Reds starter Nick Lodolo exits Sunday start with blister
It’s the same issue he’s dealt with multiple times already in his career.
GLENDALE, AZ - MARCH 12: Nick Lodolo #40 of the Cincinnati Reds pitches during the game between the Cincinnati Reds and the Los Angeles Dodgers at Camelback Ranch on Thursday, March 12, 2026 in Glendale, Arizona. (Photo by Julia Jacome/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images Cincinnati Reds lefty starter Nick Lodolo has repeatedly dealt with blister issues on his left index finger, and left index finger blisters are pretty problematic when you are a lefty starter. On Sunday in his final start of Cactus League play before Thursday’s Opening Day in Cincinnati, Lodolo was forced to exit after facing only two batters when a blister issue popped up once again.
He started out walking Steven Kwan, decidedly not strutting his stuff. He then yielded a two-run homer to Angel Martinez before the Reds training staff was summoned to the mound. It was at that point that the decision was made to get Lodolo out of there, which is not exactly the best tune-up for the season’s start just a handful of days away.
The hope, of course, is that pulling him this early into his work will have kept the issue from getting too serious, much the same way the scenario with Brady Singer has fortunately played out. That said, the Reds had already made plans to carry six starting pitchers with Brandon Williamson, Chase Burns, and Rhett Lowder all theoretically shoehorning into just two starts a turn, so there is at least some baked-in depth should there be any issues with Lodolo a) being ready for his Game Two start or b) not being stretched out enough to go deep into his Game Two start. Obviously, no blister is a damning issue, but it’s impossible not to notice just how often this keeps happening to Cincinnati’s stud lefty.
Let’s just hope they caught this particular iteration early.