Nick Lodolo Leaves Start With Injury, Latest Issue Could Be Major Concern for Reds

The Cincinnati Reds could not get out of Arizona without another injury plaguing the pitching staff.

Nick Lodolo did not record an out on Sunday before leaving the game. Lodolo left in the middle of the third at-bat of the first inning with a blister on his index finger. Tommy Thrall reported the injury on the Reds radio broadcast.

"We don’t know yet. We'll see how it is tomorrow," Reds general manager Brad Meador said on 700 WLW. "You hope he felt it soon enough to get out of there before it got bad. We’ll see how it recovers and go from there."

Lodolo Injured Again

Mar 12, 2026; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Cincinnati Reds pitcher Nick Lodolo against the Los Angeles Dodgers during a spring training game at Camelback Ranch-Glendale. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

Lodolo has a rather long history with blisters on this specific finger. The last time he dealt with this injury, he missed 23 days last August with a blister.

"It really kind of just came up," Lodolo said last August after suffering the injury. "The pitch to Castro, I struck him out, didn't feel anything. I threw a slider to Turner and with felt like the skin ripped on my finger. When I looked down, there was a bubble under there and a whole bunch of fluid. Before I throw another pitch and rip it, I thought it was best to stop because I've done that in the past and it takes a lot longer to heal."

Ultimately, he ended up on the 15-day injured list after making those comments.

With the temperatures in the high 90’s at first pitch in Goodyear, manager Terry Francona and the Reds training staff were very quick to take him out of the ballgame.

The hope is that it was caught in time and Lodolo will not miss any time. That was the situation with Brady Singer when he left his last start with a blister on the index finger of his throwing hand.

Reds ace Hunter Greene is out until July due to an elbow injury that required surgery. Losing Lodolo would be another major blow to the Reds' rotation.

More details should emerge for Lodolo’s plan forward. The Reds start the regular season on Thursday against the Boston Red Sox. First pitch is at 4:10 p.m. ET. Andrew Abbott will get the start.

Watch footage of Lodolo leaving the game below:

Oh no.

Nick Lodolo is leaving the game with what appears to be a blister injury…… pic.twitter.com/pDgVBozmGv
— Reds Daily (@RedsDaily4) March 22, 2026

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