Reds' minor trade with Phillies better not impact Rhett Lowder debut

The Cincinnati Reds executed a minor league trade on Tuesday afternoon. The Philadelphia Phillies dealt David Buchanan to the Reds in exchange for cash considerations. Buchanan has spent his entire 2024 campaign with the Phillies' Triple-A affiliate in Lehigh Valley, with the exception of his last start that came at High-A Jersey Shore.

Buchanan is 10-3 in the minor leagues this season and has 23 games under his belt, 17 of which were starts. The right-hander owns a 4.51 ERA and has 82 punch outs over 109 inning of work. Buchanan spent time in both Japan and Korea, and the last time he set foot on a major league mound was in 2015 with the Phillies.

With the rash of injuries the Reds starting rotation has incurred of late, it's no surprise that Nick Krall was looking to add another arm to the mix. But if this latest trade with Philadelphia somehow keeps Cincinnati's top prospect Rhett Lowder down on the farm, the Reds fanbase will be none too happy.

Reds' minor trade with Phillies for David Buchanan better not impact Rhett Lowder's debut

The Reds just sent Brandon Williamson on a rehab assignment at Triple-A Louisville and the left-hander took the ball for Bats' manager Pat Kelly on Tuesday night in the Derby City. But Andrew Abbott, Graham Ashcraft, Hunter Greene, and now Nick Lodolo are all on the injured list.

The Reds effectively have just three starting pitchers on the roster at the moment. Julian Aguiar will get the ball on Thursday for the Reds in their series finale against the Oakland Athletics, and both Carson Spiers and Nick Martinez are likely to start during Friday's doubleheader against the Milwaukee Brewers.

The Reds have decided to go with Fernando Cruz as the starter for Wednesday's game against the A's, but a number of fans want to see Lowder make his major league debut. Last year's first-round pick has made just one start at Triple-A, but Lowder is very advanced and has the stuff to get outs at the major league level.

Don't be surprised, however, if Krall and Co. cowardly keep the right-hander down at Triple-A this week and for the rest of the season. While making the jump for High-A to the major leagues in one season is a rarity, the Reds are running out of options.

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