Dane Myers gave the Reds exactly the kind of season you notice even when the standings don’t cooperate. Cincinnati came up short in 2026, but Myers turned a one-year opportunity into something much bigger than a simple outfield platoon role.
The Reds brought him over from the Miami Marlins on Dec. 27, 2025, sending outfield prospect Ethan O'Donnell the other way. The plan at the start was straightforward: fill in as a platoon piece, handle center field when TJ Friedl got a breather, and give the club a dependable glove. Myers wound up becoming part of the lineup far more often than that.
What stood out right away was the way he played. In Cincinnati, a player who will throw himself into a wall or sacrifice his body for a catch earns attention fast, and Myers fit that mold from the jump. That kind of effort plays in a city that has long appreciated hustle.
Even with a strong year behind him, Myers didn’t grade himself all that generously when he spoke with Reds beat writer Mark Sheldon.
“I felt like I played OK defense, but not quite to my standards," Myers said. "I think there are some plays I’d like to have back. That’s going to happen every year.”
There was plenty to like in the numbers anyway. Myers played a career-high 117 games for Cincinnati and finished with a .257 batting average, a .721 OPS, eight home runs, 75 hits, 11 doubles, 37 walks and 39 runs scored. He also did real damage in a pinch-hit role, piling up 11 pinch-hit hits that tied for second most in MLB, one behind Randal Grichuk of the White Sox.
“I think it went well. Maybe not exactly the numbers I was quite looking for, but I can look back on the year and say I was true to myself and played my game throughout the year," he said.
"I feel like I got better as a player and a teammate. Obviously, the end goal wasn’t reached of making the postseason.
I think we’ve got some stuff that we know we need to work on and build off of it.”
Now Myers turns the page to 2027 after offseason surgery to clean up a joint in his left shoulder. He should be ready for spring training, where he’ll be in the mix for playing time with JJ Bleday, Hector Rodriguez, Carlos Jorge and Noelvi Marte.
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