Cincinnati Reds manager Terry Francona made a Nick Lodolo decision on Thursday.
The Cincinnati Reds entered Thursday’s series finale against the Colorado Rockies sitting at 19-11, holding the best record in the National League Central and leaning heavily on a rotation that has outperformed expectations.
That success has come despite the group being far from full strength. Hunter Greene has yet to pitch this season as he continues his recovery from right elbow surgery, and Brandon Williamson was just placed on the injured list after exiting Wednesday’s loss to Colorado.
With Williamson now sidelined and the Reds suddenly down another starter, the obvious question became whether Nick Lodolo might be rushed back to fill the opening. But manager Terry Francona quickly shut down that possibility on Thursday. “Nick Lodolo is not an option right now. Lodolo will definitely make another rehab start and will not be promoted sooner because of Williamson,” reported Mike Petraglia of CLNS Media.
Lodolo has been working his way back from a recurring blister on his left index finger, an issue that resurfaced during his final Spring Training outing and forced him onto the 15-day injured list to open the season.
An early rehab attempt in April was cut short when the blister flared up again, prompting the Reds to slow things down and rebuild his workload more cautiously.
Over the past few weeks, Lodolo has maintained a steady throwing program, faced hitters in controlled sessions and gradually reintroduced his full pitch mix. His most encouraging step came this past Sunday with High-A Dayton, where he delivered five scoreless innings, allowed two hits and struck out seven.
It was the type of outing that suggested he is trending in the right direction, but not enough for Cincinnati to accelerate his timeline.
This is familiar territory for Lodolo, who also dealt with blister issues in both 2024 and 2025. Still, when healthy, he has shown he can be an excellent pitcher.
Last season was the best of his career, a 3.33 ERA, 28 starts, 156 strikeouts and a major role in helping the Reds reach the postseason. Now in his fifth year in MLB after being drafted in the first round in 2016, the 28-year-old southpaw remains a key piece of Cincinnati’s long-term plans.
The Reds could certainly use him, especially with Williamson out, but Francona made it clear they will not jeopardize Lodolo’s progress. Once he completes his next rehab start, Cincinnati may finally be close to getting its rotation back to full strength.