Should the Reds be concerned about Nick Lodolo?

The Cincinnati faithful have to feel pretty good about the upcoming season based on what they've already seen from players like Hunter Greene, Elly De La Cruz, and Christian Encarnacion-Strand. That trio of stars stood out this spring and look to be in midseason form already.

But while Reds fans undoubtedly have tremendous confidence in those three players (and others), there is legitimate concern attached to a handful of others. Chief among them has to be Cincinnati Reds starter Nick Lodolo.

After watching Lodolo hit the injured list four separate times in 2024, and seeing him struggle when he was available to pitch, fans are extremely weary of linking high expectations to a player that will be taking the ball for Game 2 of the 2025 season.

Should the Reds be concerned about Nick Lodolo?

Reds manager Terry Francona already named Greene as the team's Opening Day starter. Fans finally saw Greene break through in 2024 and become the ace that almost everyone expected him to be. Though he spent a brief stint on the IL, Greene made 26 starts and posted a 2.75 ERA with 169 punch outs in 150 ⅓ innings of work.

Fans have similar expectations for Lodolo. After watching the lanky lefty make major league hitters look foolish during his rookie season, Lodolo has struggled to rediscover his form in the two years since. Lodolo made 19 starts in 2022 and posted a 3.66 ERA with 131 strikeouts in just over 103 innings pitched. Lodolo only allowed 13 balls to leave the yard and owned a 119 ERA+.

But in the last two seasons, Lodolo has a combined 5.11 ERA and allowed 23 home runs in just under 150 innings of work. The southpaw's 87 ERA+ is concerning and so is his 9.1 hits per nine innings pitched. That number was sitting at 7.8 H/9 in 2022.

Lodolo saw an uptick in the usage of his changeup last season, but the velocity on his fastball has remained consistent throughout his major league career. Frankly, many of the advanced metrics from Lodolo's rookie season in 2022 to his 2024 campaign are relatively similar.

At the end of the day, it's not Lodolo's control, command, or mechanics that will cause Reds fans to lose sleep this season. For Lodolo to be successful, it all comes down to his ability to stay off the injured list. If he can do that, Reds Country has nothing to worry about. But that's a big if.

More Cincinnati Reds News and Rumors