GOODYEAR, Ariz. -- The Reds added more offensive depth to their camp mix on Saturday when they signed first baseman/designated hitter Nathaniel Lowe to a Minor League contract.
The deal, which was agreed upon on Friday, includes an invitation for the 30-year-old Lowe to be at big league Spring Training as a non-roster player.
“We talked to him the other day about this," manager Terry Francona said. "Certain guys are struggling to get Major League jobs, and he’s one of them. I just explained to him, ‘Hey, you’ll be treated like the veteran you deserve. And we can’t guarantee anything.’' I said. "I’ll probably undersell it, because I don’t feel comfortable [misleading] somebody to get them in here and then a month later, it’s not what I said.”
Lowe appreciated Francona's honesty.
"That’s kind of what you look for when you look for a job and look for somewhere to be," he said. "For somebody to come out and shoot you straight, it’s all you can really ask for, so it’s exciting to wear this uniform.”
If Lowe makes the club out of camp, he would earn $1.75 million this season with a chance to reach $2 million with performance bonuses.
In 153 games last season with the Nationals and Red Sox, Lowe batted .228 with a .688 OPS, 18 home runs and 84 RBIs.
"There’s an opportunity to help this team get better," Lowe said. "Obviously, I’m on the outside looking in from a roster standpoint now, but there’s a chance to come in and compete.”
The Rangers traded Lowe to the Nationals on Dec. 22 and he earned $10.3 million last season as an arbitration-eligible player. But most of his 2025 campaign was a struggle with Washington, which released him on Aug. 16 after he batted .216 with a .665 OPS.
Two days later, Lowe joined Boston and fared better. Although he hit only two homers in 34 games, he batted .280 with a .790 OPS and was with them in that club's push to the playoffs. Lowe was non-tendered after the season.
“You’ve got to learn somehow. I never really, in my mind, had a bad season until last year," Lowe said. "So you go home. We had a baby at the end of the season. So I got to spend the winter with my wife and son, get healthy again and get ready to go.”
Over seven seasons with the Rays, Rangers, Nationals and Red Sox, Lowe is a .264 career hitter with a .771 OPS. He earned a Silver Slugger Award with Texas in 2022, when he hit a career-high 27 homers. In '23 as the Rangers won a World Series, he earned an American League Gold Glove Award.
Cincinnati's regular projected lineup is quite heavy on right-handed hitters, but Lowe bats left-handed and would provide added depth at first base or off the bench. The Reds have top prospect Sal Stewart competing to be the everyday first baseman, while Spencer Steer and Eugenio Suárez are also expected to get time at that position. Another first baseman, Christian Encarnacion-Strand, is also competing for a spot.
“I think it’s too early to start to think about how guys fit," Francona said. "It never fails. If one guy goes down, it changes so much. Just let him get ready, see how they play and we’ll put it together the best way we think works.”
All present and accounted for
Lowe's addition gave the Reds 57 players in camp. Saturday marked the date for position players to report and there were no late arrivals.
“Everybody's here," Francona said.
Pitchers and catchers, which reported on Monday, will be given a later workout time on Sunday while position players take physicals and have meetings with Francona. The first full-squad workout is scheduled for this Monday.
Francona will also hold his first full-team meeting. He's already prepared his speech to the group.
“I’ll probably change it 10 more times," Francona said. "There’s some familiarity so I think you just try to make sense. I’m just trying to help. It doesn’t matter what I say. If they listen, that’s what matters.”