Reds’ Brandon Williamson makes most of his starting opportunity in win over Padres
CINCINNATI — Cincinnati Reds manager Terry Francona didn’t shy away from what Wednesday’s start meant for lefty Brandon Williamson.
“This is an important month for him,” Francona said before the series finale against the San Diego Padres on Wednesday.
Making his first start since April, the 28-year-old Williamson made the most of his appearance, giving up three runs over 5 1/3 innings and earning the win in the Reds’ 7-3 victory over the San Diego Padres at Great American Ball Park.
“Any time you pitch in the big leagues it’s a big deal. There might be a little extra sense of urgency just because I haven’t played, but I feel pretty good,” Williamson said. “I feel pretty confident about what I can do. The schedule is the schedule. The arm feels good, I feel good and where I’m at with my pitches. I’m getting in the zone.
All three of Williamson’s runs allowed, and five of the seven hits he gave up to San Diego, came in the first two innings. He struck out four of the final nine batters he faced before leaving in the sixth inning.
The biggest blow of the day, Ty France’s two-run home run, was an oddity in that it was hit at just 93.6 mph off the bat. Metrics aside, France later told Reds catcher Tyler Stephenson that he thought the ball had flown out until he saw the ball land in the seats. Austin Hayes, like France, another former Red, notched the only other extra-base hit off of Williamson, doubling and scoring in the second inning.
Ty France launches his 20th homer of the year! pic.twitter.com/kHJRtRViHP
— MLB (@MLB) September 2, 2026
“Cutter was a good pitch and I thought his changeup was a good pitch,” Francona said of Williamson. “In the first inning, I know it was a two-run homer, but that ball wasn’t killed. Balls were carrying today like crazy. It was like a summer day out there.”
Williamson started the season in the Reds’ rotation after Hunter Greene and Nick Lodolo began the year on the Injured List.
Originally, Williamson was part of what Francona called the “six for five” rotation with six starters filling five rotation slots. Still, the blister on Nick Lodolo’s left index finger that popped up in his final spring training start gave Williamson his own spot in the rotation.
After allowing six earned runs in his season debut on March 31, Williamson was 2-1 with a 3.98 ERA in four starts before leaving the game in his sixth start of the season after three innings and 58 pitches with left shoulder fatigue on April 29.
Williamson made five rehab appearances beginning Aug. 1 and went 3-3 with a 5.94 ERA in four starts between Triple-A Louisville and Double-A Chattanooga.
Williamson was one of four players acquired in the deal that sent Eugenio Suárez and Jesse Winker to the Seattle Mariners in 2022 and he went 5-5 with a 4.46 ERA in 23 starts for the Reds in 2023. He made just four big-league appearances in 2024 before undergoing Tommy John surgery at the end of the year and missing all of the 2025 season.
The Reds still think Williamson could be part of the rotation going forward, joining fellow lefties Lodolo and Andrew Abbott. While Williamson and Lodolo are both 6-foot-6, they’re entirely different looks off the mound, with Williamson’s delivery coming more over the top and Lodolo’s from the side.
“(Williamson) is more north-south, while Lodolo’s east-west,” Stephenson said.
The current plan is for Williamson to serve as a piggyback starter with Burns, who is in just his second season of pro ball and already set a career-high in innings.
Williamson will not only present a different look to teams after the right-handed flamethrower Burns, but he’ll also get to prove himself against some of baseball’s best teams. All but three of the Reds’ remaining 22 games are against teams that currently sit in playoff spots — and 16 of those 19 games are against the National League’s three division leaders, the Milwaukee Brewers, Los Angeles Dodgers and Atlanta Braves.
“If you’re a true big-leaguer, a quality big-leaguer, it’s on your performance,” Williamson said. “If you’re that good, whoever is in the box, whatever colors the other team has, you can kind of manage.”
Wednesday, against a Padres team that the Reds at least temporarily pushed out of a playoff spot, Williamson felt good about his outing against a lineup featuring some of the game’s best-paid players.
“It’s a big month for everybody,” Francona said after the win. “(Williamson) has been down, he’s missed time. I think he’s got a chance to be really good. That’s what we’re shooting for.”