Photo: Doug Gray
The fans in Dayton are going to be treated to two different big league rehab stints this week. The Cincinnati Reds are sending catcher Jose Trevino to Dayton on Friday to catch five innings for the Dragons according to Reds.com’s Mark Sheldon. Two days later the club is sending left-handed starting pitcher Nick Lodolo to Dayton where he’s expected to make a rehab start.
Jose Trevino is working his way back from a thoracic spine strain (upper back) has been catching on the side and even caught some of Nick Lodolo’s live batting practice/simulated game sessions this past week. He’s been on the injured list for over two weeks now and is getting close to a return. The expectation is that if things go fine on Friday night that he will join the Reds on Sunday.
Lodolo’s not yet made his big league debut this season. A blister in his final start of the spring landed him on the injured list to start the year. On April 2nd he was in Single-A Daytona with the Tortugas for a rehab start, but after 2.2 perfect innings against Jupiter he had to exit the game as his blister became an issue. Lodolo hasn’t pitched in a rehab game since.
What he has been doing, though, is working on the side and throwing live sessions against Reds hitters. That work has not included throwing his slider, which is the pitch that has been causing the blister issue on his index finger. That’s a pitch he needs and it’s his out pitch at the big league level. He is expected to use that pitch when he gets on the mound on Sunday in Dayton. For Lodolo, he’s expected to throw four innings in the game, though sometimes that will change due to the pitch count that happens during the outing.