GOODYEAR, Ariz. -- The competition for the fifth spot in the Reds' rotation hasn't even reached spring games yet, but left-hander Brandon Williamson is already having a great time with it.
That has little to do with the battle itself, however. Williamson, who missed all of the 2025 season rehabilitating from '24 Tommy John surgery on his left elbow, is pitching without discomfort for the first time in what has felt like forever. The elbow injury had come not long after a lengthy recovery from left shoulder soreness.
“It’s been the best, probably most fun, snippet of baseball I’ve been able to play and not have to think about protecting my arm," Williamson said. "I’ve done all the work to build up and get to a point where I can just go perform, go play and let that all take care of itself on the field.
"The past few years, it’s been to go out and see what my arm is capable of today and then kind of deal with it. It’s exciting that I just don’t have to play two games at once now.”
Reds starter Nick Lodolo worked out over the winter with Williamson in Texas; the two were previously teammates in college at TCU. Lodolo has already seen a difference in his fellow lefty, especially after he faced some hitters in camp.
“He worked hard this offseason. He’s strong," Lodolo said. "I know he’s working on some stuff mechanically to try to loosen himself up a little bit and rotate better. He’s obviously more mature now body-wise -- stronger and things like that. It looks even better than back [in college]. A lot of that comes with experience, too. I’m happy for him.”
In 2024, Williamson opened the season on the injured list with a left shoulder strain, and he developed a lesion on it that June while on his rehab assignment. He finally returned to the big leagues for the final month of the season.
But in only his fourth game back on Sept. 17, 2024, vs. the Braves, Williamson suffered a complete tear of the ulnar collateral ligament in his left elbow.
“My shoulder was bothering me so much that I kind of changed some things to protect it," said Williamson, who had a 3.77 ERA in his four games (three starts). "And then it just put extra stress on my elbow, and it couldn’t handle it.
“It sucks because I was pitching really well at the time. I was just starting to really kind of figure out how to pitch."
The 1 1/2 years that followed was filled with recovery and rehabilitation, with much of it happening in Arizona.
How Williamson felt mentally during rehab at the Reds' player development complex was not unlike scenes depicted in the film, "The Shawshank Redemption." Inside his prison cell, lead character Andy Dufresne spent two decades chiseling out a hole in the wall a little bit at a time before tunneling his way out for an eventual escape.
“It’s literally what it is," Williamson said. “It was long. It’s more mental than anything, I think. You know exactly what you’re going to do, you go do it and it’s hard, but not impossible. Come in, go to the grindstone every day and then you’re going to chisel a little bit each day. I think that’s the hardest part. It’s such a long span. You just have to stay mentally in it for so long.”
Now Williamson is free and clear from rehab and back to pitching and competing. In his two live batting practice sessions, manager Terry Francona has been impressed.
If Williamson makes the rotation, it would give Cincinnati three lefties along with Lodolo and Andrew Abbott.
“He’s interesting," Francona said. "I told him, ‘I don’t want to take away your competitiveness, but we’re also going to keep an eye on you,’ because of what he’s been through. And he knows that.”
Williamson has been able to use his offseason to improve his pitches. His fastball has more zip, and he's developed a sweeper. His curveball, he felt, has been sharper. He is competing against Chase Burns, Rhett Lowder and Julian Aguiar for the fifth spot.
“I’m not even worried about it," Williamson said. "I’m so excited and looking forward to just playing again. I’m going to give it everything I’ve got to take the spot. But if I end up not getting it, I’ll be pretty happy if I’m in Triple-A and my arm feels good. I know I’ll get an opportunity. I just want to play.”