The Cincinnati Reds’ starting pitchers continue to struggle. Before the start of tonight’s series against the Oakland Athletics, the Reds placed left-handed starting pitcher Nick Lodolo on the injured list after spraining the middle finger of his throwing hand. Lodolo joins Andrew Abbott and Hunter Greene on the injured list, as does Graham Ashcraft – who had just been taken out of the rotation when he was injured. The club has brought up right-handed reliever Casey Legumina from Triple-A to take Lodolo’s spot on the roster for the time being. They also sent Brandon Williamson to Triple-A to begin rehab.
The first half of the season was going well for Nick Lodolo until he developed a blister on his throwing hand. After his 12th start of the season, he had a 2.96 ERA but had to go on the injured list to allow the blister to heal.
A little over two weeks later, Lodolo returned to the rotation and things have been rocky since. The left-hander has made nine starts since his return and has allowed 38 runs in 45.1 innings, a 7.54 ERA. Opponents have hit just .257/.352/.446 against him during that time, but it seems like every chance they’ve had to make something happen — they’ve gone out and done it.
Lodolo’s move is retroactive to September 24, meaning he could return to the rotation as early as September 8. But even if he can return that quickly, the Cincinnati Reds may not have many options available.
Jakob Junis starts for the Reds tonight. There is no one listed who is likely to pitch on Wednesday. And that leaves only Julian Aguiar and Nick Martinez as starters in the rotation. Carson Spires could return to the rotation for now – he has been in the starting lineup for most of the season but recently moved to the bullpen. And Casey Kelly, who started in Korea and briefly in Louisville after signing with the Reds earlier this month, could also step in and try to fill some innings. That would still leave the club with just four starting pitchers.
The 40-man roster doesn’t really have a starting pitcher who is currently playing in the minor leagues and is healthy. If you look at Triple-A, their rotation isn’t exactly in order either, as a lot of their personnel was moved to the major leagues to fill in for all the injuries the Reds have. But they do have options with older guys like Brandon Leibrandt (15 starts, 4.46 ERA) or Randy Wynne (15 starts, 8 relief appearances and a 4.42 ERA).
Another option could be Rhett Lowder. Last week, the 2023 first-round draft pick made his Triple-A debut, throwing six shutout innings with seven strikeouts for the Bats. He’s been dominant over the last five weeks in Chattanooga and now with Louisville. It’s not the ideal situation for the front office, but they’re literally running out of pitchers and he’s both healthy and very productive right now. And his start would be right on point, since he last pitched on August 22.
Casey Legumina has been bouncing back and forth between Louisville and Cincinnati this year. This is the fourth time he’s been called up from the minor leagues this season and the second time in the last two weeks. Despite being called up three times this season, he’s only pitched in two games with the Reds, allowing six earned runs in 4.0 innings and striking out just one of the 21 hitters he faced.
Brandon Williamson, who has not yet pitched in the major leagues this season – although he made a rehab attempt in mid-May and appeared in four minor league games before being recalled and out for the next two and a half months – will head to the minor leagues to recover from his shoulder strain.
