CINCINNATI -- Carson Spiers was part of the Reds' pitching depth they were hoping to have at their disposal -- either in the rotation or the bullpen -- for the second half of the season. Instead, the club will be without Spiers for at least the remainder of 2025.
Cincinnati manager Terry Francona said before the Reds’ matchup with the Rays that Spiers will need to have surgery performed on the UCL in his right elbow. The prognosis came after a second opinion of the right-hander's MRI was provided by orthopedic surgeon Dr. Keith Meister.
“I just feel bad for the kid," Francona said. "He must be some kind of a tough kid because he still says, ‘I can pitch.’ He’s been saying that the whole damn time. I told him yesterday, ‘I have a feeling your pain threshold might be a little higher than most,’ because he still swears he can pitch.”
Spiers, who is currently on the 60-day injured list, has been out with a right shoulder impingement since April 20. He had been on a rehab assignment with Triple-A Louisville when he felt soreness in his right biceps during a start vs. St. Paul on July 19.
In three games, including two starts, for Cincinnati this season, the 27-year-old Spiers is 0-2 with a 6.08 ERA. He opened the season with the big league rotation while Andrew Abbott was still working back from a 2024 shoulder injury and has been viewed as a versatile arm that could both start and work in relief.
It's also not known if Spiers will have a full ulnar collateral ligament replacement surgery or get an internal brace procedure. The timeline for a return on either version of the surgery would likely be deep into the 2026 season.
A date for Spiers' surgery has not been set, but it will likely be performed by Meister in Arlington, Texas.
“They’ve got to get it all worked out," Francona said. "[Meister] obviously is a pretty busy guy so they’ve got to figure that out.”