Between the start of the 2023 MLB season and the conclusion of the 2024 regular season, only 19 pitchers accumulated more bWAR than Andrew Abbott’s 6.1.
Abbott’s value can be debated depending on the metric used—while Baseball Reference’s WAR (bWAR) ranks him highly, FanGraphs’ version (fWAR) values his performance at just 3.3. Regardless, by at least one respected measure, Abbott has been among the most valuable pitchers in baseball. His 2024 season was cut short due to shoulder issues in his left throwing arm.
These shoulder problems also limited his participation in spring training in Goodyear, Arizona, and ultimately led to him starting the 2025 season on the injured list. However, his recovery is progressing well, and the Reds have sent him to Triple-A Louisville for a rehab assignment.
The Reds announced the move on Twitter on Tuesday morning but did not explicitly confirm whether Abbott would start for Louisville that night.
The Louisville Bats have “TBD” listed as their starting pitcher for tonight’s game against the Omaha Storm Chasers, but all indications suggest that Abbott will be taking the mound. According to MLB.com’s Mark Sheldon, Abbott is set to begin his rehab assignment tonight, with a second—and potentially final—rehab start scheduled for Sunday, provided everything goes smoothly.
We have yet to see how Carson Spiers will start his season, as he is set to make his 2025 Reds debut tonight. However, it appears that Abbott is being positioned to take Spiers’ spot in the rotation once he’s ready, which is expected by the end of next week.
Regardless of how the rotation shakes out, getting Abbott back is a significant boost for the Reds. Hopefully, his return happens as projected.
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