The Cincinnati Reds got a little relief on the injury front Tuesday, even as the season keeps sliding in the wrong direction.
After Monday night’s 8-0 loss to the Seattle Mariners, Cincinnati dropped to 45-54, a record that all but points the club toward selling before the trade deadline. Injuries have been one of the biggest reasons the Reds have spent so much of 2026 trying to patch things together, and that list has been a problem since before the season even started.
There was at least some movement on that front. Charlie Goldsmith reported that starter Nick Lodolo is slated to try a bullpen session on Wednesday, with the team planning to use its judgment during the throwing session.
Lodolo’s blister problem flared back up and knocked him out of his start against the Chicago Cubs on July 11. It’s an issue that has bothered him before, and it doesn’t sound like it’s going away easily.
Blake Dunn is next in line to work back. He is scheduled to begin a rehab assignment on Thursday and will serve as the designated hitter.
The Reds are comfortable letting him take some swings as he starts the process of getting back to Cincinnati. Dunn landed on the injured list at the end of June with a sprained right elbow.
Matt McLain is also set to start a rehab assignment, with Friday marked as his return date to game action. The Reds infielder, now more of a utility piece, has been sidelined by a left calf strain that sent him to the 10-day injured list.
For Cincinnati, all of it counts as encouraging news. But it may not mean much in the short term if the roster keeps changing around them. By the time late August arrives, this group could look very different from the one on the field right now.
None of the players on the injured list are expected to be moved anytime soon, though Lodolo had been a possible trade chip before this latest setback. Of the three, Dunn appears to be the one with the clearest path to sticking around, at least for now. He was producing well before the injury, while McLain, as the source put it, felt like he was on his last legs with the club.
Reinforcements may be coming for Terry Francona’s team, but the bigger picture remains unsettled. There are still plenty of questions hanging over the current roster, and the answers may not arrive until much later.
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