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Nick Lodolo Shouldn't Face Restrictions in Season Debut on Friday
Cincinnati Reds left-hander Nick Lodolo (finger), who has been on the 15-day injured list since a blister on his left index finger ended his final spring training outing on March 22, will make his 2026 season debut on Friday against the Houston Astros. Lodolo threw 45 of his 79 pitches for strikes at Triple-A Louisville in his final minor-league rehab start and mixed in roughly 16 or 17 sliders, the pitch that causes the friction on the pad of his index finger. He expects to throw more when facing big-league hitters for the first time this year on Friday, according to Mark Sheldon of MLB.com. "I'm not going to be up here with a limit," said Lodolo. Getting the left-hander from TCU back in the rotation is big for the Reds, who are missing both Hunter Greene (elbow) and Brandon Williamson (shoulder). Lodolo went 9-8 with a 3.33 ERA in 29 games in 2025 and set career-highs in starts (28), innings (156 2/3), and strikeouts (156). Injuries have limited him, but Lodolo deserves to be rostered in all fantasy baseball leagues for his strikeout upside. He's currently rostered in 88% of Yahoo leagues.
Source: MLB.com - Mark Sheldon
Source: MLB.com - Mark Sheldon
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