Nick Lodolo’s Electric Start: Why the Reds’ Ace Is MLB’s Most Talked-About Pitcher in 2025

CINCINNATI—The Cincinnati Reds’ playoff push absorbed a potentially crushing blow Thursday night when left-handed starter Nick Lodolo exited his outing against the Pittsburgh Pirates after just 2⅓ innings with what the club termed an “apparent lower-leg issue,” the same left tibia that caused two separate stress reactions in 2023 and limited him earlier this year. Television cameras showed the 27-year-old grimacing after a 94 mph fastball sailed high; manager David Bell and head athletic trainer Tomas Vera quickly emerged from the dugout, and Lodolo walked off under his own power but with a noticeable limp. The injury comes only 16 days after Lodolo returned from the 15-day injured list for a blister on his pitching hand, and six days after he was scratched from a scheduled start in Toronto because of illness. Since rejoining the rotation on Sept. 8, he had delivered 11 scoreless frames, lowering his season ERA to 3.21 while solidifying a staff that already lost Hunter Greene to a season-ending elbow procedure. Nick Martini relieved Lodolo and surrendered a three-run homer on his first pitch, underscoring Lodolo’s value as the Reds cling to a half-game lead for the final National League Wild Card berth. Cincinnati entered play ranked 12th in MLB in starter ERA since Aug. 1 but fourth when Lodolo takes the mound. According to Statcast, his sweeping slider has generated a 43 percent whiff rate, best among qualified NL southpaws. Post-game, Bell offered little clarity: “We won’t know anything definitive until the imaging comes back tomorrow morning, but obviously we’re concerned.” Lodolo declined comment, but teammates said he was “frustrated” in the clubhouse. Should Lodolo miss time, the Reds could pivot to rookie right-hander Chase Petty or convert former closer Alexis Díaz into a bulk role, options pitching coach Derek Johnson acknowledged the club has “game-planned for all year.” The Reds also have Friday’s off-day to rearrange the rotation before a critical three-game set with the Mets that begins Saturday. Lodolo’s health has been a persistent storyline since Cincinnati drafted him seventh overall in 2019. He logged just 34⅓ innings in 2024 while rehabbing the tibia and has been on the injured list four times over the past two seasons. Yet when available he has flashed top-of-the-rotation talent, posting a 29.7 percent strikeout rate that trails only Spencer Strider and Zack Wheeler among NL starters with at least 80 innings. Fantasy baseball managers and sports-betting markets quickly reacted to the news; Lodolo’s over/under for remaining 2025 regular-season starts was pulled from multiple books within minutes of his departure, and Cincinnati’s World Series odds drifted from 28-1 to 35-1. An MRI scheduled for Friday will determine whether Lodolo can make his next turn—or if the Reds must navigate the season’s final eight games without their budding ace. For a franchise chasing its first postseason series win since 1995, the stakes could not be higher.