1994 was his first full year with the team. He went 8-5 with a 3.05 ERA while appearing in 33 games (14 starts). He pitched 124 innings while having 110 strikeouts and 21 walks. He received votes for Rookie of the Year, finishing 11th. The next year, he followed it up with more games as a starter, going 10-11 with a 3.47 ERA while pitching in 30 games for 189.1 innings. He struck out 175 batters while walking 37. Reynolds made his first start on Opening Day in 1996, doing so against the Los Angeles Dodgers at the Astrodome. He went five innings while allowing four runs on seven hits with five strikeouts and three walks in a 4-3 losing effort. That year, he went 16-10 with a 3.65 ERA in 35 games while pitching a career high 239 innings and striking out 204 and walking 44 while finishing 9th in Cy Young Award voting.