Reds facing familiar Brandon Williamson problem that just won’t go away

It was no fluke that Brandon Williamson made the 2026 Cincinnati Reds Opening Day roster. The left-hander, coming off Tommy John surgery, outperformed almost every other Reds pitcher during spring training and earned his way onto that flight from Goodyear to Cincinnati.

But keeping his spot in the rotation may prove to be much more difficult, especially once Nick Lodolo returns from his upcoming rehab assignment. Williamson has been plagued by command issues at times, and some long innings have made him prone to seeing some crooked numbers posted on the scoreboard. On the season, Williamson has recorded more walks (16) than strikeouts (15).

Brandon Williamson is putting the Reds bullpen in a bad spot

During the Reds' getaway game at Tropicana Field on Wednesday, Williamson ran into trouble during the second inning. After was a near-flawless first, he walked the first two batters he faced during the second and both runners came around to score. He lasted into the fifth inning and was lifted in favor of Connor Phillips.

Williamson got the win during his previous start in his home state of Minnesota, but it was not without incident. The southpaw lasted 5⅓ innings, but walked four batters and only struck out two. Williamson surrendered just one earned run during that start, but at one point, strung together three straight walks.

Williamson's worst start of the season came about two weeks ago against the Los Angeles Angels. The Reds' lefty walked an distasteful six batters and was removed after just four innings of work. In fact, it was the fourth inning that was his undoing. Williamson walked two batters and the Halos plated two. He was lifted having thrown nearly 100 pitches through just four innings.

The command just hasn't been there for Williamson to begin the season, and it's why he'll likely be optioned back to Triple-A Louisville if Lodolo comes through his rehab assignment unscathed. Lodolo is scheduled to pitch four innings for High-A Dayton later this week, and will likely receive at least one more rehab start before returning to the active roster.

It's a testament to Williamson's resolve that he was even part of the Reds Opening Day roster, but it's obvious that he still has some kinks to work out before becoming a permanent fixture in the starting rotation.

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