Reds Select Michael Toglia

The Reds announced Tuesday that they’ve selected the contract of first baseman/outfielder Michael Toglia from Triple-A Louisville and activated lefty Nick Lodolo from the 15-day injured list. Cincinnati opened a 40-man roster spot for Toglia by transferring Hunter Greene — who’s set to undergo UCL surgery — from the 15-day IL to the 60-day IL. They optioned right-hander Zach McCambley and infielder/outfielder Ivan Johnson to Triple-A to open active roster spots for Toglia and Lodolo. (Johnson was technically optioned postgame on Sunday.)

Toglia is in his first season with the Reds organization. The 27-year-old switch-hitter was the Rockies’ first-round pick out of UCLA in 2019 and has logged action in parts of four seasons with the Rox (2022-25). He’s shown big power with untenable levels of swing-and-miss in his game. Toglia swatted 25 homers in only 116 games with the 2024 Rockies, but he’s fanned in at least 32% of his plate appearances in each of his four big league seasons. He’s a career .201/.278/.389 hitter with 42 home runs, a 9.5% walk rate and a massive 35% strikeout rate in 1067 major league plate appearances.

Cincinnati added Toglia on a minor league deal over the winter after Colorado dropped him from the 40-man roster. He’s had a nice season in Louisville, slashing .273/.373/.547 with 22 dingers in only 402 trips to the plate. Toglia hasn’t struck out at quite as high a level as he has in the big leagues, but his current 25.6% mark is still on the high side for a soon-to-be 28-year-old with ample Triple-A and MLB experience. He has, however, walked at a 13.9% clip — the second-best mark of his professional career.

The Reds traded Nathaniel Lowe to the Guardians on the day of the trade deadline and are facing a notable absence for utilityman Spencer Steer due to a wrist strain. That’ll open up some at-bats at first base and designated hitter for Toglia, though he’ll still have to contend with Rookie of the Year candidate Sal Stewart and veteran Eugenio Suarez getting reps in those lineup spots. Toglia has nearly identical platoon splits in his career but strikes out more and hits for a bit less power when batting from the left side of the plate. This season in Triple-A, however, he’s fared better as a lefty.

Cincinnati can pick and choose spots for Toglia while getting a look at him over the final seven weeks of the season. He’ll finish the ’26 campaign with under three seasons of club control, so if he makes a good impression, he can technically be controlled for four more years. He’s out of options though, so Toglia will have to stick in the majors or else be designated for assignment.

Lodolo has been out for a month due to ongoing blister troubles on his pitching hand. The 28-year-old southpaw had been pitching well prior to his IL placement; he’s sitting on a pedestrian 4.60 ERA overall this year but had worked to a tidy 1.35 ERA across four starts prior to his latest IL placement.

Blister, shoulder and back issues have plagued Lodolo throughout his professional career. The former first-rounder and top prospect was brilliant last year, turning in a 3.33 ERA with a 24.3% strikeout rate and just a 4.8% walk rate in 156 2/3 innings. That ERA, walk rate, innings count and 28 starts were all career-best marks for Lodolo, but he hasn’t been able to follow up in 2026.

Greene’s forthcoming UCL surgery will sideline him for the rest of this season and most — if not all — of the 2027 season. That makes a strong finish for Lodolo all the more important. He, Chase Burns and Andrew Abbott are the only real locks for next year’s rotation, as top prospect Rhett Lowder has pitched to a 5.26 ERA with middling rate stats through 89 innings this year. Brady Singer is a free agent at season’s end. Meanwhile, depth arms like Chase Petty, Brandon Williamson, Julian Aguiar and Jose Franco have either pitched poorly or spent much of the season on the shelf due to injury. The Reds control Lodolo through 2027, which will be his final year of arbitration eligibility.