Nick Lodolo

Expectations were high for Lodolo entering his sophomore season, but he ended up making just seven starts before going down with a stress reaction in his left tibia. The southpaw appeared to be on the verge of a return in August, but a second stress reaction in the same tibia took a return off the table. Fortunately for Lodolo and the Reds, offseason surgery is not expected to be necessary. During his brief time on the field, Lodolo's stuff was down across the board. He allowed 10 home runs in 34.1 innings for an unsightly 27.0% HR/FB. Lodolo admitted in spring training that he was having some trouble adjusting to the pitch clock, so that may have played a factor. No matter how you slice it, it was a lost season for the 2019 No. 7 overall pick. He was still able to rack up the strikeouts even with diminished velocity last season (28.3 K%), and Lodolo is just entering his age-26 season. Cincinnati will have him take the ball every fifth day for as long as his body allows. Read Past Outlooks