GOODYEAR, Ariz. -- Nick Lodolo had a noticeable edge as he faced Matt McLain and Jonathan India in a live batting practice session on Wednesday. Each of the 30 pitches he threw came out with zip, authority and intent.

But the most encouraging takeaway was that Lodolo looked comfortable, as he has throughout the spring, after his visit with a specialist earlier in the week to run tests on his left leg came back with positive results.

“It’s good, it’s not something I didn’t already know,” Lodolo said. “It was just double-checking stuff because we don’t want to end up in a spot that we were in last year. I’m excited, I’m going to be honest, I just can’t wait to compete. That’s the one thing I like to do, and I look forward to doing it.”

So even though Reds manager David Bell said Thursday that Lodolo will likely miss time at the start of the season as he continues to ramp up his progression, the skipper seemed relieved. Whatever time Lodolo could miss, it isn’t expected to be much.

“At this point in camp, Opening Day or Day 1-5 is probably not in the mix,” Bell said. “But probably within the first two weeks is, that’s kind of the target. And it’s simply to have the time to properly build up. So it’s all really good, all really positive.”

Bell set April 9 as the targeted date for Lodolo to make his season debut, and he is expected to pitch Sunday’s game against the Guardians in what would be his first appearance of the spring.

It’s all very encouraging news for the left-hander, who was limited to just seven starts last season by a stress fracture in his left tibia. There haven’t been any setbacks or issues so far this spring, and his latest live BP was a promising step in the right direction.

With McLain and India standing in against him, Lodolo struck out the side in his first simulated inning, which included a backwards K of India on a perfectly-placed backdoor curveball. Lodolo tallied four strikeouts and induced a broken-bat ground ball before India managed to connect on a lazy fly ball at the end of the session, which proved to be the hardest contact Lodolo surrendered.

As he continues through his progression this spring, Lodolo hopes to put the hardships of last season in the rearview mirror and rediscover the success of his rookie year in 2022, when he posted a 3.66 ERA in 103 1/3 innings with 131 strikeouts.

“It was just reassuring, he’s been through a lot,” Bell said. “It’s not a normal situation, so hearing the doctors really reassure him, it was very encouraging. That’s why we [had him do tests], just to make sure we’re on the right track. I know Nick felt a lot more confident with what he’s doing, so it was a good process to go through and he’ll continue to do what he’s doing.”

Greene takes positives away from third start

One of Hunter Greene's biggest priorities over the winter was building up his endurance and strength in hopes of pitching deeper into games in 2024. The key to that has been getting his body in shape so he can shoulder a heavier workload and stay healthy.

Greene certainly wasn’t at his sharpest in his third spring start against the Cubs in Thursday night's 2-2 tie at Goodyear Ballpark, giving up two runs on two hits, including a Michael Busch homer in the first, with three walks. Still, Greene was pleased with how good his body felt and where it’s at this point in the spring.

“Just continuing to fill the zone up,” said Greene. “Obviously bringing the walks down, but I know that will take care of itself. I’m a professional, I know how to work on that, I’m not going to stress it at all. There’s a lot of positives from today.”

After getting roughed up in the first frame, Greene proceeded to retire seven of the final nine batters he faced. Despite pushing his spring walk total to seven through 7 2/3 innings, Greene punched out five Cubs, landing 22 of his 37 pitches for strikes.

“We can’t beat ourselves up over stuff that doesn’t go our way,” Greene said. “Spring Training is here for a reason. It’s just understanding that, but obviously we have our own expectations and we want to continue to do well and have efficient innings.”