On Tuesday the Cincinnati Reds placed left-handed starting pitcher Nick Lodolo on the 15-day injured list with a blister on his index finger. They also announced that Brandon Williamson would be moving into the rotation to fill that spot that was vacated. That left a spot in the bullpen open, but they didn’t announce who would step in. That decision came down this afternoon as the Reds called up right-handed pitcher Jose Franco.
The now 25-year-old right-handed starter was the 2025 RedsMinorLeagues.com MiLB Pitcher of the Year. Last season he made 26 starts and five relief appearances, splitting his time rather evenly between Double-A Chattanooga and Triple-A Louisville. He went 10-4 with a 3.11 ERA between the two stops. His ERA was the best among any pitcher on the farm with at least 12 starts on the season, and he was 4th in innings pitched with 110.0 and 2nd in strikeouts with 118.
It’s unclear exactly how the team will use him during his time up with the Reds. A starter in the minor leagues, he could just step in and fill the role that was going to be that of Williamson where he’s sort of a designated long reliever once through the rotation and fills in the innings for one of Chase Burns, Rhett Lowder, and now Williamson – all of whom are likely going to need their innings monitored throughout the year. But there’s also a chance he could just be used more as a sort-of-regular reliever, too, since the stay is likely going to be short with Lodolo expected to return from the blister quickly.
When it comes to his stuff, Franco is bringing a 3-pitch mix to the table. He’s got a 4-seam fastball that works in the mid-90’s and touches 98. His slider is an average pitch that works in the mid-80’s and he can change the look of it at times. The third pitch is a fringy change up that works in the upper 80’s.
He has thrown plenty of strikes in his career, but he’s more of a control over a command pitcher. That means he’s in the zone with his stuff but he doesn’t always find his target with his stuff.
After the 2025 season the Reds added Franco to the 40-man roster. That meant he got to be a part of big league spring training. He was limited in his usage, throwing in just three games and covering 4.2 innings. During that time he allowed two earned runs on five hits, a walk, and he hit a batter. Franco also struck out eight of the 22 hitters he faced. He’s never been in the big leagues before, so when he does take the mound he will be making his debut in Major League Baseball.
Jose Franco’s 2025 Stats
Jose Franco Video