Terry Francona Reveals Silver Lining for Reds After Nick Lodolo Injury

While it's crushing for the Reds to be without Nick Lodolo, there's a silver lining to the situation.

Cincinnati Reds starting pitcher Nick Lodolo (40) comes in relief in the fourth inning of the MLB National League Wild Card Game 2 between the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Cincinnati Reds at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles on Wednesday, Oct. 1, 2025. The Reds were eliminated from the postseason with an 8-4 loss to the reining World Series Champions La Dodgers. | Sam Greene/The Enquirer / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Cincinnati Reds came into spring training with the belief that they had one of the best and deepest pitching rotations in all of baseball. Fortunately for the Reds, the depth in their rotation is the real deal because they've been without Hunter Greene and Nick Lodolo to begin their season. Greene is out until July at the earliest after undergoing elbow surgery to remove bone spurs. Lodolo is dealing with a blister issue.

Lodolo's blister issue has to be one of the more aggravating situations the Reds could be dealing with. One blister on his finger prevents him from holding the ball securely when he pitches, so he's unable to make starts at the big league level. He didn't even make it through a rehab start without the blister becoming an issue.

Still, Reds manager Terry Francona has revealed some good news during the slew of bad updates regarding Lodolo over the last few weeks.

Nick Lodolo Still Able to Keep His Arm in Shape

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

"Today, he's going to throw plyo balls," Francona said according to Charlie Goldsmith. "Without the seams on the plyo ball, we can keep his arm moving. The one good thing about this is his arm has continued to move. It hasn't been like he has been down a ton. We just have to figure it out. We've got to let that thing heal some more."

Lodolo's arm is still in game shape, and he should be able to keep it there by using the weighted plyo balls instead of a baseball with seams until his blister heals. This way, the blister can heal, but Lodolo can still throw and keep his arm in shape.

As a result, he likely won't need more than one, maybe two, rehab starts before returning to Cincinnati once the blister is gone.

Reds Fighting an Uphill Battle to Eliminate Nick Lodolo's Blister Issues

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

It's an uphill battle for Lodolo to get through this blister issue.

The Reds haven't been able to solve this puzzle with Lodolo's finger, and it's been an issue across multiple years.

They might need to look for outside opinions to find a way to get past this issue. At this point, they should be willing to try anything possible to get the lefty back on the mound in the big leagues. He's a big-time difference maker when he's healthy.

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