Reds fans have seen this movie before, and not in a fun rewatchable way. Nick Lodolo is headed back to the 15-day IL with a blister on his left index finger, the same spot that's been sidelining him on and off since he was a prospect in 2021. This time it flared up during a start against the Cubs, and by the next day the corresponding move was official.
Reds Place Nick Lodolo On IL With Blister, Recall Chase Petty t.co/IxwkRYfJv8
It's not a one-off bad-luck thing anymore, it's basically part of Lodolo's profile at this point. He opened the 2026 season on the IL after a blister ended his final Spring Training outing, didn't make his season debut until May 8, and now he's landing back on the shelf again after just 12 starts back. Add in a three-week blister absence in August of 2025 and a similar issue back in 2024, and this is the fourth time in three years his own grip has betrayed him.
Nick Lodolo's recurring blister problems send the #Reds southpaw back to the 15-day IL: t.co/JIUw6Yga1Y
The good news, if there is any, is that Lodolo's stuff has never really been the problem. When healthy in 2025 he posted a 3.33 ERA over a career-high 28 starts, tied for the MLB lead in complete games and racked up 156 strikeouts. This isn't a talent question, it's a durability one, and a lefty with front-of-rotation upside going down for the fourth time over a finger blister is exactly the kind of thing that keeps a pitching-development staff up at night.
On the roster side, Cincinnati is patching things the way contenders have to in July: shuffle from Triple-A, keep the season moving. Chase Petty gets the call back up, and per reporting Rhett Lowder is slated to slide into the vacated rotation spot in the meantime. Lodolo is technically eligible to return July 27, but given his track record with this exact injury, nobody in Cincinnati is circling that date in permanent marker.
The bigger-picture question is whether this becomes a pattern the Reds have to actually solve rather than just IL-stint their way through. A finger blister sounds minor until it's cost a talented starter parts of four straight seasons, and until Lodolo and the training staff find a fix, every deep Cincinnati start from him is going to come with a little bit of dread attached.