3 Reds who might benefit from last-minute roster scramble after Nick Lodolo injury

Cincinnati Reds starting pitcher Nick Lodolo exited Sunday's Cactus League finale with a blister on his left index. This is about the last thing the Reds needed with Opening Day just around the corner, and there's bound to be some panic among Cincinnati's front office and coaching staff this week.

Reds manager Terry Francona spoke after Sunday's game and said that the team will know more about the extent of Lodolo's injury in the coming days. If the Reds' lefty begins the 2026 season on the injured list, there'll be a last-minute scramble to fill out the team's Opening Day roster. Who could fill that final spot?

Zach Maxwell, Reds pitcher

The simplest solution is oftentimes the best one, and the easiest way for Cincinnati to offset the potential loss of Lodolo would be include reliever Zach Maxwell on the Opening Day roster. The hard-throwing right-hander was one of the last camp casualties, and rather than assigning him to Triple-A Louisville, he could open the 2026 season in the Reds bullpen.

Maxwell struggled at the beginnig of Cactus League play, walking four batters during his first outing of the spring. He righted the ship, however, and after shaking off the rust, logged 7⅔ innings of work over his final eight appearances with 12 punch outs and just three walks.

Chase Petty, Reds pitcher

Adding Maxwell makes sense if Cincinnati wants to roll with a traditional five-man rotation, but before Lodolo's early-exit on Sunday, the plan was to carry six starting pitchers on the Opening Day roster. If that's still Francona's plan, top prospect Chase Petty could piggyback off one of the Reds' young starters.

Petty only appeared in two Cactus League games this spring, but logged four scoreless innings and struck out two batters. He was also lights out during Spring Breakout versus the San Francisco Giants. Adding him to the Opening Day mix would allow Cincinnati to continue with their short-term plan of keeping six starters on the roster with the 22-year-old coming on in relief for one of Brandon Williamson, Chase Burns, or Rhett Lowder.

Julian Aguiar, Reds pitcher

Along the same line of thinking, if the Reds choose to keep six starters on the roster but prefer a more seasoned arm, adding Julian Aguiar to the Opening Day roster might be the more prudent move. He was reassigned to Minor League camp relatively early this spring, but collected eight strikeouts in six innings of work.

Much like Williamson, Aguiar missed all of last while recovering from Tommy John surgery. Francona, however, liked what he saw from the right-hander this spring and the plan was to stretch him out in Triple-A. Plans change, however, and the Reds may need Aguiar to pitch sooner than expected.