The Reds announced that the left Brandon Williamson was placed on the 15-day injured list with left shoulder strain. The right hand Zach Maxwell remembered in the parallel movement.
Williamson started yesterday’s game against the Rockies at Great American Ball Park. He pitched three innings before being ruled out with shoulder fatigue. After the game, manager Terry Francona said Williamson would undergo an MRI, according to Charlie Goldsmith of Charlie’s Chalkboard. Today, Francona tells Goldsmith that Williamson’s shoulder is structurally sound but that he will receive a cortisone injection. His specific timeline is unclear but he will spend at least a few weeks on the shelf.
Injuries have been a recurring problem for Williamson in recent seasons. He started the 2024 season in the IL because of strain on his throwing shoulder. His efforts to get healthy that summer hit speed bumps and season-ending surgery seemed possible at the same time. He finally returned in September and made four appearances before suffering an elbow injury, requiring Tommy John surgery. That ended his 2025 season.
Come 2026, Williamson didn’t plan to trade Cincinnati after missing nearly two entire seasons but injuries to other pitchers moved him up the depth chart. Two of Cincinnati’s best starters, Hunter Greene again Nick Lodolohit IL to start the year. That left them spinning Andrew Abbott, Brady Singer, Chase Burns, Rhett Lowder and Williamson.
Those five remain in rotation until now. The results haven’t been great, as the team has a 4.57 cumulative earned run average, better than the other five MLB clubs. Williamson has been part of the problem, with a 6.11 ERA on the year so far. Despite the rotation woes, and many other weak spots, the Reds have managed an impressive 19-11 record thus far.
Although Williamson has not been in good form, it is not fair for the rotation to lose another member when he has been playing above their heads. Moving forward in depth will make it difficult for the club to continue winning unless other parts of the roster step up.
Maxwell is giving them another bull’s arm for now but the Reds don’t have a day off until May 11, so they have games scheduled for the next 11 days. That means they’ll need a fifth starter or bullpen games to get through a few turns in the rotation. Abbott takes the ball today, followed by Singer, Lowder and Burns in the next three.
Jose Franco he’s been a longtime reliever in the league’s bullpen and could be part of the solution Monday, if he’s not needed right now. Lodolo just pitched five innings in a rehab start on Sunday. Assuming he makes another rehab start in the coming days, he could be back in the mix for about a week. Chase Petty he’s on an optional assignment and started yesterday, so he’s on the same schedule as Williamson and he might fit it in for him. Julian Aguiar he is also on voluntary assignment but has been in the IL minor league for the past three weeks.
Photo courtesy of Albert Cesare, Imagn Images
