Brandon Williamson’s latest rehab outing went sideways fast, and it leaves the Reds with another layer of rotation uncertainty to sort through.
The left-hander, who last appeared in a big league game on April 29 against the Colorado Rockies, had already been knocked around there, allowing four runs on four hits in three innings while walking four and striking out four. A few days later, he landed on the injured list with left-shoulder fatigue.
On Thursday, Williamson made his second rehab start with Triple-A Louisville, and it was over almost as soon as it began. He didn’t get through the first inning, surrendering four runs on two hits and two walks while striking out one. In all, he managed just two outs and threw 19 of his 34 pitches for strikes before being pulled.
What happens next with Williamson is murky, especially with Nick Lodolo set to return to the rotation next week. For now, it sounds like the Reds may simply keep sending Williamson out on rehab assignments until they have to decide what to do with him. If that’s the path, a return to Louisville wouldn’t be a surprise.
Chase Burns is another name worth watching. He’s believed to have some kind of innings limit, and if he’s shut down at any point over the next couple of months, Williamson could become the next man up in the rotation.
The biggest issue for Williamson has been the walks, and if he does work his way back into the big league mix, command will have to be the first thing he fixes.
While Williamson was struggling in Louisville, the Reds were busy launching balls all over the place in Thursday’s win over the Athletics. Elly De La Cruz, Sal Stewart, JJ Bleday, and Tyler Stephenson all went deep, marking the first time since April 2021 that Cincinnati’s top four hitters in the lineup each homered in the same game.
Bleday’s blast carried a little extra meaning because it came against his old club.
“Yeah, for sure. I mean, there's always going to be nerves, awkwardness, whatever you want to call it, with those situations,” Bleday told MLB.com's Mike Petraglia.
“But, right now, I’m happy to be a Red. I wake up and thank God every day I'm in Cincinnati.
And we're playing good baseball right now. So that was the main thing, just showing up ready to play, and we did a good job in doing that.”
The Reds landed Bleday on a $1.4 million deal in the offseason, and it’s looking like one of the sharpest bargains in baseball. Through 86 games, the former first-round pick is hitting .230/.344/.470 with 32 extra-base hits and a career-high 20 home runs.
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