Reds news: Cincinnati’s top two prospects to pitch on Tuesday

Bobby Nightengale of the Cincinnati Enquirer is reporting that both Hunter Greene and Nick Lodolo will see time on the mound during the Cincinnati Reds‘ game against the Los Angeles Angels. This will be the first time we’ve seen Greene toe the rubber since the 2018 season.

Greene was shut down during the summer of 2018 due to an elbow injury and eventually underwent Tommy John surgery in 2019. Greene spent a good amount of time at Cincinnati’s alternate site last summer and is looking to breakthrough in 2021.

Hunter Greene and Nick Lodolo slated to make their 2021 Reds debut.

Fans should be excited to see Greene take the mound on Tuesday night. MLB Network will be televising the game live at 8:05 PM ET. It’ll be interesting to see how Greene performs following his rehab from surgery.

Nick Lodolo will likely come on in relief on Tuesday night. The 2019 first-round pick of the Cincinnati Reds, Lodolo pitched in last year’s exhibition game against the Detroit Tigers, but hasn’t been on the mound for a game since.

Lodolo, a left-hander, will be out to prove that he’s ready for the big leagues. Lodolo was drafted as an advanced college arm, and it was assumed he’d be able to move quickly through the team’s minor league system. Had it not been for the coronavirus cancelling last year’s minor league season, we may have seen Lodolo debut last season.

Neither pitcher is a serious candidate for the Reds starting rotation.

Neither Hunter Greene nor Nick Lodolo is a candidate for the starting rotation out of spring training. However, a strong showing during Cactus League play this March, coupled with success in the minor leagues this season, may see either top pitching prospect make his major league debut in 2021.

It’s most likely that if Greene or Lodolo show that they’re ready for The Show, they’ll make their 2021 debut out of the Cincinnati Reds’ bullpen. The starting rotation is all but set, and the team has more than enough advanced arms that could fill in should an injury befall one of the Reds’ starting pitchers.

Nick Lodolo and Hunter Greene are the Reds No.1 and No. 2-ranked prospects, respectively, according to MLB Pipeline. Keep a close watch on these two pitchers, as they’ll likely be Cincinnati’s one-two punch heading into the future.