Rhett Lowder's move to the Reds bullpen is exactly what he needs to rebound

The return of Hunter Greene created a logjam in the Cincinnati Reds' starting rotation. Rather than go with a six-man unit, which would have put further strain on the struggling bullpen, someone needed to get the boot and work in relief. Fans have since learned that pitcher would be Rhett Lowder.

The early returns were something of a mixed bag. On the one hand, Greene laying an egg and lasting just 3⅓ innings in his return on July 4 threatened to deplete the bullpen, but the rest of the arms were saved by Lowder logging three scoreless innings. Unfortunately, it wasn't a completely clean performance as the 24-year-old allowed a lot of traffic with three walks and two hits.

Lowder made his second relief outing on Wednesday night against the Philadelphia Phillies. He locked down the eighth and ninth innings, allowing just a solo home run to Kyle Schwarber while striking out two of the 10 batters he faced to end the game. The Reds won the game by the final score of 11-5.

The question now is what does this mean for the future of Cincinnati's pitching staff.

Moving Rhett Lowder to the Reds bullpen could be helpful for the struggling youngster

There are going to be some who never like the idea of moving a promising young starter to the bullpen, typically citing anecdotal cases of how it hasn't worked out with previous players.

That, however, ignores Lowder's current reality. The right-hander hasn't pitched much recently, with 2025 being a lost season due to injury. Managing his workload and protecting his right arm are important too, especially as a shoulder injury cost him some time again this season.

Lowder got off to a hot start with a 3.18 ERA over the season's first month, but since May 1, he owns a 7.85 ERA while working as a starter. This trip to the bullpen could be a bonus in two ways, limiting his innings count while giving him something of a mental reset by pitching in a different role.

It sounds like the Reds are still mapping out how they'll utilize Lowder as a reliever with both long-man work and high-leverage innings on the table. It also doesn't seem like the move will be a permanent one. Getting different looks, especially high-leverage ones, could help Lowder work out of jams more effectively as a starter. Cincinnati still has confidence in his talent, so his presence out there could help shore up the weak bullpen as the team tries to climb back into contention.

From there, we'll have to see. The likely scenario is that the Reds find the mountain to climb too difficult and become deadline sellers. Even if they don't, though, it might behoove them to move on from Brady Singer since he'll be gone in the offseason regardless, allowing Lowder to be reinserted into the rotation.

One way or another, it's almost a guarantee that Lowder finishes the season in the Reds' rotation; the questions will just be when and who he'll replace.

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