On JJ Bleday\u2019s first full day on the Cincinnati Reds\u2019 active big league roster, Terry Francona was asked how he was going to split playing time between JJ Bleday, Rece Hinds and Will Benson. Francona said that they\u2019d just have to let it play out. <\/p>\n
That afternoon, in an 8-3 loss to the Tigers on April 26, Bleday homered. <\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m proud of the first game as a Red, being able to hit a home run,\u201d Bleday said recently, looking back at his rapid ascent from Triple-A to the heart of the Reds\u2019 order. <\/p>\n
Now, he\u2019s hitting .272 with a .953 OPS that ranks seventh in MLB (one spot above Juan Soto) among players with at least 150 plate appearances this year. <\/p>\n
This rise from Bleday started with a solo homer off Keider Montero on April 26. <\/p>\n
\u201cThat sparked a good fire in me to try to go out, do my best and prove myself and battle,\u201d Bleday said. \u201cI was down 0-2 (in the count). That gave me the confidence that I can compete in this league. You\u2019ve just got to trust yourself. Go out, try to lock in and focus on putting up good at-bats. That\u2019s what I\u2019ve been able to do this season.\u201d<\/p>\n
In the Reds\u2019 next game, with the team facing a lefty, Bleday wasn\u2019t in the lineup (Nathaniel Lowe, still hitless vs. LHP this season, got the start that day). Bleday was back in the lineup on April 29. He has been in the lineup every single day since then, not even receiving a single day off. <\/p>\n
During Bleday\u2019s first week in the big leagues this year, he impressed the Reds with his ability to battle back when he was down in the count as well as his combination of power and a two-strike approach. He had several examples of that during a series in Pittsburgh as the calendar flipped to May, and the skills that Bleday was showing was keeping him in the lineup. <\/p>\n
\u201cTito was giving me some more opportunities, and it led to me having the chance to have success,\u201d Bleday said of this period of time. \u201cIt was the opportunity to earn the right to be an every day guy. That last game in Pittsburgh (a two-hit game) was another good benchmark. It\u2019s tough to play there. I haven\u2019t had much success there.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Reds\u2019 offense was in a rut, but Bleday was a bright spot. He wasn\u2019t necessarily hot yet, but he was doing enough. <\/p>\n
The following week, he got hot as he delivered five hits, two homers and four RBI during a four-game series in Wrigley Field. Some of that production came against left-handed pitching, which showed Francona what Bleday could do against lefties. <\/p>\n
\u201cThat whole Chicago series was a benchmark to keep things going, especially with the home runs,\u201d Bleday said. \u201cGetting on base was the success and the recurring theme. Then being able to slug a little bit. Being able to get on base consistently will lead to a lot of the good stuff that happens.\u201d<\/p>\n
By the end of the Cubs series, he was officially an every day player and the No. 2 hitter in the Reds\u2019 lineup. <\/p>\n
\u201c(That showed me their) belief in the consistency of the at-bats,\u201d Bleday said. \u201cIt didn\u2019t really change anything. Just go out and do the same thing. Win each pitch. I know that\u2019s cliche. I say a lot of cliche things. The simpler you\u2019re thinking, the better you\u2019re going to be out there on the field. I want to grind and get deep into counts.\u201d<\/p>\n
Bleday had started his player of the month campaign. It\u2019s easy to forget that Bleday didn\u2019t stay hot all month. He went 1-for-9 in the following series against the Astros. Bleday bounced back with a monster series against the Nationals in the middle of May. But that was followed by a stretch where he went 3-for-27 over a seven-game stretch in late May. <\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s always a grind in those situations,\u201d Bleday said. \u201cThat\u2019s how the season goes. You\u2019ll get hot. You\u2019ll get cold. It\u2019s about riding the wave. When you\u2019re in those moments where you\u2019re not getting the results you\u2019re hoping for, if you can draw walks, move a guy over, do something somewhat reductive and try to wait it out and keep up the hard work and not feel bad for yourself \u2014 it\u2019s easy to feel bad for yourself in those situations. You try to show up ready to compete and get the job done that day. That\u2019ll help you get out of that.\u201d<\/p>\n
In 2025, when Bleday was with the Athletics, a slump snowballed and he ended up getting optioned to Triple-A.<\/p>\n
This year, Bleday didn\u2019t let that happen. <\/p>\n
\u201cConfidence is huge,\u201d Francona said. \u201cHe\u2019s confident. He should be. He has done it for long enough now that if he gets a couple of 0-fors, it doesn\u2019t derail him. That\u2019s big.\u201d<\/p>\n
Bleday was terrific to close out May, going nine for his last 20 with two homers and five RBI to close out the month. He ended up being named the NL Player of the Month. <\/p>\n
He has stayed steady in June, recording a hit in all but two games and homering four times. <\/p>\n
The 28-year-old Bleday still sees areas where he can get better. <\/p>\n
\u2018I\u2019m just trying to get ahead of the pitchers,\u201d Bleday said. \u201cThey\u2019re going to make adjustments quick. You got to do your best to make adjustments as well. It\u2019s managing that cat and mouse game and trying to eliminate some strikeouts. It\u2019s going to happen. It\u2019s a part of the game. But you don\u2019t want that to continue to snowball. My main target is to start game planning better, having an idea of how the at-bats are going mid-game and making those adjustments.\u201d<\/p>\n
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