Reds lefty hasnt pitched in the majors this season due to a shoulder strain he suffered back in spring training. Hed been out on a minor league rehab stint and looked to be nearing a potential return, but things have now hit a snag. The Reds announced today that Williamson has been pulled back from his rehab a signment but not reinstated to the roster. Rather, hes remaining on the injured list. That typically indicates a setback, and shortly after the announcement, manager indeed announced to the Jake Burger Jersey Reds beat that Williamson is experiencing continued discomfort in his ailing shoulder ( via Charlie Goldsmith of the Cincinnati Enquirer). Hell be shut down for at least the next seven days while the Reds see how his shoulder responds and evaluate their options. Its poor timing for Williamson, who looked as though he might have a rotation spot to fight for upon his return. Cincinnati optioned struggling righty to Triple-A Louisville yesterday, creating an opening in the rotation behind , , and . The Reds have other options to fill that spot and among them but Williamsons apparent setback is a most unwelcome development, given that hes an intriguing young arm and potential building block for the staff. Williamson, selected by the Mariners out of TCU in the second round of the 2019 draft, went from Seattle to Cincinnati as part of the swap sending and to the Ms. The 66 southpaw was ranked among the games top 100 prospects by Baseball America at the time of the trade and wound up making his MLB debut with the Reds last year. In 23 starts, he pitched to a respectable 4.46 ERA, though that number is perhaps skewed by a rough arrival in the majors. Williamson posted a 5.82 ERA through his first eight starts but rebounded with 78 1/3 innings of 3.79 ERA ball in his final 15 trips to the hill. After posting lackluster strikeout and walk rates of 17% and 9.9%, respectively, in those first eight outings, the Minnesota native settled in with stronger marks of 21.6% and 6.9% in the seasons final three months. It was a strong finish to his season, and when adding in 34 Triple-A frames to his 117 MLB innings, Williams closed out the year with a career-high 151 frames. Between his late performance and his lack of workload concerns, it seemed as though hed pitched is way onto the Reds starting five or at the very least into the conversation. Any such arrival will now be further delayed. The Reds havent provided further details, but its obviously a worrisome sign when a pitcher whos mi sed more than two months with a shoulder strain reports discomfort on the heels of a fourth rehab appearance. Presumably, the Reds will provide further details at some point next weekend or early in the following week. For now, Williamson will continue to accrue big league pay and service time on the 60-day injured list. He entered the season with 139 days of MLB service and has already reached one year, placing him on course to reach arbitration after the 2025 season as a Super Two player and free agency after the 2029 campaign. Roddery Munoz Jersey