3:10pm: Lodolo spoke to Mark Sheldon of MLB.com and framed the IL stint as precautionary. He expects to return after a minimum stay on the IL.
12:35pm: The Reds announced that left-hander Nick Lodolo has been placed on the 15-day injured list, retroactive to May 12, due to a left groin strain. Left-hander Sam Moll was recalled in a corresponding move.
It’s unclear exactly when Lodolo got hurt or how severe the injury is. He took the ball for the club on Saturday and threw 98 pitches over six innings. Up until this IL announcement, there wasn’t any indication that he wouldn’t be making his scheduled start on Thursday.
Further updates from the team will provide more information on the next steps, but it’s a frustrating development regardless. Lodolo has shown incredible talent when on the field in his young career but injuries have continued to get in the way.
In 2022, he was called up to the big leagues in mid-April but was limited to 103 1/3 innings over 19 starts, missing time due to a lower right back strain and left calf tendinitis. Last year, a stress reaction in his left tibia held him to just seven starts. His continued to experience discomfort in his left leg during Spring Training this year, which forced him to start the season on the IL and miss the first couple of weeks.
Despite all those challenges, the results have been great. He had a 3.66 earned run average in 2022, striking out 29.7% of batters faced while keeping 46% of balls in play on the ground. He struggled in his seven starts last year with a 6.29 ERA in those, but bounced back here in 2024. Through 35 innings in six starts, he currently sports a 3.34 ERA with a 30.7% strikeout rate, 6.4% walk rate and 44.6% ground ball rate.
To see him land on the IL again is unfortunate in a vacuum, but even more so given the other injuries on the roster. The Reds came into this season looking to take a step forward after the 2023 season saw them graduate an army of young prospects to the majors and narrowly miss the playoffs.
But injuries have been playing a big role so far this year, as each of Christian Encarnacion-Strand, TJ Friedl, Matt McLain, Tejay Antone, Ian Gibaut, Brandon Williamson and Alex Young are on the IL. On top of that, Noelvi Marté received an 80-game PED suspension and will miss the first half of the season.
With that pile of talent not available, the club has naturally struggled to perform as hoped. They are currently 18-24 and tied for last in the National League Central. There’s still lots of time for them to gain ground but Lodolo’s absence will make it more challenging.
Nick Martinez has bounced between the rotation and the bullpen this year, so he would appear to be the most likely to take over Lodolo’s spot now. Martinez last pitched on Sunday, throwing 21 pitches, and could perhaps give the club at least a few innings tomorrow. He’ll slot into the rotation next to Andrew Abbott, Hunter Greene, Graham Ashcraft and Frankie Montas.
If another injury should occur before Lodolo or Williamson are healthy, the Reds have Connor Phillips, Lyon Richardson, Christian Roa and Carson Spiers on the 40-man roster and currently on optional assignment.
poor guy cant stay healthy
Well, fudge.
This Reds team is fragile to say the least, but it seems to be the case for most ML teams. I still say the weight training and throwing techniques are at fault. This didn’t happen at this alarming rate back in the day. They are doing something wrong or players are naturally more fragile these days(not likely). Players are getting these astronomical contracts and aren’t able to stay on the field.
Back in the day it was the same, ‘cept it wasn’t.
For every Seaver there were a handful of pitchers that got seriously injured. Without surgical procedures most tried to rest and pitch through it. Some became junk ballers like Gary Nolan (15k game including prime Willie Mays four times as a 19 year old rookie). Some hung around a few years like Paul Hartzell (as a rookie 37 games, 15GS, 7CG, 2 SV and pitched through injuries three more years). That was after a season of college ball and Winter ball – he guesses he threw 320+ competitive innings as a 22 year old. Some were toast almost out of the chute like big fireballer Wayne Simpson who as a rookie was 14-1 in late July, and averaging nearly 130 pitches per outing, when he suffered a rotator cuff injury and rested/pitched through it. He won 22 games the rest of his career.
Not that you’re wrong, it’s that medical news wasn’t nearly as big and headline making then as it is now…
Players now just get better medical care more quickly, with agents, players and teams erroring on the side of caution…
This may be out there somewhat but I wonder if playing next to a river may be part of the problem.. Especially in the early and latter portions of the season when it is colder. The players come from a relatively warm climate in spring training to a cold one early in the season. That certainly is not good for the arm/shoulder as well as other parts of the body. Baseball was not meant to be played in cold weather.
I always thought the teams up north should at least have retractable roof stadiums. Milwaukee got that right with theirs, plus it’s a daggone nice ballpark.
When I played in college back in the early 1970s a lot of northern baseball teams took tours in the south because of the weather. Spring is not baseball weather even in the south at times. It is cold and windy with some nice days mixed in.
Time to bring back Votto? They could probably acquire Joey for in exchange for their 2 best prospects. Or possibly for just De La Cruz alone. But after the despicable way the Reds treated Joey, they don’t deserve him
Votto himself is on the IL with an ankle injury and is not expected to be activated until after his rehab some time next month, so he isn’t an option for anyone right now.
Then just one top prospect lands him 😉
Wow let’s just spit out some performative b.s. and hope it draws some clicks
“The despicable way the Reds treated Joey”….The Reds in NO WAY “mistreated” Joey Votto. In the real world players get old, expensive and injury prone and at some point teams have to move on for the overall benefit of the team and the other players. The only team that seemingly prioritizes sentiment over usefulness and keeps older, non productive players around, is the St. Louis Cardinals and what has it really gotten them?
This would have triggered Cards fans 4 or 5 years ago, but most would wholeheartedly agree with you today. When Dick Wagner systematically disassembled the Big Red Machine in the late 70s by trading away Tony Perez, Joe Morgan, Caesar Geronimo, George Foster, etc and letting Pete Rose and Ken Griffey walk in free agency, fans didn’t particularly like it, but nobody sang the blues about any of them being mistreated. You simply MUST move on from players for the good of the organization sometimes.
Which is fine, but by the same token Joey doesn’t owe the Reds anything. He has fulfilled his contract. Joey is under no obligation to help the Reds fill their seats with “Joey Votto day” or whatever.
Again, I suggest you attend Reds fest sometime. Bench, Rose, Perez, Griffey Jr. etc. none of them attend. Why do you think that is?
They paid him several hundred million dollars. If that’s despicable to you then you have serious issues requiring professional help.
He is referring to the way he was treated at the end, but that was not unique in Reds history with their long time vets.
Which one can see at any RedsFest. The star attractions are Chris Heisey and Ryan Hannigan.
What was the issue? They played him throughout the remainder of his contract. Kinda could have used him now but didn’t know the entire infield would implode. And if he had been injured over a month after one spring training ab, what can he actually offer?
Dude’s just trolling. Reposting this same Votto comment on every Reds article.
“Same Votto comment”…Joey not even contributing to the Blue Jays pretty much indicates and vindicates that the Reds made the right decision.
Aaannnnnnddd boned.
A guh guh groin, a guh guh groin injuryyy.
–Sam Malone
One of the best rap performances of all time …
Laughed so hard I cried