Cincinnati Reds: Brandon Williamson lands on the IL with left shoulder fatigue

Apr. 30—Cincinnati Reds starting pitcher Brandon Williamson landed on the injured list with left shoulder fatigue, and the Reds' short-term plans for the starting rotation are in flux.

Terry Francona said the Reds' fifth starter right now is to-be-determined.

"We've got to see how we get there," Francona said. "We've got a lot of moving parts."

The fifth starter would slot in Monday for a game against the Chicago Cubs. Chase Petty, who is healthy in Triple-A following a short start on Wednesday, and long reliever Jose Franco are options to give the Reds length. They could also go with a bullpen game.

It helps that Nick Lodolo is trending toward a return. He's set to make a rehab start on Saturday in Triple-A. In his most recent rehab outing, Lodolo pitched five innings. He was pitching with a cap on how many breaking balls he'd throw, as that's the pitch that has aggravated his blister issue in the past.

Lodolo had a blister pop up in spring training and suffered a setback on a rehab start in early April. He has yet to make his season debut, but he's making good progress.

Williamson has dealt with shoulder issues in 2022, 2024 and now again in 2026. On Thursday, he received a cortisone shot.

"He'll go on a shoulder program, range of motion, strength, all of that stuff," Francona said. "Structurally, he came back good. That's good."

Williamson has barely pitched since the 2023 season. In 2024, he missed most of the year with a shoulder injury. In 2025, he missed the year after having Tommy John surgery.

It's not easy to step back in after missing so much time.

"I'm to the point where I'm catching up to a lot of not playing for so long," Williamson said. "You really grind through it. It's caught up to me a bit. I'm trying to figure it out."

Francona has a similar perspective on Williamson's setback.

"When it does happen, I don't think it's out of the ordinary," Francona said. "When he made the club, he pitched so well this spring, we were all concerned that it's going to be (starting) every five or six days, and there would be some hiccups."

Williamson has a 6.11 ERA in six starts this season. Walks have been the issue, they were defining part of his struggles in Wednesday's 13-2 loss to the Colorado Rockies. Williamson's 20 walks are the most allowed in the National League.

With time for the shoulder to recover, the Reds and Williamson hope that he can find some more consistency when he returns.