Reds' spiral emphasized by Rhett Lowder's injury

The month of May hasn't been particularly kind to the Cincinnati Reds. Despite winning a series against the Houston Astros over the weekend, Cincinnati is still just 2-8 this month after starting the 2026 season off so strongly. Sadly, the bad news does not end there, as Rhett Lowder is now ticketed for the injured list.

Lowder had been a big reason why Cincinnati got off to such a hot start. Through his first six starts of the season, he was the proud owner of a 3.18 ERA and 2.91 FIP. The right-hander was finally living up to his prospect hype, but something happened once the calendar flipped to May — both for Lowder and the Reds as a whole.

During his first start of the month, Lowder failed to escape the second inning and surrendered eight earned runs. His most recent start, last only three innings before he was pulled with shoulder discomfort.

The Reds were hopeful that Lowder wouldn't require an IL stint, but sadly those hopes were dashed. Lowder is headed for the IL, and there's a real risk that the Reds' downward spiral could get even worse.

Rhett Lowder's IL stint is the last thing the Reds need right now

It doesn't sound as though the level of concern for Lowder is high — his MRI was clean. But Cincinnati will be down one of their regular starters for the foreseeable future and it's not going to make things any easier.

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 fans have seen from him in the big leagues thus fa. But this is the hand that Cincinnati has been dealt. Petty has the arm talent, but he has to execute.

Lowder's timeline is unknown. 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 stint on the IL. The Reds just have to survive until he gets back and, hopefully, start playing better baseball in the meantime.

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