Welcome back to the Reds Beat newsletter! Mark Sheldon has covered baseball for MLB.com since 2001, including the Reds since 2006.

GOODYEAR, Ariz. -- After being selected by the Reds with the seventh overall pick out of Wake Forest in the 2023 MLB Draft, right-handed pitching prospect Rhett Lowder did not pitch last summer.

But Lowder, who is ranked by MLB Pipeline as Cincinnati's No. 2 prospect and No. 34 overall, didn't show any setbacks with his stuff through his first two sessions of live batting practice against Reds hitters.

"I think all the guys who faced him out there were pretty impressed with it," said outfielder Spencer Steer, who batted against Lowder on Thursday. "Really good fastball. It’s got late movement, it’s firm. I didn’t see every pitch he’s got -- just the fastball and changeup -- but you could tell he’s a pitcher. He was putting the ball where he wanted it. It was really impressive."

Known for having a superb changeup and control, Lowder was also listed at No. 6 among all right-handed pitching prospects in MLB. He has a power arm, with his fastball velocity sitting in the mid-90s and going as high as 97 mph.

Reds manager David Bell was among those who watched Thursday's session. Another prospect, Chase Petty, followed Lowder.

"They looked great," Bell said. "You try not to put too much [weight] on anything. You could definitely see the talent. Petty looked like he was locked in like a game. So was Rhett, but you could see the maturity in how they were handling the live BP. They weren’t trying to overthrow or anything. Their talent was just shining through that day."

Lowder did get pro exposure last season when he was sent to High-A Dayton. But he was already at his innings limit, so he only did some limited work in the Fall Instructional League. Now, his first Spring Training is at big league camp.

Facing big league hitters has shown him that the stuff he had in college plays well.

"It’s been a long time coming since I got drafted," Lowder said. "It was definitely fun to get out there, especially at big league camp."

Lowder, 22, received a $5.7 million Draft signing bonus after he posted a 1.87 ERA and 143 strikeouts over 120 1/3 innings in his final season for Wake Forest.

Spring Training environments at the college and pro levels haven't been too different for Lowder, so far.

"It’s the same work I would do every day, but everybody here is a lot more intentional, obviously," he said. "They’ve been doing it for a while. It’s cool to watch and sit back and look at what they do and try to take notes from everybody."

Lowder, who appears likely to begin the 2024 season at Double-A Chattanooga, is among a large cadre of young pitching in the Reds organization. He might be ready for the big leagues as soon as this year if he is able to force the club's hand.

"Ultimately, it’s out of my control," Lowder said. "I’m trying to go day by day and keep pitching. If I keep pitching, I’m sure I will be alright."

During camp, Lowder could be a candidate to see action in one of two games Reds prospects are playing for MLB's Spring Breakout. The event's inaugural edition will happen on March 14-17. Each club will field a team of their top prospects to play in seven-inning exhibition games against another club’s top prospects. Rosters, which will be revealed on March 7 on MLB Network, will be composed of organizations' top 20-25 prospects from all levels.

"That would be cool," Lowder said. "A lot of guys that I got drafted with or played against in college and then some other top prospects, that would be a super cool game to see all those guys again. But building innings is my main thing."

On Saturday, the Reds increased their infielder count even more by signing utility player Tony Kemp and first baseman Mike Ford to Minor League contracts with invitations to big league camp. Cincinnati now has 64 players in camp.

Kemp and Ford joined another veteran, Josh Harrison, in the battle for infield and bench spots. All three signings seem to underscore that Cincinnati's young infielders shouldn't be too comfortable in camp. 

"Both those guys came in fully intending to make the team," Bell said of Kemp and Ford. "You look at their track records and that’s exactly how they should see it. We are going to have tough decisions. One way or another, it’s going to create depth."

Elly De La Cruz, Matt McLain, Christian Encarnacion-Strand and Noelvi Marte may have the odds in their favor to make the Opening Day roster, but competition in camp can and certainly should push them.

"We have to really consider where our young players are and make sure we’re making the right decision, the best decision for them," Bell said. "We’ll have a young team. If we stay healthy over the course of the spring … we hope we have really tough decisions to make and a ton of depth is created at Triple-A. That would be ideal."

The moves protect Cincinnati from having depth issues in light of some injuries. McLain is dealing with right oblique soreness while Marte strained his right hamstring during winter ball. He is on a modified program and will make his spring debut March 2.

Kemp will earn $1.75 million in 2024 if he makes the team. There is an additional $750,000 possible in performance bonuses. Ford, a lefty hitter, would make $1.3 million, plus a potential $125,000 in performance bonuses. Both Kemp and Ford have opt-outs on March 23 if they’re told they won’t be on the active roster.

• Free-agent addition Jeimer Candelario is fitting in well. Read more >>

• Jonathan India talked about changing positions. Read more >>

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