Cincinnati Reds left-hander Nick Lodolo (illness) has been scratched from his scheduled start on Tuesday against the visiting Toronto Blue Jays due to an illness, according to Gordon Wittenmyer of The Cincinnati Enquirer. Right-hander Scott Barlow will instead step in and serve as the opener in what will be a bullpen day for the Reds. It's unclear what pitcher for Cincy might serve in a bulk-relief role in this one, but fantasy managers will want to stay away from Reds pitchers on Tuesday, regardless. It's unclear if Lodolo's turn in the rotation will be skipped or if he will merely be pushed back until later this week. The 27-year-old southpaw has made a career-high 24 starts in his fourth big-league season and is sporting a nice 3.22 ERA (3.67 FIP) and 1.04 WHIP with 130 strikeouts and only 25 walks in 134 1/3 innings. His 23.8% strikeout rate is the lowest of his career, but so is his 4.6% walk rate.

Cincinnati Reds left-hander Nick Lodolo (finger) is expected to return against the Los Angeles Dodgers in their series finale on Wednesday, Gordon Wittenmyer of The Cincinnati Enquirer reports. The Reds have dropped the first two games of the series against the Dodgers, and are going to need a solid outing by their former first-round pick to salvage a game in the series and continue to keep the Reds' playoff hopes alive. Lodolo landed on the injured list with a blister on his back on August 4, and was lights out in his previous four starts leading up to the injury, allowing only four earned runs in 27 1/3 innings of work during that stretch. On the season, Lodolo has also been excellent, with a 3.05 ERA, 1.03 WHIP, and a 124/24 K/BB in 129 2/3 innings pitched. Although there may be a bit of rust for Lodolo on Wednesday, he has proven to be a must-start every time he pitches for the Reds. Fantasy managers should feel comfortable inserting him back into their lineups.

Cincinnati Reds starting pitcher Nick Lodolo (finger) successfully threw three simulated innings on Aug. 22 and is now on pace to return from the injured list and start on Aug. 27 in Los Angeles against the Dodgers. The 27-year-old last pitched on Aug. 4, when a blister developed early in a game against the Chicago Cubs. Since then, he has tossed bullpen sessions and thrown to live batters as he attempts to return for the Reds. On the season, he has found success on the mound, amassing a 23.6% strikeout rate and a very low 4.6% walk rate. Lodolo should be rostered in most fantasy leagues when he's back and healthy, although avoiding him in a tough first matchup back in L.A. might be the wise play.

Cincinnati Reds starting pitcher Nick Lodolo (finger) threw a side session near full speed on Tuesday and is set to throw one more in the coming days. Lodolo was placed on the 15-day injured list on August 5 with a left index finger blister. Manager Terry Francona said there is a chance he could return for the August 25-27 series against the Dodgers, provided he remains on schedule. The 27-year-old has dealt with blisters throughout his career. He was putting together a strong season before hitting the IL, going 8-6 with a 3.05 ERA, a 1.03 WHIP, and a 23.6% strikeout rate in 23 starts and 129 2/3 innings pitched. Hopefully, he can return on the projected dates, although fantasy managers may not want to throw him into their lineups right away, given the tough matchup.

Cincinnati Reds starting pitcher Nick Lodolo (finger) played catch on Sunday for the first time in four days, according to MLB.com. The 27-year-old was placed on the 15-day injured list on August 5 due to a blister on his left index finger. Lodolo is expected to return from the IL once eligible on August 20, which will be a welcome sight for the Reds. In 129 2/3 innings pitched (23 starts) this season, Lodolo is 8-6 with a 3.05 ERA, 1.03 WHIP, and 124 strikeouts. His 4.6% walk rate is the best of his career. Once he returns to the mound, Lodolo is a must-start pitcher in fantasy.

Cincinnati Reds left-hander Nick Lodolo (finger) made 20 throws and used a baseball with seams on Wednesday, according to the team. Lodolo felt fine afterward and is scheduled to play catch again Friday as he works back from a blister on his left index finger. The issue forced Lodolo to exit his start against the Chicago Cubs on Aug. 4, and the Reds placed him on the 15-day injured list the next day. The hope is that Lodolo will return when he's first eligible, as the 27-year-old has been one of playoff-contending Cincinnati's best starters. He has gone 8-6 with a 3.05 ERA, a 1.03 WHIP, 124 strikeouts, and 24 walks in 129 2/3 innings.

