The Reds are running on fumes on the mound, and that makes Michael Lorenzen’s latest move from Colorado feel like a gift wrapped in Cincinnati red.
The Rockies designated the former Reds right-hander for assignment to clear space for another pitcher, TJ Shook, and Cincinnati suddenly has a reunion option sitting there. With the rotation battered and the season demanding innings from just about anyone who can still throw strikes, Lorenzen looks like the kind of arm the Reds can’t really afford to ignore.
The need is real. Cincinnati recently had to select the contract of Kent Manuel, a pitcher who spent most of this season in the independent leagues, and he handled Game 1 of Monday’s doubleheader against the St.
Louis Cardinals before being designated for assignment ahead of the nightcap. That’s the level of scramble the Reds are dealing with right now.
The bigger problem is the long list of missing or limited starters. Hunter Greene is done for the rest of the 2026 season and all of 2027 after being diagnosed with a UCL injury, and he underwent Tommy John surgery last week. The right-hander is likely not to return until 2028.
Cincinnati also has to be careful with Chase Burns, who has already thrown a career-high 131 innings. Terry Francona and the coaching staff have not put Burns on an official pitch count, but he’s unlikely to get much past 150 innings this year.
Nick Lodolo is another concern. The left-hander is still rebuilding his workload after a blister on his left index finger kept him on the injured list for nearly a month, and Greene’s injury pushed him back into the active roster after only one rehab start. Lodolo threw 73 pitches in his last outing, but his blister history makes him a hard pitcher to fully trust from one week to the next.
Rhett Lowder has now passed 100 innings, and after missing all of last season because of injury, it’s fair to wonder whether he’s being managed carefully too. Brandon Williamson still hasn’t come back from the shoulder injury that landed him on the IL in April, and two of the organization’s top Triple-A arms, Julian Aguiar and José Franco, are also on the IL.
That leaves the Reds with very little certainty beyond Andrew Abbott and Brady Singer. Everyone else is either unavailable, limited, or too risky to count on for a full load.
That’s why Lorenzen makes sense.
He spent most of his Cincinnati tenure as a reliever, but since leaving the organization in 2022, he’s worked more like a starter and done it often. Lorenzen has since played for the Rockies, Los Angeles Angels, Detroit Tigers, Philadelphia Phillies, Kansas City Royals, and Texas Rangers. Over that stretch, he has averaged nearly 24 starts per season and more than 125 innings pitched.
The numbers aren’t spotless - his 4.64 ERA is nothing to brag about - but the Reds aren’t shopping for perfection. They need someone who can take the ball, cover innings, and keep the staff from cracking under the weight of the schedule.
And Lorenzen isn’t just a starter option. Since 2022, he has appeared in 126 games, with eight of those coming out of the bullpen. Given how thin Cincinnati’s relief group is, that kind of versatility could matter just as much as his experience in the rotation.
In Other News...
Reds Suddenly Have More Riding On Tyler Stephenson Than Expected
Alfredo Dunos injury has changed the Reds catching outlook faster than anyone expected. The organizations top catching prospect hurt his right hamstring in late July and could miss the rest of the minor-league season, leaving Cincinnati with a thinner pipeline at a position it had hoped would get steadier as the year went on. For a club trying to line up its long-term roster, that puts more attention on Tyler Stephenson, who remains the most established catching option in the system.
Stephenson is also moving toward free agency, which makes the timing awkward for the Reds. With Duno sidelined and no obvious immediate successor ready to take over, the front office suddenly has to think beyond the next few months and decide whether to keep Stephenson in place, add a veteran stopgap, or both. However they handle it, the injury has turned the catching position into a much bigger offseason question than it looked like a week ago. [Read more 🡒]
Reds Doubleheader Loss Just Triggered A Roster Question Fans Didn't Expect
The Reds first game of Tuesdays doubleheader in St. Louis had all the feel of a missed opportunity, with Cincinnati falling 2-1 after managing only three hits. Rhett Lowders recent rough patch continued, while Andre Pallante kept the Cardinals in control, extending the contrast between a young starter trying to settle in and a veteran who has been far steadier this season.
The roster fallout came quickly after the game, too, as Cincinnati moved on from Kent Emanuel and filled that spot with Zach Maxwell. It is the kind of mid-doubleheader shuffle that can get overlooked in the rush of a long day, but for a team trying to sort out its pitching picture, it adds another layer to a loss that already raised more questions than it answered. [Read more 🡒]
Reds Just Showed How Thin Their Pitching Depth Has Become
The Reds had to dig deep for pitching help ahead of their doubleheader against the Cardinals, turning to Zach McCambley as the 27th man while also making room on the staff for another arm. With injuries stacking up and minor league roster constraints tightening the options, Cincinnatis depth has been stretched to the point where even the next-man-up list is starting to look pretty thin.
Kent Emanuels arrival underscores how far the Reds have had to reach for coverage. The 34-year-old left-hander has big league experience, and he was just coming off a six-inning start for Triple-A Louisville, a reminder that Cincinnati is leaning on experienced stopgaps to get through the day while the pitching situation continues to test its depth. [Read more 🡒]