Reds suddenly have Chase Petty as an option worth watching very closely

Most of the Cincinnati Reds' starting rotation issues have an easy remedy. Time. Time for Brady Singer and Andrew Abbott to begin pitching like the back of their baseball cards. Time for Nick Lodolo, who is on the verge of beginning a rehab assignment, to work his way back. Time doesn't heal all wounds, but in the case of the Reds, it can cure a lot.

One thing that is becoming problematic, though, is Brandon Williamson's spot in the rotation. The 28-year-old lefty is working his way back from Tommy John surgery, and things have not gone smoothly. Through five starts, he's issued more walks (16) than strikeouts (15), while getting ground balls at just a 33.3% clip. Giving up free passes plus letting hitters get the ball in the air is a recipe for disaster at Great American Ball Park.

Williamson doesn't have the track record of a guy like Abbott or Singer, and given the nature of his injury, might not be fully ready for primetime yet. The leash needs to be short. Lodolo is his obvious replacement, and while getting the lanky lefty back would be a huge boost, he's always been a wild card when it comes to injury.

If the Reds need to make a move sooner than Lodolo is ready, they have an option to turn to. Chase Petty looked like he was about to be buried after last season's debacle, but recently, he's shown signs of optimism that could put him in a position to be a lifeline.

Chase Petty is starting to look like a Reds' rotation backup plan

Petty is back in action down in Louisville after a brief stint on the seven-day IL for an undisclosed injury. He has made five starts and logged 22⅓ innings at Triple-A this season, and shown some massive improvements over what he did at the level last year.

In 2025, Petty saw his strikeouts drop, and his walks rise. He punched out batters at a disappointing 19.6% rate while issuing free passes at an elevated 11.2% rate. So far this year, both have improved with the 23-year-old coming in with a 26.6% K-rate and an 8.5% BB-rate.

The young right-hander's stuff is electric. There's the high-octane four-seamer that can touch triple digits. There's a two-seamer that he can go to to get ground balls. He's also got a pair of breaking balls that do a good job of inducing whiffs, while his developing change-up serves as a decent offering to mix things up.

However, his problems throwing strikes last year, both at Louisville and his horrendous six-inning big league stint, had some believing that his best fit might be in the bullpen, where his stuff could play up even more, he could simplify his repertoire, and his control issues wouldn't be quite as egregious.

Chase Petty's resurgence comes with a catch Reds fans won't like

There's a catch, though. Petty's done well to clean up the walks, but he still has issues commanding the ball within the strike zone. He's allowed a 50.8% hard hit rate and a 92.2 mph average exit velocity so far this year, proving that you can have all the stuff in the world, but it doesn't matter much if you can't locate it.

Taking the good and the bad, Petty's posted a 4.84 ERA so far. The wounds are less self-inflicted, and it's nice to see him cleaning up the walks and having the strikeouts grow as a result, but until he fixes his problems executing pitches within the zone, he's a risky proposition.

Williamson is a risk, too, so it might not matter if Petty's a finished product or not when and if the Reds give him a call. What matters is he's young and talented and can help bring the team to the next level if everything is clicking. It will be fascinating to see how all of this plays out.

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