Stephenson is being held back in spring by a "crick" in his neck, John Fay of Cincinnati.com reports.
The good news is the issue doesn't appear to be anything overly serious, as manager Bryan Price noted the team is simply being cautious with the righty. "He's fine. The arm is great," Price said. "We're making sure the neck doesn't get him in bad habits." Stephenson is set to compete with the likes of Sal Romano, Amir Garrett, Tyler Mahle, Michael Lorenzen and Jackson Stephens for the Reds' final rotation spot. Assuming the neck issue doesn't affect his performance throughout spring, the 24-year-old Stephenson is one of the favorites to win the gig.