Cincinnati Reds Place Starting Pitcher on 15-Day IL

The Cincinnati Reds' starting rotation suffered yet another blow as Nick Lodolo exited in the sixth inning of Saturday's matchup against the Chicago Cubs with a left index finger blister, a lingering issue that he's battled all year.

The first incident occurred on March 22 just three days shy of the start of the season. As a result, he would not see the mound again until May 8 against the Houston Astros. Unfortunately, his first start back did not go the way he hoped when he surrendered five hits and four earned runs while only striking out two batters in 5.1 innings of work.

Going forward, Reds manager Terry Francona will turn to Rhett Lowder who will assume Lodolo's spot in the rotation after previously taking on a relief role. Furthermore, the move has made room for right-hander Chase Petty to make his way back to the major-league roster from Triple-A Louisville.

“I think he’ll take the same spot. We’ll reserve the right [to adjust] and we’ll see how today goes," Francona said, according to MLB.com. "But he should just slot in.”

Prior to re-aggravating the injury on Saturday, Lodolo went 3-2 while notching 50 strikeouts and holding a 4.60 ERA on the season. He also had his best performance to date on May 25 in Cincinnati's 7-2 win over the New York Mets, fanning seven while allowing no walks and just one earned run.

He had another single-run outing last Sunday against the Baltimore Orioles, recording four strikeouts and only issuing two walks. His efforts would eventually spare the Reds from a three-game sweep with a 3-2 victory. 

Now, Lodolo and Francona are set to come up with a plan that should prevent additional setbacks once the 28-year-old left-hander makes his return.

“I think we'll all talk and throw out ideas and things like that," Francona said. "Nick even mentioned it last night talking to him. Saying that, you really got to think it through. Because for me to sit here in my chair and say, ‘Well, just move your finger over to the side.’

He added: "The kid’s been pitching like this his whole life. I agree the blister is not good. If you hurt your shoulder [changing grips], there’s got to be some pulling back on the reins a little bit and not jumping in until you know something can really help.”

As for Lowder, he will look to build off a promising outing on Wednesday against the Philadelphia Phillies in which he allowed just three hits while punching out two in two innings of action.