Welcome back, Ace!
We barely saw any of Cincinnati Reds lefty Nick Lodolo last year, and when we did, it was rather awful.
His velocity was down a tick, and his patented control – something he began while at Texas Christian University to make him a 1st round pick and later perfected in his first years as a pro – wasn’t there, either. It wasn’t that he was walking folks, per se, but he was missing within the zone repeatedly and being punished by opposing batters because of it.
There was a significant reason behind those struggles, of course. A left tibia injury that nagged and worsened effectively sapped his drive off the mound and, eventually, sapped his 2023 season altogether. He made just 7 starts all year and was pummeled during them, and the leg issue lingered into camp in Goodyear this spring to set him back to begin 2024, too.
Now, though, he’s back and healthy, his tibia issues firmly in the rear-view mirror. The Cincinnati Reds activated him on Saturday morning ahead of what will be his season debut today on the road against the Chicago White Sox.
The #Reds today announced the following transactions: pic.twitter.com/a5QFUDkCkx
— Cincinnati Reds (@Reds) April 13, 2024
As noted by the Reds, Carson Spiers was optioned to make way for Lodolo on the active roster, while reliever Sam Moll is beginning his own rehab road with AAA Louisville.
Lodolo will presumably take Nick Martinez’s role in the starting rotation, as Martinez was skipped from his most recent start after the rainout at the end of the Milwaukee series. That’ll remain fluid all year, I’m sure, as injuries and off performances (along with Martinez’s awesome ability to bounce back and forth) will surely lead to David Bell mixing and matching to get his arms through the 162 game grind.
For now, though, we welcome back the guy who, in 2022, looked every bit the part of the next leader of the team’s pitching staff. If he’s healthy again, I fully expect that to be the guy we see again beginning today.
Welcome back, Nick!