The entire plan was that the Cincinnati Reds were going to prioritize pitching and defense. But things can change when it\u2019s 25% of the way through the season and you rank sixth-to-last in MLB in runs, seventh-to-last in OPS and are tied for fourth in strikeouts. <\/p>\n
Terry Francona is starting to prioritize offense some more as he puts together the lineup. He has been pretty aggressive recently. JJ Bleday went from Triple-A to hitting second in the lineup in just over a week. Matt McLain has been moved down to the bottom-third of the lineup. On Sunday, Will Benson led off and Spencer Steer hit second. When asked, he made no commitment to whether this was a one-time event or would continue.<\/p>\n
The most concrete change so far has been Sal Stewart playing more second and third base. Matt McLain and Ke\u2019Bryan Hayes have been in the lineup together in just four of the Reds\u2019 last 12 games. Will Benson, with a .818 OPS over the last 15 games, is making more starts. While he hasn\u2019t been able to earn regular playing time since 2024, Benson is the Reds\u2019 hottest big league bat right now who isn\u2019t getting regular playing time<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen we want to get Benson\u2019s bat in there, a righty needs to sit,\u201d Francona said. \u201cI try to make sense of who sits and try not to have somebody hit too much where it gets in the way of what they\u2019re doing. You try to have a reason for doing it.\u201d<\/p>\n
Elly De La Cruz, Spencer Steer, Nathaniel Lowe and Tyler Stephenson are locks to play every day. <\/p>\n
JJ Bleday has hit his way into a prominent role in the lineup. He\u2019ll have to make an adjustment \u2014 pitchers are stopping throwing him fastballs, and he has historically been bad against off-speed pitches. On the whole, there\u2019s a lot to like right now.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s a really good fastball hitter,\u201d Francona said. \u201cToday, he got a 3-0 breaking ball. He stayed through it enough to keep it fair. He\u2019s very dangerous. He can also handle some lefties, which is good. He has given us a big lift. We\u2019ve hit him all over the lineup.\u201d<\/p>\n
What do you do with TJ Friedl? Francona has spoken a lot about the back of Friedl\u2019s baseball card, showing confidence that Friedl will turn it around. But right now, among qualified hitters, he has the 14th-worst on-base percentage in MLB. He\u2019s being used as a platoon player and is sitting against lefties as Dane Myers takes those starts. On Sunday, Friedl got the day off against a right-handed pitcher. His defense has also taken a step back in center field. <\/p>\n
A notable trend is Friedl\u2019s decrease in his walks. Last year, his walk rate was in the top-15 percentile in MLB. Now, he has two walks in his last 83 plate appearances. <\/p>\n
\u201cSometimes, guys try to swing their way out of it,\u201d Francona said. \u201cI get it. He was (walking) earlier. I remember thinking, \u2018At least he\u2019s walking.\u2019 Then that kind of dried up a bit, too.\u201d<\/p>\n
I believe that McLain is going to produce. While the OPS isn\u2019t good, he still ranks fourth on the team in hits and RBI. He has had a decent amount of games where he has been the Reds\u2019 player with the big hit, and Saturday\u2019s win was another example. Also, moments like scoring from second base on a sac fly last week in Chicago are a reminder of the way he plays the game. <\/p>\n
To get Benson\u2019s bat in the lineup, that has carved into the spot of either McLain or Hayes. Before Sunday, it had been one or the other. One of them would sit so Benson could start (on Sunday, Friedl was the one who sat so Benson could start)<\/p>\n
Hayes has looked like the Reds\u2019 worst hitter this season. He\u2019s hitting .139 with a .422 OPS. At first, he was getting unlucky on hard contact. Then, the hard contact dried up. <\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s having a tough time,\u201d Francona said. \u201cHe\u2019s not gotten rewarded when he has hit the ball well as much as he needed to. Like human nature, sometimes you try to do more.\u201d<\/p>\n
Entering today, Hayes was in the worst 30-game span of his entire career, in terms of OPS (according to Baseball Reference). Going beyond the numbers, Hayes has looked bad at the plate. He had a very concerning at-bat on Sunday, chasing two pitches to strike out against a pitcher who had been walking the farm.<\/p>\n
A team that needs offense needs more from an every day third baseman than what the Reds are getting from Hayes. Stewart is an option at third base, and he had a very nice game defensively at that position on Saturday. <\/p>\n
With the current roster construction, giving Hayes (or McLain, or Friedl) a day off right now creates a spot in the lineup for Benson. Myers has been a platoon player who faces LHP, and Blake Dunn hasn\u2019t played much.<\/p>\n
A roster move could change the lineup math.<\/p>\n
Brad Meador and Terry Francona have both discussed the importance of reports from coaches and executives who are in Louisville, who are getting a real feel for the quality of at-bats that Noelvi Marte is putting up every day. He can get away with a lot in Triple-A that he can\u2019t in the big leagues. We\u2019ve all recognized the gap between Triple-A and the big leagues. When Marte was in MLB this year, pitchers weren\u2019t throwing him strikes because he kept chasing. <\/p>\n
Still, there\u2019s upside here. Marte carried the Reds\u2019 offense last August. He\u2019s capable of filling the No. 2 spot in the lineup when his approach is in a good place. In Triple-A, he\u2019s hitting .375 with a .989 OPS. If he\u2019s ready to be called back up, he\u2019d be a clean fit into the lineup. <\/p>\n
You could call him up, place him in right field, move Steer to first base and Stewart to third base. That would take Benson\u2019s spot in the lineup (you could also continue to mix and match Benson and Friedl in center field). <\/p>\n
Since being optioned, Marte has made about half of his starts in center field. He\u2019s a much more valuable player in the long run if he can play that position at a good enough level. Being in Triple-A gives Marte a great opportunity to develop his center field defense. Do you keep Marte in Triple-A until his center field defense is ready? If Marte can play center, then Friedl could play more left field (especially if his bat gets going) or be more of a role player. <\/p>\n
The hot name in Triple-A right now is Edwin Arroyo, who\u2019s hitting .338 while showing some more power ability. Taking a wider lens to evaluate Arroyo\u2019s track record and projection, his defense and athleticism are expected to be his biggest strengths. The power is good to see, but he\u2019s not expected to be a slugger. It\u2019s unfair to expect Arroyo to instantly change the Reds\u2019 big league lineup.<\/p>\n
If you needed to get Arroyo into the big league lineup right now, the options would be making him your every day second baseman, or calling him up to fill a super utility role (some second and spot starts at third if he continues to develop at that new position, maybe a DH day now and then with Eugenio Su\u00e1rez on the IL, maybe he gives Elly De La Cruz a day off). <\/p>\n
Looking toward the near future, Arroyo can develop into an option at third base if he keeps playing there regularly in Triple-A. Right now, he has played in two games at the position as he picks it up. He has the tools to be a real impact defender at third, but he\u2019s still so inexperienced at that position. Last year, the Reds rushed Sal Stewart to the big leagues to play a position that Stewart had barely played before (first base) because of how ready his bat was. Arroyo is showing progress offensively, but he\u2019s not the hitter that Stewart is. Starting Arroyo at third base should be an option in 2026, but he doesn\u2019t have enough reps yet. <\/p>\n
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