NEW YORK – A three-inning simulation game before the finale of the Cincinnati Reds series at CitiField has rookie pitcher Rhett Lowder ready to make a minor-league rehab start June 2 – with a return from the injured list on tap for five or six days later if all goes well.
“The ball was coming out good, and the velocity was higher than what I have seen most of the season,” Lowder said. “Feels good.”
Lowder hasn’t pitched in a game since exiting his May 7 start in Chicago because of “clicking” and discomfort in his shoulder.
He described the issue in the shoulder as “tightness and strength imbalance and muscle imbalance in some areas,” and said the medical staff pinpointed it quickly enough resolve it with “hyper-specific work to strengthen some areas.”
“They were, like, we’ve just got to take care of this now so it doesn’t cost me too much time,” said Lowder, who had pitched with the “clicking” for several starts by the time he went on the IL. “I think we did the right thing.”
He missed only two or three days of throwing during the process, which helped to keep him in position to return more quickly once he began ramping up the throwing from a mound.
On Wednesday, he threw 45 pitches in three “innings,” and manager Terry Francona said that assuming Lowder’s shoulder responds well overnight, he’d be on a “70-ish” pitch limit in his Triple-A rehab start.
That would put him in line for a possible return from the IL to start June 7 in St. Louis or one of the next two games in San Diego.
The return of Lowder, who had a 3.18 ERA in six starts through April before struggling in his last two starts, would return the Reds rotation to near full strength, joining Chase Burns, Andrew Abbott, Nick Lodolo and Brady Singer.
Ace Hunter Greene, who had bone chips removed from his elbow in March, started a throwing program this week and remains on a timeline to return near the trade deadline.
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Rhett Lowder injury update: Rehab start June 2, return from IL next?
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