The Reds' rotation looks different this year. Literally.

GOODYEAR, Ariz. — As soon as you see the Reds’ starting pitchers walk out onto the spring complex in Goodyear, Arizona, it’s obvious that they learned their lesson from last season.

In 2024, an inexperienced Reds rotation ran out of gas and broke down during the final two months of the season. No Reds pitcher threw more than 150 ⅓ innings last season, and they all needed a stronger foundation to be able to pitch a complete season.

This spring, the starters are noticeably leaner, stronger and more athletic.

“Everyone did a really good job of getting after it this offseason and doing the right things,” said Graham Ashcraft, who’s competing for a rotation spot. “We’re all still young. We’re still learning. We’re still developing. That was a big thing. We didn’t know how to manage our time in the offseason well. After these last few years, we’re understanding what we need to do and how we need to get after it in the offseason. I feel like it shows.”

Hunter Greene said that he slimmed down, added more upper body strength and made changes that will help him by more explosive. “I’m in a really good place,” he said.

Nick Lodolo was still rehabbing a leg injury at this point last year. He had a full, normal offseason heading into 2025. Physical assessments at the start of spring training showed record numbers from Lodolo.

Ashcraft lost 20 pounds. Rhett Lowder is noticeably stronger as the 22-year-old fills out.

Andrew Abbott said that he ended last season at the heaviest weight that he had ever been at. He changed his diet, added extra conditioning and strength training to his offseason program and lost a lot of weight.

The difference is notable for all of them, and it’s considered to be the best year-to-year athletic improvement that a Reds rotation has had in a while.

It’s not that these guys didn’t make a point to show up to camp in shape last spring. They just didn’t know what they needed to do to prepare for a full season.

“You really didn’t know what to do, and we’re figuring it out,” Abbott said.

That caught up to the Reds’ starters down the stretch in 2024.

“We had a lot of good pitchers take advantage of the offseason,” Lowder said. “Some of our guys got banged up during the back half of last season, so everyone was extra motivated to stay on the field.”

Injuries decimating the Reds’ pitching depth has been a problem in each of the last four seasons. At one point last year, the Reds had three total starting pitchers left standing. There was no more depth left in Triple-A. That stretch in August coincided with the losing slide that effectively ended the Reds’ season.

For the Reds to make the playoffs in 2025, the rotation has to be the strength of the team. These guys have to stay healthy.

“The guys came into camp this year more ready than they were the year before with the mentality to hit the ground running,” veteran Nick Martinez said. “We had a lot of young guys who were getting their footing and still making adjustments at this level. Coming into this camp, we have guys who know what they’re capable of. Now, they can go out and show it.”

Martinez and Brady Singer give the Reds more experience and more of a track record of durability. They have shown that they can stay healthy for a full season, and they give the Reds a strong back of the rotation.

Greene, Lodolo, Abbott, Lowder and Ashcraft have all shown flashes of upside. Staying healthy and making 30-plus starts is the next step for that group.

Assuming that everyone stays healthy and will be ready for the season, the Reds have a pretty strong camp battle for the final rotation spot. Greene, Lodolo, Martinez and Singer are locks.

Abbott, Lowder, Ashcraft and Carson Spiers are the leading candidates for the final rotation spot.

“Competition makes you get better,” Abbott said. “It makes you more pressing to make changes. It’ll breed some good results.”

“Oh yeah,” said Ashcraft. “When you look at this staff, it’s fun as (heck). You’ve got so many guys competing for jobs who are really good. It’ll make the team better.”

If Ashcraft doesn’t crack the rotation, then he’ll be a candidate for a spot in the bullpen. He throws one of the hardest sinkers in baseball and has a very aggressive mentality on the mound, which the Reds see as potential assets that could help him click in the bullpen.

Ashcraft is set out to prove that he’s a starter. His improved physical shape, a new curveball and an improved changeup are all a part of his plan to generate more swings and misses as well as improve at pitching deeper into games.

He has also thought about how dangerous he could be as a late-game reliever.

“I have an idea of what I would be if I got into the bullpen,” Ashcraft said. “Most people know what that would be. I’m not going to say it.”

Abbott had a great first half of last season, posting a 3.06 ERA through his first 13 starts. Shoulder soreness started impacting him after that, and he started to break down a bit during the second half of the year.

Abbott (who’s going through a more “methodical” ramp up progression this spring after dealing with the shoulder issue in 2024) said that his added strength will help him hold up better and be more consistent.

“We hope to get better so we don’t fall off in August and September continuously,” Abbott said.

Lowder, who’s currently bouncing back from elbow soreness and has resumed a throwing program, carried a 1.17 ERA through his six big league starts in 2024. He arrived in MLB ahead of schedule because an injury-riddled Reds’ rotation desperately needed starting pitching.

Like a lot of his teammates, he says that his added strength is the biggest difference in his game entering this season.

“I’ve gotten older and worked out,” Lowder said. “I know my body better going through a full pro season. It wears down on you. It was the most I’ve ever thrown in one year. It wears on you. Being so young, I figured out a lot about that. I knew I needed a better base heading into spring training so you can go through the highs and lows of your season with your body. I have that base to fall back on.”

The Reds’ rotation has a nice blend of upside, experience, durability and depth. Greene is the ace, Lodolo and Abbott can get hot and carry the rotation for a stretch and Martinez and Singer are very dependable. Lowder is a top-50 prospect in MLB who made the most of his cup of coffee last season. Ashcraft is an interesting wild card whose role is to be determined.

“We’ve got a lot of talent,” Martinez said. “We can show a lot of people that this team means business.”

For more of Charlie’s coverage of spring training, stay posted here. Also, look out for some upcoming features with Cincinnati Magazine.