday. But with nine games in nine days including a doubleheader, it became obvious that Cincinnati needed another starter to join the rotation of Julian Aguiar, Nick Martinez, and Carson Spiers.

It remains to be seen whether Lowder will act as the Reds' 27th-man for the doubleheader or if he'll remain in the rotation. Regardless, getting a chance to see last year's first-round pick will be quite the treat for a Reds fanbase that's had little to cheer about this season.

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