Reds Beat: Freshly ‘Confident’ Nick Lodolo Readies For Full 2024 Season: ‘Definitely Another Step In Right Direction’

GOODYEAR, Ariz. — Spring Training is about new beginnings and there’s no one on the Reds more in need of a fresh start for 2024 than Nick Lodolo.

Lodolo threw off a mound for about 15 minutes Saturday, an important first step. He didn’t not face live batters but instead was working on his mechanics and listening intently to pitching coach Derek Johnson afterward.

“It’s definitely another step in the right direction,” Lodolo told me. “I’m kind of just like on a progression phase right now. It’s daily progression, move on to the next. I hit that one today. And then we’ll jump into (Sunday) and see what comes out after that. I don’t know what the next step is, if it’s not a bullpen live, but whatever it is, just keep moving.”

The 26-year-old lefty is not about to get ahead of himself after going through a stress reaction in his left tibia, an injury in his lower leg that sidelined him after his start on May 6 against the White Sox. He would not throw another big league pitch in 2023.

He was 2-0 with a 2.12 ERA over his first three starts and promise was building. He was then diagnosed with a stress reaction in his lower leg.

He did all the things he was told to do in rehab, mainly walk in a protective boot and then do whatever possible to regain strength and mobility in the leg once the boot came off weeks later.

He was on the right path until another reaction following his Aug. 20 outing for Triple-A Louisville set him back again and ended his season.

“It was difficult. It’s like the first time I had truly been sidelined and to watch the guys go out there and have as much fun as they were having and everything, and to be sitting there on a scooter is not it’s not fun. So, I couldn’t be more happy and excited to get back into it. Just for myself and for the team. I know that I can help us win. And I’m excited for that. I’m excited to be a part of something. Like I said, after last year, I’m a part of the team but like being out there in the battle with guys is what I miss. So I’m really looking forward to get into that.”

In his rookie season of 2022, he was only 4-7 but that hardly tells the story of his value to the rotation. He made 19 starts, posted a 3.66 ERA and a 1.25 WHIP. He fanned 131 batters and walked 39 in 103 1/3 innings.

If there’s a silver lining of last year it’s the fact that he had the chance to rest his arm and build strength. Additionally, he’s not in a place where he feels he needs to rebuild mechanics or fundamentals.

“Honest, pitching wise there’s not much that like I have to like rebuild,” Lodolo said. “It’s just getting my leg to a spot that I feel good, where I can competitively keep going over and over and over, which we’re going in the right direction. So (I’m) on a progression phase there and pitching-wise now, I feel good in bullpens, I was able to do a lot of things that I would normally do and I feel good about that, and confident. So it’s just more of like a body thing versus like a actual skill pitching aspect at this point.”

In many ways, Lodolo is the linchpin to Reds rotation. With Lodolo in there, suddenly the Reds are a team with a legitimate 1-5 rotation, with a possibility of a sixth, if needed, at the start of the season. With Lodolo, David Bell is hopeful that he can stretch his starters into the sixth and seventh on a regular basis, avoiding the usage issued that cropped up in the final six weeks of 2023.

“I mean that’s that’s our job. So for me, I don’t have any like personal goals,” Lodolo said. “But my expectation is to go out there and just put us in this position to win. That’s what my job is to do, keep us in the ballgame. Give us a chance to win. And I feel like I’m going out there as many times as I can. And as I want to be you know, it’ll play itself out that way. I’m just excited to compete and get just get back out there as crazy as it sounds some so simple. I know what I bring to the table for the team and I just want to I want to be a part of it.”

Some observations from Saturday in the desert:

Injury updates:

Add Emilio Pagan to Noelvi Marte and Sam Moll as Reds players who will miss roughly the first five games of Cactus League season next week. With Pagan, he is recovering from a sports hernia surgery midway through the offseason. Pagan was signed to a two-year, $16 million deal in the offseason to add right-handed depth to the bullpen. David Bell said lefty Sam Moll, who felt some left shoulder fatigue early in the offseason, is slowly building up his arm strength but is “progressing” on a path to be ready to throw sometime in the Cactus League season.

Alexis faces EDLC:

One of the more fascinating matchups on the practice fields Saturday was the showdown between Elly De La Cruz and his locker neighbor and closer Alexis Diaz. The right-hander blew one past No. 44 and then Diaz grounded a one-hopper to right field for a single.

Frankie Montas, Brent Suter go live:

Also Saturday, the Reds got their first look at Frankie Montas, the right-hander signed to a one-year, $14 million prove-it deal. He faced the trio of Jake Fraley, Spencer Steer and De La Cruz, who got an unintentional brush-back pitch on the second pitch he saw from Montas. On the first offering to Fraley, he foul-tipped a pitch off the right leg of Tyler Stephenson, who hopped up immediately and quickly shook it off. Also pitching Saturday was lefty Brent Suter, who faced Fraley and India.

Reds on Spring TV:

The Reds Saturday announced their Spring TV schedule with nine games on the docket, including March 23 on both Bally Sports Ohio and MLB Network.

Reds spring training games to be broadcast live on Bally Sports Ohio:

2/24 at Cle (Guardians’ feed)
2/26 vs Sea
3/15 vs KC
3/23 vs Col
3/24 vs Cle (Guardians’ feed)

Reds spring training games to be broadcast live on MLB Network:

2/29 vs LAD (Dodgers’ feed)
3/7 vs CHC (Cubs’ feed)
3/8 at LAD (Dodgers’ feed)
3/19 at LAA (Angels’ feed)
3/23 vs COL (Reds’ feed)

Uniform coverage:

There has been some discussion – and lots of criticism – of the look and feel throughout Arizona and Florida that the new Nike Vapor Premier uniforms are cheap-looking and fitting. The letters on the back are smaller and not embroidered. Nike is promoting the new jersey as softer, lighter and more elastic. But players throughout baseball disagree. Reds skipper David Bell played it down the middle when asked Saturday by The Enquirer’s Gordon Wittenmyer.

“I don’t know. We don’t have any choice,” Bell said. “The uniforms have gotten a 100 times better since when I played. They’re so much more comfortable now. I only wear my pants and they’re fine. They’re comfortable.”

Bell, like many managers, often wears a hoodie top and not the uniform jersey. He deferred to longtime Reds’ Senior Director of Clubhouse Operations, Rick Stowe on all things uniform apparel and fit.

“I’m not playing so I don’t want to speak for the players,” Bell added. “Comfort is important and how you feel in your uniform is important. I haven’t had really any conversations with the players about uniforms. I know Rick Stowe has. It is important but at the end of the day, it’s out of our control.”