Rhett Lowder Injury: Late-season return not ruled out

Reds manager Terry Francona said Sunday that Lowder (oblique) could return from the 60-day injured list before the end of the season, Charlie Goldsmith of Fox 19 Now Cincinnati reports.

Lowder has been shelved all season, first with a forearm injury and then with a severe oblique strain, but he's been throwing off a mound and is scheduled for two more bullpen sessions Tuesday and Friday before the Reds map out the next steps in his recovery. Francona suggested Sunday that the most important thing for Lowder is to enter the offseason knowing he's healthy, but the young righty still has a chance to help the big club late in the campaign.