GOODYEAR, Ariz. -- Perhaps a consequence of a premature Arizona heatwave, Reds starting pitcher Brady Singer abruptly exited Wednesday's start vs. the Rockies because of a blister that developed on his right index finger.
Singer, who threw 51 pitches (35 strikes) over 3 2/3 scoreless innings of the split-squad game, had two outs in the top of the fourth inning when head trainer Sean McQueeney came to the mound with acting manager Freddie Benavides and acting pitching coach Matt Tracy. The group walked off together as Singer looked at his finger. He viewed the departure as more of a precautionary measure.
“It’s 100 degrees in Arizona and I had never pitched out here with it being this hot. I just didn’t want it to open up and all that," Singer said. "I felt good with where I was and kind of knew the situation, and obviously, didn’t want to make it worse. I’ll be fine. It’s almost gone anyway. I’ll take care of it and get ready for the next one.”
Singer, who was targeted for 75-80 pitches for his fourth spring start, had the first two batters of the first inning reach safely and the leadoff batter got on base to open the second inning. Both times, he worked around trouble. He had retired seven in a row when he exited.
“I’ve never had it happen. I don’t know if it’s the air out here being this hot or something like that," Singer said. "We’ll do some stuff for it, get some stuff on it and take care of everything.
“Everything else felt really good.”
Singer, who will be the third starter in the Reds' rotation, is a critical part of the pitching picture this season after he was the club's leader in 2025 in starts (32) and innings (169 2/3) while going 14-12 with a 4.03 ERA.
If he is able to resume pitching without missing any time, Singer is expected to next pitch an exhibition game at Milwaukee on Monday and start Cincinnati's third regular-season game vs. the Red Sox on March 29 at Great American Ball Park.