Rhett Lowder

Amateur career

Lowder attended North Stanly High School in New London, North Carolina. As a sophomore in 2018, he pitched to a 9–2 record with a 1.03 ERA. The following year as a junior, he went 9–0 with a 0.61 ERA, 115 strikeouts, and only seven walks over 68.1 innings. His senior season in 2020 was cut short by the COVID-19 pandemic, and he went unselected in the shortened 2020 MLB draft, so he enrolled at Wake Forest University.

In his freshman year in 2021, Lowder appeared in 14 games (12 starts) and finished 4–2 with a 6.12 ERA, 78 strikeouts, and 14 home runs allowed across 67.2 innings. That summer, he played for the Strasburg Express of the Valley Baseball League. As a sophomore in 2022, he started 16 games and went 11–3 with a 3.08 ERA, 105 strikeouts, and 26 walks over 99.1 innings. He was named the Atlantic Coast Conference Baseball Pitcher of the Year, the first Wake Forest player to win that award.

After the season, he made the USA Baseball Collegiate National Team. In 2023, Lowder went 15–0, leading NCAA Division I in wins, and finished in the top 10 nationally in ERA (1.87), strikeouts (a school-record 143), and WHIP (0.95). He helped the Demon Deacons reach the Men's College World Series. He repeated as ACC Pitcher of the Year and was a consensus first-team All-American, the ACC Scholar-Athlete of the Year, and the men's ACC Athlete of the Year across all sports, sharing that honor with Katelyn Tuohy of NC State.

Professional career

The Cincinnati Reds selected Lowder in the first round, seventh overall, of the 2023 MLB draft. He signed on July 14, 2023, for an under-slot deal worth $5.7 million. In 2024, he made his professional debut with the High–A Dayton Dragons and later earned promotions to the Double–A Chattanooga Lookouts and Triple–A Louisville Bats. Across 22 starts split between the three affiliates, he compiled a 6–4 record and 3.64 ERA with 113 strikeouts.

On August 29, 2024, the Reds announced his promotion to the major leagues, and his contract was formally purchased the next day. After being called up, Lowder went 2–2 over six starts with a 1.17 ERA for the Reds in 2024.

During spring training in 2025, the Reds paid particular attention to the health of his elbow. In May, he began making minor league appearances while rehabbing a forearm strain. On May 23, he suffered an additional oblique strain, and on June 4 he was transferred to the 60-day injured list.

Did You Know?

• Lowder made his MLB debut in 2024 and posted a 1.17 ERA over six starts for Cincinnati.
• On June 4, 2025, he was transferred to the 60-day injured list after suffering an oblique strain on May 23.