MIAMI –– Early Friday evening, minutes before starting pitcher Levi Stoudt was going to start warming up for a Triple-A game with the Louisville Bats, Stoudt learned that he was heading to Miami to join the Cincinnati Reds and fill in for injured starting pitcher Nick Lodolo.
When Stoudt got called up, nothing was guaranteed past Saturday. He could go right back to Louisville, or he could stay in the Reds’ rotation. His status is a sign of how much uncertainty there is in the Reds’ rotation.
Reds manager David Bell said that the starting rotation is “minute-to-minute” more than day-to-day. The biggest question on Saturday was how serious Lodolo’s calf injury is.
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Lodolo had been pitching through calf soreness all season. Bell said that Lodolo wasn’t feeling pain as he pitched, but Lodolo also wasn’t improving. Lodolo tried using different orthotics in his shoes, which had a negative impact on his progress.
On Friday afternoon, the plan was for Lodolo to start on Saturday. On Saturday, Bell said that Lodolo’s start could be pushed back to Tuesday against the Colorado Rockies, but there’s also a possibility that Lodolo lands on the injured list.
“It’s really tough to figure out how much this was impacting his pitching,” Bell said. “Everything matters. It’s something we were taking seriously, but he wasn’t in a lot of pain when he was pitching. He was able to pitch through it. It got to the point where we took a closer look at it. We tried to make some adjustments with orthotics and new shoes, but that flared things up. It was getting more and more sore from that process. The doctors are trying to determine how much the orthotics were the cause of it or if there’s a root issue.”
Lodolo had a spectacular start to the season with a 2.12 ERA through his first three starts. Then over Lodolo’s next four starts, Lodolo allowed 20 runs in 17 ⅓ innings. His command wasn’t as consistent, and he wasn’t getting his usual big swings and misses with his breaking ball.
Lodolo’s start was initially pushed back from Thursday to Saturday. At the time, the Reds had enough confidence in his health that they used their built-in off days to go forward with a temporary four-man rotation. Since Lodolo didn’t show progress, the Reds’ rotation is in flux.
“There are a lot of decisions to be made,” Bell said.
Hunter Greene, Graham Ashcraft and Luke Weaver fill three spots in the Reds’ rotation. In the short term, the other two spots are a question mark. Over the last week, the Reds lost some depth that would have been helpful during their current situation.
Last Tuesday, the Reds designated for assignment starting pitcher Luis Cessa, who was struggling but had experience as an MLB starter. A few days earlier, the Reds traded veteran Chase Anderson, who was pitching for the Bats, to the Tampa Bay Rays for cash.
Anderson had an opt-out clause in his deal, and the Reds didn’t have an MLB roster spot open for him at the time. If the timing had worked out differently, then the 35-year-old pitcher with 183 big league starts would have been a leading contender to fill a spot in the Reds’ current rotation.
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With so many moving pieces, the Reds had a bullpen game last Thursday in a win over the New York Mets. Ben Lively received a call-up from Triple-A, pitched in his first MLB game in four years and threw three scoreless innings. He had been pitching well in Triple-A and could become the Reds’ No. 4 starter if Lodolo goes on the injured list. On Saturday, Bell said there was no determination on Lively’s schedule for this week.
Journeyman Kevin Herget was optioned to Triple-A on Saturday, but he could return as a starter or a reliever next week if Lodolo goes on the injured list. Herget, 32, has bounced between MLB and Triple-A as well as roles in the bullpen and as a starter all season. He also threw three shutout innings on Thursday against the Mets.
Stoudt, a 25-year-old prospect, had a 5.09 ERA in Triple-A. His command and his aggressiveness throwing strikes impressed the Reds’ front office, and Stoudt has more minor league experience than star prospect Andrew Abbott.
Abbott is still on track to earn a rotation spot sometime this year, but the Reds determined that he needed more starts in Triple-A. The Reds historically haven’t rushed prospects to the big leagues to fill short term needs, and that trend has continued for Abbott, who has a 2.05 ERA this year but has only pitched in 37 career minor league games.
Stoudt, who’s on the 40-man roster, gives the Reds a pitcher who could be a short-term solution in Miami. If he pitches well, Stoudt could set himself up for a longer audition in MLB.
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