The Red Devils will call up potential customers Brandon Williamson for his major league debut tomorrow, tweets Bobby Nightengale by Cincinnati Enquirer. Cincinnati is still deciding whether to start him or deploy him behind the opener, but he will make his major league debut in Colorado.
Williamson was on the 40-man list. Cincinnati picked up his contract last season to keep him out of the Rule 5 draft. He spent the 2023 campaign with optional duty for Triple-A Louisville. He joined the taxi team earlier today and will officially receive his first major league call tomorrow. Cincinnati will need to change the 26-man roster to accommodate his promotion.
The 6’6″ tall male entered the pro ranks in 2019. The Mariners picked him in the second round out of TCU. Williamson showed some hot stuff and achieved a stellar track past Double-A in his first few professional seasons. Moving into 2022, American Baseball named him the sport’s 83rd minor league talent overall and called him a potential mid-rotator. Out of the box, the Red Devils considered him a top prospect in exchange for Jesse Winker inside trade watched Seattle absorb the last three years of Eugenio Suárez contract.
Since joining the Reds, Williamson has seen his potential stock rebound a bit. He has struggled to launch shots and has seen his spins and misses drop compared to those of upper-tier junior tennis players. Williamson combined to create a 4.11 ERA in 122 2/3 innings between Double-A and Triple-A last year. He fell out of BA’s top 100, dropping to tenth in the Cincinnati ranch system by their estimates. The outlet suggests that he looks more like a backspin when his fast ball velocity drops below the 90s.
He’s had a rough start to the season in Louisville. After eight starts, Williamson allowed a 6.62 ERA in 34 plays. His 16.4% hit rate is the lowest of his professional career, while he is still hitting the walking ball with a high 12.1%. However, he was only allowed to run four times out of 11 2/3 frames in his last two appearances. It was enough for Cincinnati to give him a look at the back of the beleaguered major league rotation.
The Reds are not expected to have Nick Lodolo for a month due to a calf injury. Recently they were also assigned to start having trouble Luis Cessa for assignment, subtract two members from their starting five. Greene Hunter, Graham Ashcraft And Luke Weaver are the only three pitchers with guaranteed rotation. Williamson should have a path to completing the role if he performs well.
Cincinnati promote one of its better prospects, midfielder Matt McLain, for tonight’s game against the Rockies. Red Devils fans will be witnessing consecutive major league debuts on consecutive days as the main office begins to look at the players they hope could be pieces of a future. more competitive. Cincinnati’s 18-22 start has been enough to keep them within range of a weak NL Central so far, but they are unlikely to hang in the division picture all season with their current rotation.
