Reds rookie Levi Stoudt has earned another start

Cincinnati Reds pitcher Levi Stoudt did not have the warmest of welcomes to The Show back on April 19th against the Tampa Bay Rays.

Stoudt's debut was anything but impressive. The right-hander was rocked in the first inning and by the time he was lifted, Stoudt had allowed seven runs on nine hits with three strikeouts and a walk.

Stoudt then returned to the big leagues once more after Nick Lodolo was removed from his scheduled start in Miami. Derek Law was the opener for Stoudt on May 13th, a game in which he logged three punch outs and three walks in three innings of work.

Reds rookie Levi Stoudt has earned another start.

On Sunday afternoon, the Cincinnati Reds called upon Levi Stoudt once again to be a "spot starter". Whereas Brandon Williamson and Andrew Abbott were virtually guaranteed to receive more playing time beyond their first major league appearance, nothing is promised to Stoudt beyond the game that's in front of him.

Stoudt, who was just coming off an IL stint in the minors, was only able to give David Bell three innings, but the right-hander looked much better than he had in his previous two outings.

According to Baseball Savant, Stoudt saw a nice jump in velocity. His four-seam fastball was sitting at about 94.4-mph during his start in Miami back in May, but on Sunday, that velo was bumped up to 95-mph with a maximum velocity of nearly 97-mph.

Levi Stoudt still has a long way to go before anyone should consider him a "regular" in the Cincinnati Reds rotation. But, with Hunter Greene, Nick Lodolo, and Ben Lively all on the IL, David Bell's going to need someone to log some innings in the next few weeks.

Brandon Williamson, Andrew Abbott, and Luke Weaver will all draw a start in the upcoming series against the Baltimore Orioles. With the off day on Thursday, and Graham Ashcraft likely to go to the hill on Friday versus the visiting San Diego Padres, Levi Stoudt could get some extra rest before his next start.