FILE – Cincinnati Reds pitcher Nick Lodolo (40) delivers in the second inning during a spring training baseball game against the Chicago White Sox, Wednesday, Feb. 25, 2026, in Phoenix.
Brynn Anderson – AP
ARLINGTON, Texas — While Cincinnati Reds starting pitcher Nick Lodolo was on track at one point to return in the next week, a setback with his blister issue will likely prevent that from happening.
Lodolo’s rehab start was cut short when his blister issue popped back up.
“It’s frustrating,” Lodolo said. “I thought it was in the clear. The 40th pitch, I came back up. We’ll get a plan put together.”
Lodolo also dealt with blister issues in 2021, 2024 and 2025. He said that he has tried every known remedy and experimented with other ways to put it behind him. He has even tried pitching through it, but that hasn’t worked either.
“The main goal is I’ve got to get back to where I can even compete at this level,” Lodolo said. “We’ll take it day by day and hopefully get back to that.”
Lodolo said that he hopes to play catch in the next day or two, but the plan going forward hasn’t officially been set yet.
In 2025, Lodolo was one of the best young lefties in baseball and posted a 3.33 ERA in 29 appearances. The blister issue has prevented him from taking the next step in his career.
“I don’t know if you can stop them,” Terry Francona said. “It’s how you go from there that’s really important.”