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Williamson will start season with Reds
Martin County West graduate Brandon Williamson will be on the major league roster of the Cincinnati Reds coming out of Spring Training.
C. Trent Rosecrans of The Athletic reported this (Tuesday) evening that Manager Terry Francona told Williamson the news Tuesday afternoon at the Reds spring facility in Goodyear, Ariz. Also told the news were Chase Burns and Rhett Lowder.
They’re in a short-term “six-for-five” rotation to start the season, joining Andrew Abbott, Nick Lodolo and Brady Singer in the rotation in the spot opened up by Hunter Greene’s elbow surgery.
None of the younger three (Williamson. Burns or Lowder) will pitch in the opening series vs. the Boston Red Sox April 26-29, but two will start the three-game series against the Pittsburgh Pirates the next series, and the other will come into a game in relief.
“We’re not going to have a six-man rotation, but we have six (pitchers) for five (rotation spots),” Francona said to Rosencrans Tuesday afternoon. “Lowder didn’t pitch last year. Williamson hasn’t pitched in 15 months, and Burns has 13 minor-league starts. We’re trying to help those guys along and not sacrifice winning.”
Williamson had Tommy John surgery in 2024, missing the end of that season and all of 2025.
Francona said, for example, Williamson would come into a game after Burns or he could start and have Lowder enter in relief.
“I don’t think we feel the need to say it ahead of time, where strategy goes, but you’re going to see them pitch in one of those two days,” he said. “The score dictates certain things, and if we’re going to do it, we’re going to do it where these guys have a chance to have as normal of a buildup to their pitching progression as possible. We’re not going to do this forever, because it won’t work.”
Francona said Lowder and Burns will pitch in the exhibition games in Milwaukee on Monday and Tuesday, while Williamson will stay in Goodyear when the team breaks camp Sunday and rejoin the team in Cincinnati.
Francona said that last week he floated the idea of carrying all three starters early in the season to pitching coach Derek Johnson.
“I said, ‘Feel free to blow some holes through it,’ and the more he thought about it, he said, ‘I kind of like it,’” Francona said.
As the week went on and all three pitchers threw in Arizona, Francona, Johnson and the team’s front office decided to tell all three Tuesday they’d made the team.
“We sat here and tried to poke holes in it because nothing is going to be perfect,” Francona said. “But we thought this was the best chance us in a number of ways.”
For the spring, Williamson has a 1-0 record with a 1.64 earned run average. In 11 innings he’s allowed two runs, six hits, walked two and struck out 13.