The Cincinnati Reds announced on Tuesday that they placed left-hander Nick Lodolo (finger) on the 15-day injured list with a blister on his left index finger and recalled right-hander Yosver Zulueta from Triple-A Louisville in a corresponding move. Lodolo left his start early on Monday night against the Chicago Cubs in the second inning due to a blister and will now miss at least the next two weeks. The fact that the 27-year-old has dealt with blister issues in the past isn't a great sign, either. In the meantime, fantasy managers should look to hang onto him in an IL spot. Right-hander Nick Martinez is the likely candidate to take Lodolo's spot in Cincy's starting rotation, and he won't be a bad waiver-wire pickup in deep-mixed leagues with the opportunity. Lodolo is now 8-6 on the year with a nice 3.05 ERA and 1.03 WHIP with a career-low 23.6% strikeout rate in 129 2/3 innings.

Cincinnati Reds left-hander Nick Lodolo (finger) exited his start against the Chicago Cubs on Monday after 1 2/3 scoreless innings because of a blister on his left index finger. Lodolo didn't seem worried about it afterward, but given that the hurler has had problems with blisters in the past, manager Terry Francona suggested he could go on the 15-day injured list. "I certainly think we're going to err on the side of caution, because he's dealt with this before," Francona said. "You don't ever want this to turn into something else arm-wise or something like that. So we'll do the right thing." Going without Lodolo for a couple of weeks would be a blow to both the playoff-contending Reds and fantasy managers. The 27-year-old has gone 8-6 with a stingy 3.05 ERA, the game's ninth-best WHIP (1.03), and 124:24 K:BB over 129 2/3 innings. The Reds will likely move righty Nick Martinez back into the rotation if Lodolo heads to the shelf.

Cincinnati Reds starting pitcher Nick Lodolo (finger) left his Monday start early with a blister on his left index finger. He got pulled after getting two outs in the second frame. Blisters aren't typically serious injuries but they can linger, and he has had blister issues previously in his career. The lefty hadn't allowed any base runners before leaving the game and looked to be on his way to another solid start. His ERA on the season sits at an excellent mark of 3.05, and hopefully this won't require him to miss any upcoming starts. If the 27-year-old does require a trip to the injured list, Nick Martinez would be the frontrunner to step back into the rotation, as he was just recently moved to the bullpen.

Cincinnati Reds starter Nick Lodolo earned his sixth win of the season in his team's 6-0 win over the Miami Marlins on Thursday. Lodolo threw six scoreless innings, striking out four while allowing three hits and zero walks. In 106 2/3 innings (19 starts), Lodolo has posted a 3.38 ERA, 1.11 WHIP and 97 strikeouts. His 5% walk rate is a career-best, but his 21.9% strikeout rate is the lowest of his career as well. Lodolo entered the night with a 4.14 xERA, which points to some likely regression in his profile. Even still, he's a solid mid-tier option in fantasy with room for upside if he can re-discover some of the strikeout potential he flashed at earlier points in his career.

Cincinnati Reds starting pitcher Nick Lodolo yielded seven hits and one earned run over 5 1/3 innings but did not factor into Sunday's 3-2 win against the San Diego Padres. He struck out five, walked two, and plunked a batter. The former first-round pick has pitched decently over the last few weeks, but was dealt a no-decision in five of his previous seven outings while tossing less than five innings in just two of them. Lodolo has kept his walk rate down this season (4.3%) and holds an 88th percentile chase percentage even though the strikeouts haven't been there. He'll carry a solid 3.52 ERA and 1.15 WHIP (5-5) into his next outing -- a road matchup with the Philadelphia Phillies.

Cincinnati Reds starting pitcher Nick Lodolo took a no-hitter into the sixth inning of Sunday's game against the Colorado Rockies. The southpaw was unhittable until Jordan Beck got an infield single in the bottom half of the sixth inning. Despite that, Lodolo tossed seven scoreless innings, allowing two hits, and striking out nine batters in the win. It's not easy pitching at Coors Field, but Lodolo had seemingly no problems in this one. He'll take a 2.25 ERA, 0.86 WHIP, and 27/5 K/BB ratio into his next start against the Washington Nationals. When healthy, Lodolo is one of the best left-handed pitchers in the game. He should be rostered in most standard 12-team formats.

The Cincinnati Reds announced on Monday that they activated left-hander Nick Lodolo from the paternity list and optioned right-hander Randy Wynne to Triple-A Louisville in a corresponding move. Lodolo will make his return to the Reds after being away from the team for the last three days, and he'll be making his scheduled start in Monday's series opener on the road against the Miami Marlins. Fantasy managers will want to get the 27-year-old southpaw into their starting lineups in a plus matchup against the Fish. The former first-rounder will be making his fifth start of the 2025 campaign and will be looking to bounce back after giving up a season-high four earned runs in a no-decision to the Seattle Mariners his last time out on Tuesday, April 15. Lodolo has solid 2.31 ERA on the year with a 0.81 WHIP, 14 strikeouts and only two walks in 23 1/3 frames.

