Reds' Lodolo shut down for rest of season

Nick Lodolo got off to more than a promising start in his first professional action, but he'll sit out the final month of the season. 
Cincinnati's second-ranked prospect reached his innings limit and was shut down for the remainder of the 2019 season, Class A Dayton said Thursday.

Lodolo pitched a strong season with TCU, going 6-6 with a 2.36 ERA across 103 innings before he was named First Team All-Big 12 in his final campaign with the Horned Frogs. Initially selected 41st overall by the Pirates in 2016, the southpaw was taken with the seventh overall pick in the June First-Year Player Draft. He signed with the Reds on June 11 at full slot value for $5,432,400. 
Initially assigned to Rookie Advanced Billings, Lodolo made a quick impression in the Pioneer League, striking out 21 batters in his first 11 1/3 Minor League innings.
"We had a little conversation about it. When you have the stuff he has, you can challenge hitters early in a count," Mustangs pitching coach Derrin Ebert told MiLB.com on July 3. "He doesn't have to be so fine.
"Like I said, the pitching stuff is great. The personality, the character of the kid that I've seen so far -- that puts him over the top for me."
After recording a 2.38 ERA across six outings, the 21-year-old earned a promotion to the Midwest League on July 22. Lodolo posted a 2.57 ERA and a 0.86 WHIP for the Dragons. MLB.com's No. 61 overall prospect fanned nine across those seven frames. 
In his final start for Dayton on Tuesday, the 6-foot-6 southpaw yielded a run on three hits with four strikeouts in four innings. He pounded the zone, tossing 33 of 49 pitches for strikes. 

Between the two levels, Lodolo sported a 2.45 ERA and a 0.98 WHIP in 18 1/3 frames. After 121 1/3 innings between college and pro ball, he will rest his arm over the final month of the regular season. 
The California native possesses three pitches (fastball, slider and changeup) graded at 55 by MLB Pipeline, giving him a few potential plus options to work with on the rubber.