Reds’ Brady Singer Avoids Disaster: Why His Ankle Scare Could Be a Season-Defining Break

The Cincinnati Reds’ 2025 season has felt like a war of attrition in the pitching department. Every time the medical staff clears one hurdle, another starter limps off the mound. But for once, the baseball gods might have decided to cut the Queen City a break.

On Tuesday night, a sharp comebacker drilled veteran right-hander Brady Singer just below the right ankle. The sound of the impact sent a collective shiver through the Great American Ball Park dugout. In a season already littered with IL stints, the immediate fear was another rotation hole. Yet, 24 hours later, the narrative has flipped entirely.

Singer not only dodged a serious injury but told reporters Wednesday that he fully expects to take the ball for his next scheduled start Sunday in Cleveland. For a team that just signed Chris Paddack off the scrap heap to patch a leaky rotation, Singer’s prognosis is nothing short of a critical victory.

The Scare: A Comerback That Could Have Derailed the Season

The play happened in the blink of an eye. A line drive screamed back toward the mound, catching Singer flush on the bony area of the ankle. The right-hander immediately went to a knee, grimacing as the training staff sprinted out. Anyone watching the Reds this season has developed a Pavlovian fear response to such scenes.

Yet, this time, the outcome was merciful. Singer remained in the game initially before being pulled for precautionary reasons. The real test came overnight. “When I woke up it was a little sore, but now it’s looser,” Singer told reporters. “I think the swelling was the biggest concern, but we got a lot of it out (Tuesday) night. It feels a lot better today.”

By Wednesday, Singer was moving through a full complement of pregame work—running, throwing, and fielding drills—without visible limitation. That is the kind of news that changes a manager’s entire week.

Why Singer’s Health Is a Structural Imperative for Cincinnati

To understand why this “non-injury” is such a massive story, you have to look at the current state of the Reds’ rotation. It is a MASH unit. The team is currently operating without three key starters, forcing them to scrape the bottom of the barrel for innings.

The desperation level was made painfully clear when the Reds signed Chris Paddack—who was released by the Miami Marlins after struggling mightily—to join the rotation starting Saturday. That is not a signing of luxury; it is a signing of survival.

Here is the current depth chart reality for the Reds:

• Three key starters on the 60-day IL with no immediate return date.
• Prospect Chase Petty, who impressed in a spot start last week, is now sidelined by a blister—a notoriously tricky ailment for pitchers.
• Chris Paddack will make a desperation start Saturday, hoping to rediscover the form that made him a rookie sensation years ago.

If Singer had gone down, the Reds would have been forced to call up an unproven arm from Triple-A or, worse, resort to a bullpen game in a critical divisional matchup against the Guardians. Losing Singer for even two weeks would have effectively waved a white flag on the rotation’s integrity.

Expert Analysis: What Singer’s Mobility Means for His Command

As a veteran analyst, the biggest concern with a lower-leg injury for a pitcher isn’t just the pain—it’s the mechanical compensation. When a pitcher cannot push off the rubber cleanly, their release point drifts, their arm slot drops, and their command evaporates. We have seen countless pitchers rush back from foot and ankle issues only to get shelled because they can’t repeat their delivery.

Singer’s ability to participate in full pregame work the very next day is the most encouraging sign. It suggests the bruise is superficial and that the joint itself retained its full range of motion. If Singer can plant and drive toward home plate in Cleveland on Sunday, he should be able to maintain the sink on his two-seamer—his primary weapon.

“The swelling was the biggest concern,” Singer noted. That is the key phrase. Swelling in the ankle can lock up the joint and alter a pitcher’s gait. By aggressively treating it Tuesday night, the Reds’ training staff likely prevented a cascade of mechanical issues that could have led to a more serious injury (like a groin or oblique strain) from overcompensation.

My prediction: Singer will pitch Sunday without restriction. Expect him to go five or six innings with slightly reduced velocity early, but his command should hold. The real test will be his first start back after this, where any mental hesitation about the ankle could creep in.

The Silver Lining in a Season of Setbacks

For a franchise that has been battered by pitching injuries, this brush with disaster offers a strange kind of hope. The Reds are learning how to win ugly. They are learning how to patch holes. And now, with Singer healthy, they have at least one reliable veteran anchor to hold the rotation together while the walking wounded recover.

Brady Singer has been a steadying presence since arriving in Cincinnati. He doesn’t light up radar guns, but he eats innings and keeps the ball on the ground. In a rotation that currently features a reclamation project (Paddack) and a blister-prone rookie (Petty), Singer is the closest thing to a sure thing the Reds have.

The organization cannot afford another loss. The front office has already exhausted its depth. If Singer’s ankle holds up, the Reds can at least enter the final week of May with a fighting chance to stay afloat in the NL Central race.

What This Means for the Cleveland Series

Sunday’s start in Cleveland carries extra weight now. The Guardians are a disciplined, contact-oriented team that will test Singer’s ability to locate his sinker down in the zone. If he is favoring the ankle at all, he will elevate pitches, and Cleveland’s hitters will make him pay.

But Singer is a bulldog. He has pitched through discomfort before. The fact that he is already walking around without a limp and throwing on the side suggests he will be ready to compete. The Reds will likely monitor his pitch count closely—perhaps capping him at 85 pitches—but they expect their starter to give them a chance to win.

Key factors to watch Sunday:

• First-inning command: If Singer is sharp early, the ankle is fine.
• Velocity dip: A 1-2 mph drop on his fastball would indicate he’s not driving off the rubber.
• Defensive support: The Reds must make plays behind him to limit stress on the leg.

Conclusion: A Win for the Reds’ Survival Strategy

In a season that has tested the limits of Cincinnati’s pitching depth, Brady Singer’s ankle scare is a reminder that sometimes, the best news is the absence of bad news. The Reds did not lose another arm. They did not have to scramble for a replacement. They simply treated the swelling, let the veteran recover, and will send him back to the mound Sunday as scheduled.

This is not a story about a heroic return from a major injury. It is a story about a team that has been beaten down by the injury bug finally catching a break. In the brutal grind of a 162-game season, that is worth celebrating.

Prediction for Sunday: Singer pitches 5.2 innings, allows 2 earned runs, and the Reds win 5-3, thanks to a bullpen that doesn’t have to cover six innings. The rotation survives—and that is the biggest victory of all.

Source: Based on news from Yahoo Sports.