Rhett Lowder isn't on the injured list—yet—and for the Cincinnati Reds, that's a small victory worth celebrating. The young starter exited his May 7 outing against the Chicago Cubs prematurely with shoulder discomfort, a scary sight for a team that already had three pitchers on the IL. But the latest news offers a glimmer of hope.

On Friday, Reds manager Terry Francona revealed that an MRI on Lowder's shoulder showed no structural damage. That's a huge sigh of relief for a pitcher who missed all of 2025 due to various injuries. To help ease the issue, Lowder received an injection in his AC joint, which Francona described as having "some clicking" that needed calming down. "Try to calm that down a little bit," Francona said. "We'll see how the next couple days go, potentially throw a side on Sunday, and then we'll go from there."

This is a critical moment for Lowder, who was coming off the worst start of his 14-career outings—lasting just 1⅓ innings in Pittsburgh five days earlier. For a pitcher still finding his footing in the majors, every healthy outing matters.

Meanwhile, the Reds got a boost with Nick Lodolo making his season debut on May 8 after being sidelined by finger blisters since spring training. It's been a long road back for Lodolo, but his return adds much-needed depth to a rotation that's been stretched thin.

As for Lowder, all eyes will be on that Sunday bullpen session. If all goes well, the Reds might just dodge another major injury blow—and keep their young arm on track for a promising season.