How long will the Cincinnati Reds six-man rotation last?

Nick Lodolo will be returning from the Injured List early next week. Fans should expect to see the left-hander back on the bump either Monday or Tuesday versus the New York Mets.

According to David Bell, with the addition of Lodolo, the Cincinnati Reds will employ a six-man rotation next week because of the upcoming doubleheader with the Pittsburgh Pirates.

But then what? Given how horrific the Reds bullpen has been and how many injuries the relief corps is now dealing with, there's no way that Cincinnati can maintain a six-man rotation for very long.

There's also the matter of Justin Dunn, who's currently rehabbing in the minor leagues. And we cannot forget about Connor Overton either. So what might the Reds do with so many starting pitchers?

The Reds could maintain a 6-man rotation through the All-Star break.

One option, of course is just to maintain the six-man starting rotation through the upcoming All-Star break. If Nick Lodolo returns to the lineup next Tuesday, the Cincinnati Reds could give each of their starters an extra day of rest for the following two weeks as each pitcher would receive two starts between Lodolo's return and the Midsummer Classic.

This would be a nice way to ease Lodolo back into the rotation. We've also seen Tyler Mahle and Luis Castillo go extended innings in their latest trips to the hill, so an added day of rest may be beneficial for the two right-handers.

A trade could solve all the Reds problems.

As we get closer and closer to the MLB trade deadline, we're bound to hear more and more rumors about the potential for Luis Castillo and Tyler Mahle to be dealt to a contender. If that happens, Cincinnati could easily reshuffle the rotation and roll with the remaining five starters.

If both Castillo and Mahle are dealt, the Reds don't have many options down on the farm. Cincinnati's top starter in Triple-A, Ben Lively, just recently went on the IL with an elbow strain. Justin Dunn is on a rehab assignment and could be ready around the All-Star break.

The Reds could and should move Mike Minor to the bullpen.

Mike Minor is no stranger to the bullpen. Over his career, the southpaw has 67 relief appearances with 65 of those coming in 2017 when he was with the Kansas City Royals.

Minor actually put together a pretty nice season in 2017 with a 2.55 ERA and 88 punch outs over 77.2 innings of work. Minor also locked down six saves for the Royals that year.

It's hard to see David Bell stretching this six-man starting rotation much beyond next week. Even taking it to the All-Star break seems out of the realm of possibilities. An injury or trade could always affect the Cincinnati Reds' plans, but for next week, it looks like all six starters will get an opporutnity to toe the rubber.