Welcome back to my Reds newsletter, the third edition!

FIRST GREENE, THEN LODOLO

Of course, there will be a lot of attention focused on Cincinnati’s No. 1 prospect, Hunter Greene, when he makes his Major League debut Sunday vs. the Braves. In a short amount of time, Reds fans will want to take note of another important debut coming Wednesday -- this one at home -- vs. the Guardians.

That's when Cincinnati’s No. 2 prospect, left-handed starting pitcher Nick Lodolo, is scheduled to make his big league debut.

“I’m excited. Ever since you’re a kid, it’s what you dream of,” said Lodolo, who MLB Pipeline has ranked at No. 42 overall. “Now it’s living that dream and everything. It will be cool that it’s in Cincy. I can’t really put it into words yet until it happens.”

Lodolo, 24, isn’t officially on the Reds’ 28-man roster yet. But he is on the taxi squad for the road trip and has been preparing -- including throwing a simulated game at Truist Park on Friday. He will officially be added to the active and 40-man roster ahead of Wednesday’s start.

The Reds selected the 6-foot-6 Lodolo seventh overall in the 2019 MLB Draft out of TCU, and he’s moved up quickly through the organization.

Lodolo was 2-2 with a 2.31 ERA and 0.97 WHIP in 13 starts combined last season for Double-A Chattanooga and Triple-A Louisville. His season was marred by blister issues on his pitching hand, and he was limited to three starts at Louisville because of a left shoulder sprain. However, he was healthy throughout the offseason and performed well at the club’s early Minor League camp.

During big league camp, Lodolo had a 2.38 ERA in four games -- including three starts.

“I was happy with how my camp went,” Lodolo said. “I felt good, healthy and a lot stronger. I’m excited to get rolling.”

As often happens, Lodolo will have a lot of in-person support at Great American Ball Park when he debuts. The Southern California native estimated he would be leaving more than 20 tickets for family and friends.

“Everybody -- family, grandma, cousins, aunt and uncle. I have a couple of buddies coming in, my girlfriend and her family, my parents, my brother -- everybody,” Lodolo said.

REDS USING PITCHCOM

In the first couple of games, you might have noticed Reds catcher Tyler Stephenson not using any fingers to give signs to the pitchers while crouched behind the plate. Instead, Stephenson was pushing buttons on a device attached to the inside of his left wrist.

The wearable device is called PitchCom and it was approved for optional use this season. The catcher enters the pitch type and location with the buttons. Pitchers and three others wear a haptic device in their cap. Sounding like Siri on an iPhone, a voice will instruct them what’s coming.

PitchCom has two purposes -- to eliminate sign-stealing and to increase the pace of play. Teams, including the Reds, tested it during Spring Training, and the reviews were positive.

“The momentum and pace of play has been going really well,” Stephenson said. “It’s weird whenever a guy shakes, and you’re used to giving other signs. Now you’re just clicking buttons. There were some things we had to change on them, but it’s going well. It’s going to be interesting to see how it goes during the season.”

One issue that could potentially come up is crowd noise drowning out the device sound from the caps. Another might be the catcher having to cover his wrist, so the batter doesn’t take notice of the pitch choice.

There are no devices or computers inside the dugout. The manager or the bench will still use hand signals to the catcher for calling pitchouts or other strategy.

“They loved it. I was shocked,” Reds manager David Bell said. “I was very surprised. I did not like the idea of it, and I try to think I’m open to new things. I didn’t think that was a good idea at all. I already could see how it’s really going to help the game. Really, not only the pace of play, but just having everyone work together, there was good interaction amongst the team with helping the defenders work together.”

TRIVIA

Which Hall of Fame player recorded his 3,000th career hit against the Reds?

A. Hank Aaron

B. Willie Mays

C. Roberto Clemente

D. Stan Musial

QUOTABLE

“I mean, he’s nasty. He was nasty last year. That’s what we all expected. I was happy for him to get his first save.” -- Reds starting pitcher Tyler Mahle on Tony Santillan, who struck out two Thursday for his first big league save

WATCHING THE CELEBRATION

Ahead of their Opening Day victory over the Braves by a 6-3 score Thursday, Reds players were gathered on the top step of the visitor’s dugout. Atlanta used the night to celebrate its 2021 World Series championship and a sell-out crowd of 40,545 fans were enjoying the moment. Cincinnati’s players were paying attention.

“I think it’s a good experience,” Bell said. “It’s a bit painful, just to watch other people celebrate. But the respect that you have for other teams that accomplish something like the Braves did last year, you have that built-in respect for teams. Witnessing and seeing what it’s all about … can go a long way.”

REDS TRIVIA ANSWER

A. Hank Aaron. The Braves legend notched career hit No. 3,000 against Wayne Simpson at Crosley Field on May 17, 1970.

FORWARDED FROM A FRIEND? SUBSCRIBE NOW

To subscribe to Reds Beat, visit this page and mark "Reds Beat" from our newsletter list. Make sure you're following the Reds or that they're checked as your favorite team.

Contact Mark at mark.sheldon@mlb.com | View Online