Cincinnati Reds manager David Bell said Monday that Nick Lodolo will make his season debut Saturday against the Chicago White Sox. Lodolo struggled in his final rehab start Sunday with Triple-A Louisville, coughing four runs over 2 2/3 innings. His pitch count got up to 64 in that outing after he threw 77 pitches in his first rehab start. The Reds don’t expect the left-hander to go terribly deep into Saturday’s game.
Nick Lodolo will now make his return on Saturday, David Bell said. No update yet on India.
— Charlie Goldsmith (@CharlieG__) April 8, 2024
Nick Lodolo Will Return to the Reds Rotation on Saturday
2023 robbed Lodolo of all but seven starts in what the Reds hoped would be a breakout season after his strong rookie campaign in 2022.
“There’s no plan in place yet,” Bell said before the Reds game when asked about where Lodolo slots into the Reds rotation plans. “Truly everything is on the table,” Bell said. “That is one of the options.”
That topic of discussion will be had at some point this week. It may conclude with the Reds going with a six-man rotation for at least one turn, giving the current five an extra day of rest. In terms of who to replace in the rotation, the ideal candidate could be Nick Martinez. In two starts, Martinez has a career 4.74 ERA in 89 starts but as an experienced swingman, he has a 3.24 ERA in 11 games in relief. Even though Lodolo’s slow progression has been pivotal, there is still an upside in his presence. Lodolo and Hunter Greene, who is shaking off last year’s injury issues, continue an upward trajectory.
“I’m excited for it,” Lodolo said of the depend rotation. “It’s definitely going to help us as a team. It’s going to take everybody. Even guys that don’t make the squad out of camp are going to play a part.”
Reds Tejay Antone to Undergo Elbow Surgery
Right-handed reliever Tejay Antone has been placed on the 15-day injured list. Carson Spiers has been recalled from Triple-A to take his spot on the roster. While the club announced it was an elbow inflammation injury, Bell told reports that Antone tore a tendon completely off the bone and suffered a partial ligament tear in his elbow. A brutal setback from someone who’s had Tommy John surgery both in 2017 and again in 2021.
Antone was one of baseball’s best relievers in 2020-21 before this latest arm issue surfaced. He threw 68 innings in those two seasons with a solid 2.48 ERA. It comes with a 32.3 percent strikeout rate and a 10.8 walk rate. Antone didn’t pitch in 2022 and only got 5 2/3 innings last season. He tossed 9 2/3 innings in spring training and two regular season innings before the injury.
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