With Brandon Williamson on 15-day IL, Reds facing pitching challenges

From the great wealth of pitching the Cincinnati Reds started the year with, both starting and relief, the team found itself squeezed on both ends on the final day of April.

The left shoulder fatigue that No. 5 starter Brandon Williamson had been pushing through recently finally caught up to him in his April 29 start against the Colorado Rockies, forcing him out of the game after three innings in which he labored for command.

After having an MRI on April 30, Williamson received a cortisone shot in the left shoulder and will go on a shoulder program emphasizing strength and range of motion, Reds manager Terry Francona said. There was no structural damage in the shoulder.

No timeline for throwing had been established in the short period between Williamson's morning visit with team Dr. Timothy Kremchek and when Francona addressed local media in his office prior to that day's 12:40 p.m. series finale against the Rockies.

The Reds weren't entirely sure what would come next for the No. 5 spot in the rotation, Francona said, and the team was in the midst 13 consecutive games without an off day.

Andrew Abbott was scheduled to begin another turn through the rotation April 30 against Colorado, followed by Brady Singer, Rhett Lowder and Chase Burns on May 1, May 2 and May 3 against the Pittsburgh Pirates, respectively.

The fifth spot in the rotation comes up again May 4 for the first of four games against the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field.

"We've got to see how we get there. We've got a lot of moving parts," Francona said.

The Reds are now down three starters. Hunter Greene (elbow surgery to remove burn spurs) is effectively out of the picture until at least mid-to-late July and Nick Lodolo, who will make his second rehab start (index finger blister) May 2, would require a third rehab start after that, Francona said.

The bullpen is being stretched, too. Even though Caleb Ferguson is progressing in his rehab with Double-A Chattanooga, Graham Ashcraft was placed on the bereavement list April 29.

Luis Mey was called up to stand in for Ashcraft while Zach Maxwell was called up relative to Williamson's injured-list stint.

Francona didn't indicate how he'd want to approach the next start for the fifth spot in his rotation, saying that state of the pitching staff following the weekend series in Pittsburgh would help them determine their plan.

Jose Franco could be a possible option on May 4. Now in his second call-up with the Reds' big-league club, he's primarily served to provide length out of the bullpen but has been conditioned as a starter at Triple-A and during spring training.

Franco pitched in relief after Williamson exited the April 29 game, and his days would line up for the May 4 Cubs game, assuming he isn't needed in relief prior to that.

Chase Petty might also end up being a consideration because of his experience pitching in 2025 when the Reds had similar personnel or weather-related constraints. Petty last started April 29 and is healthy even though it was a short outing, Francona said. His next rotation turn would line up with the team's need on May 4.

Francona didn't discuss any specific names for the May 4 game at Wrigley. And it would have been uncharacteristic for him to look too far beyond the task at-hand, which was attempting to beat the Rockies and win a fifth consecutive series for the first time since June 2023.

Coming off of recovery from Tommy John surgery, it wasn't altogether a shock that Williamson experienced fatigue at this stage in the season. He earned his starting spot coming out of spring training, and was arguably the most consistent starter in Arizona. But it had been well over a year since Williamson last pitched with the frequency he currently is.

"I don't know if we ever want to put that out there for somebody. Like, 'hey, you're gonna run into trouble,' but when it does happen, I don't think it's out of the ordinary," Francona said. "When he made the club, because he pitched so well in the spring, we were all concerned that, 'OK, it's gonna be every five or six days. There's gonna be some hiccups.' I think that's probably fair."

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: With Brandon Williamson on 15-day injured list, Reds facing pitching challenges