Forgotten Reds arm could receive surprise call-up after Nick Lodolo's injury vs. Cubs

Yosver Zulueta hasn't been on a Major League mound since May 4, so asking the young right-hander to rejoin a Cincinnati Reds squad who's in the thick of a playoff chase might be a tough ask. Nevertheless, Zulueta has been one of the top pitchers in the Reds' minor leagues over the past two months, and could be the team's best option if Nick Lodolo lands on the injured list.

Lodolo was having one of the best seasons of his career until a familiar injury crept in on on Monday night against the Chicago Cubs. During the bottom of the second inning, after delivering a first-pitch strike to Cubs' hitter Justin Turner, Lodolo signaled to the Reds dugout for a trainer.

The Reds' left-hander suffered a blister on his index finger and was removed from the game. This same injury sidelined Lodolo midway through last season, and it's likely to send him to the IL once again. The Reds, with an exhausted bullpen, cannot afford to keep Lodolo's roster spot on hold with hopes that he'll recover in time for his next start.

Yoszer Zulueta could receive surprise call-up after Reds starter Nick Lodolo's injury vs. Cubs

Nick Martinez took over for Lodolo in the second and worked 2⅓ innings in relief. It's quite likely that Martinez will return to the Reds starting rotation later this week, meaning that Cincinnati now has a vacancy in their bullpen.

Cincinnati's relief corps is utterly gassed. Brent Suter was unavailable on Monday night following a lengthy outing during the Speedway Classic. One can assume that Scott Barlow, who worked two scoreless innings of relief against the Cubs, will be unavailable on Tuesday. Throw in the fact that Tony Santillan leads the league in appearances (56) and Emilio Pagán isn't far behind (49), and you can see why the Reds need reinforcements.

Zulueta made two Major League appearances earlier this season, but since then, has been pitching out of the Louisville Bats' bullpen. On the year, Zulueta is 2-1 with a 3.86 ERA and has 52 punch outs through 42 innings. Since the calendar flipped to June, however, the right-hander has been nearly un-hittable.

During that stretch, Zulueta has allowed just four runs on six hits while covering 24 innings and racking up 32 strikeouts. His 9.3% walk-rate is little higher than you'd like to see, but that's about the only complaint one can levy against Zulueta of late.

The Reds have other options, of course. Pitchers like Connor Phillips or Lyon Richardson could be recalled. Ian Gibaut was scheduled to make his second rehab appearance on Tuesday for the Bats, but perhaps Cincinnati's brass saw enough from the veteran during his scoreless outing last week to go ahead and reinstate him from the IL.

Several possibilities exist, and Cincinnati could make two roster moves on Tuesday in order to restock the bullpen. Both Sam Moll and Luis Mey have minor-league options remaining and could be sent down if the Reds are looking to make multiple moves in addition to placing Lodolo on the IL.

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