The Reds begin their spring slate on Saturday.
The Cincinnati Reds spent a boatload of money to sign pitchers like Frankie Montas and Nick Martinez. Hunter Greene, potential ace that he is, looks totally healthy after spending much of 2023 on the 60-day IL, while fellow banged-up rotation members Nick Lodolo and Graham Ashcraft are both in camp and on-track for being right come Opening Day.
2023 saw rookies like Andrew Abbott flash brilliance, while the pure stuff of Connor Phillips saw him rocket into Top 100 prospect lists all over the place.
So, as the Reds begin their quest to return to relevance in 2024 with the dawn of Cactus League play, they’ll turn to...Carson Spiers to begin the slate! MLB.com’s Mark Sheldon had the news as part of the list of probable pitchers for the first week-ish of games in Arizona.
Reds probable starting pitchers for Cactus League games...
— Mark Sheldon (@m_sheldon) February 22, 2024
Sat at CLE: Spiers
Sun vs. LAA: Greene
Mon (ss) vs. SEA: Abbott
Mon (ss) at MIL: Martinez
Tues at CHC: Montas
Sarcasm aside, I suggest you read absolutely nothing into this order. Spiers, to his credit, showed out quite well in Arizona Fall League play at the end of 2023, posting a stellar 20/1 K/BB in 18.0 IP there after a solid year in the minors split between AA Chattanooga and AAA Louisville. Is he high on the pecking order for an Opening Day start? Of course not, but he damn well was going to get innings for the Reds in Cactus League play anyway, and that might as well begin with the first exhibition game of the spring.
The biggest news here, I’d say, is that Frankie Montas is getting a spot in the first-turn of the rotation. Given that he missed almost all of the 2023 season with shoulder issues, his signing was a gamble in its own right, so it’s incredibly welcome news that he’s starting the 2024 campaign completely on-schedule. The same can’t be said for Ashcraft or Lodolo, however, though the latter appears to be just about ready to see his name penciled-in by next week. Charlie Goldsmith of The Enquirer reports Lodolo is ‘feeling great,’ after all!
Some updates from David Bell.
— Charlie Goldsmith (@CharlieG__) February 22, 2024
The rotation for the first few spring games: Spiers, Greene, Abbott/Martinez (split squad on Monday), Montas.
Noelvi Marte (hamstring) is slated to play on March 2.
Nick Lodolo's next step is a live BP. "He's feeling great."
Saturday’s Cactus League lid-lifter is slated for a 3:05 PM ET start, and it’ll be broadcast for your eyes to view thanks to what remains of Bally Sports Ohio.
