Is Andrew Abbott, the lefty who has been such a huge part of the Cincinnati Reds’ success since his June 5 debut, facing a 2023 expiration date in the coming weeks?
And is the big-league workload these last two months for the poised rookie starting to catch up to him as he blows past his lifetime high of innings pitched at any level?
It’s probably too soon to start raising any alarms. But by how much?
It’s at least time to start looking harder at the plans over the next several weeks, especially after his struggles the last two starts, when he allowed nine runs on 14 hits and eight walks across nine innings against the Chicago Cubs Monday and Washington Nationals Saturday.