Reds' spiral emphasized by Rhett Lowder's injury after struggles mounted

The month of May has not been particularly kind to the Cincinnati Reds. Despite taking their series against the Astros over the weekend, they are still just 2-8 this month after starting the 2026 season off so strongly, after getting swept in a pair of series to fierce NL Central rivals. Sadly, the bad news does not end there for the good guys.

Rhett Lowder had been a big reason why Cincinnati got off to such a hot start. Through his first six starts of the season, Lowder was the proud owner of a 3.18 ERA and 2.91 FIP. He was finally living up to his prospect hype, but something happened once the calendar turned over to May. In his first start this month, Lowder failed to escape the second inning and ended up being on the hook for eight earned runs. In his last start, he only went three innings before being pulled with shoulder discomfort.

The Reds were initially hopeful that Lowder would not require an injured list stint. Sadly, those hopes have been dashed, and now that Lowder is indeed headed for the IL, there is a real risk that the Reds' downward spiral could get even worse.

Rhett Lowder's impending injured list stint is pretty much the last thing the Reds need right now

When a team is in a funk, one of the best ways to work your way out of it is to have at least some stability in your rotation. While it still doesn't sound like the concern level is high for Lowder and his MRI was clean, that Cincinnati will be down one of their regular starters for the foreseeable future is not going to make things any easier when it comes to rebounding the rest of the way.

In all likelihood, the Reds will have to turn to Chase Petty to eat some innings and show what he is capable of. That doesn't inspire the most confidence, given what we have seen from him in the big leagues thus far, but this is the hand that Cincinnati has been dealt. Petty has the arm talent, but he HAS to execute.

As for how long Lowder could be out, that is difficult to say. There is no surgery or specific injury to base a timeline off of, so this is just going to come down to how he feels on a day-to-day basis. That said, the Reds have said that he is going to continue to throw off a mound while on the injured list, so there is some optimism that this could be a short IL stint. The Reds just have to survive until he gets back and, hopefully, start playing better baseball in the meantime.

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