Returning from a season without minor-league games affected pitchers differently. Vladimir Gutierrez, who earned a spot in the big-league rotation, seemingly hit a wall in the final weeks of the season after throwing a combined 131 innings in the Majors and minors. Top prospect Nick Lodolo was shut down with a shoulder strain at the end of the season and Greene missed an August start because of irritation in his AC joint.
All the pitchers the Reds selected in the five-round 2020 MLB Draft, Christian Roa, Bryce Bonnin and Joe Boyle, spent more than a month on the injured list at the beginning of the 2021 season.
Pender’s concern, he said, is a potential letdown with arm health after pitchers gradually built their innings back up last year. The Reds have 30 pitchers at early minor-league camp, and only two are younger than 23 years old, which is by design.
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