Cincinnati Reds starting pitcher Nick Lodolo was placed on the paternity list prior to Friday's contest against the Baltimore Orioles. In a corresponding move, the Reds promoted Carson Spiers from Triple-A Louisville. Lodolo was set to get the nod on Sunday, but instead, the Reds will likely give Spiers the nod. Lodolo has enjoyed an impressive start to the campaign, holding a 2.31 ERA with a 0.81 WHIP across 23 1/3 innings of work. He made three straight quality starts to open the season but ran into some trouble in his most recent outing on April 15 as he allowed four runs in just four 2/3 innings to the Seattle Mariners. Fantasy managers should monitor Lodolo's status as he could rejoin the rotation early next week, which could set him up for a two-start week. Spiers should not be targeted in DFS on Sunday, facing a potent Baltimore lineup.

Cincinnati Reds left-hander Nick Lodolo turned in a quality start in a 1-0 win over the San Francisco Giants on Tuesday. Lodolo threw six innings of shutout ball while striking out three, walking one, and allowing just three hits to improve his record to 2-1 on the year. While the strikeouts weren't there for the 27-year-old hurler, he was able to offset that by earning the win in the start. Lodolo has allowed just two earned runs over his first three starts, spanning 18 2/3 innings of work. Thanks to his strong start to the season, Lodolo has worked his way into the conversation as a solid fantasy starting pitcher moving forward. Lodolo is slated to make his next start against the Seattle Mariners on Tuesday.

Cincinnati Reds left-hander Nick Lodolo was extremely efficient in his outing on Thursday, throwing 68 percent of his pitches for strikes against the Brewers. He only needed 82 pitches to get through 6 2/3 innings, racked up four strikeouts, allowed four hits and one unearned run, and struck out four. Although the strikeouts were low, the Brewers came out swinging in this one and were getting themselves out early in the count. Unfortunately for Lodolo, he was tagged with the loss, as the Reds offense could get nothing going against left-hander Nestor Cortes. Tentatively, Lodolo is lined up to face the San Francisco Giants on the road Tuesday next week. Fantasy managers can continue to start the former first-rounder, as he is off to a good start this season through two starts with a 1.42 ERA.

Cincinnati Reds starting pitcher Nick Lodolo looked solid on Thursday, allowing one unearned run over 6 innings in a 0-1 loss to the Brewers. He allowed four hits and struck out four. It was his second quality start in a row, and he now holds a 1.42 ERA and 0.71 WHIP on the season. The 6'6" lefty has dominating stuff when everything is working in sync, and he'll look to carry this early-season success into his next start, which is currently set to be against the Giants.

According to Mark Sheldon of MLB.com, Cincinnati Reds starting pitcher Nick Lodolo had a productive offseason and enters camp healthy. The southpaw began a throwing program in October and will now enter camp without any limitations. The former seventh overall pick has flashed high potential at times buy has struggled to remain healthy. Last season, Lodolo held a 4.76 ERA with a 1.20 WHIP across 115 1/3 innings. However, he tallied 122 punchouts and generated a solid 3.72 xERA. In 2022, Lodolo held a 3.66 ERA and a 1.25 WHIP across 103 1/3 innings of work. In addition, the 27-year-old has begun using a metal file on his index finger to deal with a nagging blister, which should also keep him at full strength for the upcoming season. Fantasy managers should expect Lodolo to have a spot in the starting rotation, and it is worth a look later in drafts, given the strikeout potential he has shown at times.

Cincinnati Reds starting pitcher Nick Lodolo (finger) has been ruled out for the rest of the 2024 season. The left-hander landed on the 15-day injured list in late August due to a finger strain. The organization was hopeful it would be a short absence, but that clearly wasn't the case. The Reds are out of the playoff race and have little incentive to bring Lodolo back at this point. He'll finish the season with a 4.76 ERA, 1.20 WHIP, and 122/37 K/BB ratio across 21 starts. This was a fairly successful season for the southpaw who was limited to only seven starts in the big leagues in 2023.

Cincinnati Reds left-hander Nick Lodolo (finger), who was placed on the injured list on Aug. 27 with a left middle finger sprain, plans to meet the tam in Minnesota on Friday after feeling a big improvement in his finger on Sept. 11. If Lodolo can bend his finger "all the way," then he is going to start throwing, according to manager David Bell. Lodolo has had an injury-plagued season in 2024, heading to the IL four different times with four different injuries. The strikeout upside 26-year-old southpaw remains intriguing, but he's developed a reputation for being injury-prone now. It's good news that Lodolo could start throwing again soon, but he's not going to return again in 2024 to help fantasy managers. The former seventh overall pick in 2019 out of TCU was inconsistent in his 21 starts this year, posting a 4.76 ERA and 1.19 WHIP, although he did strike out 122 in 115 1/3 innings.