Reds send reliever to Louisville to open spot for Lodolo

Reds reliever Daniel Duarte reacts after giving up a grand slam to Jose Ramirez, of the Guardians, in the ninth inning on Tuesday, April 12, 2022, at Great American Ball Park in Cincinnati. David Jablonski/Staff

Credit: David Jablonski

Credit: David Jablonski

Reds reliever Daniel Duarte reacts after giving up a grand slam to Jose Ramirez, of the Guardians, in the ninth inning on Tuesday, April 12, 2022, at Great American Ball Park in Cincinnati. David Jablonski/Staff

The Cincinnati Reds optioned rookie reliever Daniel Duarte to Triple-A Louisville on Wednesday, one day after he gave up a grand slam on Opening Day in Cincinnati.

Duarte’s departure opened a space for another rookie Nick Lodolo, who will make his big-league debut at 12:35 p.m. Wednesday in the second and final game of a two-game series against the Cleveland Guardians at Great American Ball Park.

Duarte made two appearances in the first five games. He threw a scoreless inning Friday in an 8-7 loss on the road to the Atlanta Braves. In the ninth inning Tuesday, he replaced Hunter Strickland, who gave up a two-run, tie-breaking home run earlier in the inning, with runners on second and third and two outs. Duarte walked Steven Kwan before giving up a grand slam to José Ramírez. The Reds lost 10-5.

The Reds also designed for assignment reliever Riley O’Brien, who has made one appearance for the Louisville Bats this season, and announced starting pitcher Mike Minor, who has been sidelined with a left shoulder strain, will start a rehab assignment with Double-A Chattanooga.

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