Jose Trevino doesn’t fit the usual image of a middle-of-the-order bat, and the Reds know it. He’s there for plenty of reasons, but offense has never been the first one that jumps off the page. Even in his 2022 All-Star season with the Yankees, Trevino posted a 90 wRC+, with most of his value coming from what he did behind the plate.
That’s what made Terry Francona’s choice on September 1 so interesting. In the bottom of the eighth against the Padres, Cincinnati was tied 2-2 when San Diego intentionally walked Matt McLain and chose to pitch to Trevino against lefty Adrian Morejon, who was bringing a 99.5 mph sinker with him. Francona took heat in the moment for not going to Tyler Stephenson.
Trevino answered by lining a single to center to put Cincinnati ahead 3-2. The Reds added another run and finished off the win.
Afterward, Francona made it clear he wasn’t guessing.
"[Trevino] can get to velocity. That guy for them was throwing 98-99.
I also know that he can hit into a double play, but we had Brito behind him if he didn't drive him in. He had a really good at-bat, and then so did Brito," Francona said after the game.
That moment pointed straight at a bigger problem for Cincinnati: this team has a hard time handling premium velocity. Trevino has been one of the rare exceptions, hitting .269 with a .615 slugging percentage against pitches of 95 mph or better. The rest of the roster hasn’t come close to matching that.
The Reds entered today with the lowest OPS in MLB vs. pitches that are 95 mph+ (.596).
They also have the lowest OPS in MLB vs. pitches that are 95 mph+ from left-handed pitchers. That OPS is .384 (!!). The Reds’ average against those pitches is .160, and they have 26 strikeouts…
- Charlie Goldsmith (@CharlieG__) June 25, 2026
And that’s the frustrating part. On paper, the Reds don’t look like a lineup that should be getting overwhelmed by fastballs.
Their bat tracking numbers suggest they can handle speed. Cincinnati ranks 12th in the majors in average bat speed at 72.3 mph, sits 15th in swing length, and is fourth in ideal attack angle percentage at 54%.
So the ingredients are there. The bat speed is there.
The swings aren’t too long. The attack angles are there often enough to matter.
Yet the results against fastballs have still been ugly, especially since those are the pitches hitters see most often.
That leaves more than one offseason issue for Cincinnati to sort out. A change in the hitting voice is one possibility, and the source material points directly at Chris Valaika.
But the personnel problem is just as obvious. The Reds do have hitters who can punish heaters, including Sal Stewart with a run value of 12 against fastballs, Elly De La Cruz at nine, and Eugenio Suarez at nine.
Too many others are dragging the group down. Tyler Stephenson sits at -1 run value against fastballs.
Matt McLain is at -5. TJ Friedl is at -7.
Edwin Arroyo is at -4.
That imbalance is the real issue. Cincinnati has enough proof that a few bats can handle elite velocity, but not nearly enough of the lineup can do it consistently. If the Reds want to avoid another season of getting buried offensively, they need more fastball hitters in the mix when the offseason arrives.
In Other News...
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Edwin Arroyo Is Running Out Of Time To Answer One Reds Question
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The latest sign of how unsettled the picture remains came with Cincinnatis minor-league deal for Orlando Arcia, another name that can provide infield depth if needed. For Arroyo, the issue is no longer just whether he belongs in the conversation, but how much runway he has left to answer it before the focus shifts fully toward 2027. The Reds will keep watching closely, because his glove keeps him in the mix, even if his bat has yet to give them the kind of certainty they want. [Read more 🡒]
Reds Just Got A Real Chance To Test Their Center Field Future
Carlos Jorges rapid rise has made him one of the more interesting names in the Reds system this year, and now he gets a real major league look after earning his way from Double A to Triple A and into Cincinnatis plans. The 22-year-old outfielder impressed in spring training and kept turning heads in the minors, where his energy and effort stood out enough for manager Terry Francona to take notice.
Jorge made his big league debut Friday night as a pinch-hitter, giving the Reds a fresh chance to see how his tools translate against major league pitching. For a club always weighing its long-term answers in center field, this call-up is less about filling a short-term spot and more about finding out whether a fast-rising prospect can keep forcing the issue at the highest level. [Read more 🡒]