The Cincinnati Reds are mathematically alive, but the calendar has already turned against them.
Sitting in last place in the NL Central and needing a near-impossible climb to get near the final Wild Card spot, Cincinnati’s 2026 postseason chances are effectively finished. That leaves September with a different kind of job: spoil somebody else’s plans.
And the schedule is built for exactly that. All 24 of the Reds’ September games come against teams either holding a playoff position or sitting within three games of one.
There’s no easy stretch to coast through, no series that lets anyone take a breath. Cincinnati is going to spend the entire month in pressure games, even if most of that pressure belongs to the other clubhouse.
It starts with two games against the San Diego Padres after the series opens August 31, then turns into a brutal run of three against the Milwaukee Brewers, three at the Los Angeles Dodgers, three more at Milwaukee and four more against Los Angeles. That’s 13 straight games against two clubs battling for the National League’s best record and a first-round bye.
The pressure doesn’t let up after that. The Cubs come in for three, then the Reds finish with three at Atlanta and three at Toronto.
Six opponents. Six teams with real October stakes.
Cincinnati gets to be the team standing in the way.
There’s still an important reason to treat the month seriously beyond the spoiler label. September should also be a month for evaluation, as long as it doesn’t turn into surrender. The Reds need to give younger players real chances, see relievers in high-leverage situations and figure out which hitters can adjust against playoff-level pitching.
This kind of schedule forces that issue anyway. Opponents will manage every inning like it matters, and the Reds should match that energy. Cincinnati can look ahead to 2027 without treating the rest of this season like a throwaway.
Even so, being a spoiler is hardly a prize for a team that was in October in 2025. It’s a consolation, and not a particularly satisfying one. The Reds created their own mess before September ever arrived.
Still, there’s value in facing quality teams for a full month. Hitters will get a steady diet of good pitching.
Cincinnati’s starters will be tested by deep lineups. And if the Reds somehow catch fire, they’ll have done it against some of the best clubs in the NL, with those teams playing for something real.
That also creates a stage for some familiar names. Edwin Arroyo is the clearest position-player option after his first major league stint didn’t make much of an impact. September would give Cincinnati another look at his bat and more time at second base.
The bullpen will be just as revealing. Close games should sort out which relievers can actually handle leverage and which ones are only there to soak up innings. That kind of information matters, if the Reds approach these games like more than a runway to 2027.
The bottom line is simple: every team waiting on Cincinnati’s schedule has something to lose in September. The Reds already let their own October slip away. They can still make somebody else’s a whole lot less comfortable.
In Other News...
Elly De La Cruz Exit Just Raised The Stakes For The Reds
Elly De La Cruzs night ended early against the Chicago Cubs after he left with tightness in his left quad, a development the Reds did not need in the middle of a game that already carried plenty of attention. Ivan Johnson took over for him in the seventh inning, giving Cincinnati an immediate look at how it would handle the rest of the matchup without one of its most dynamic players on the field.
Terry Francona is expected to have more to say after the game, and for the Reds, the real concern now is whether this is just a short-term hiccup or something that lingers. De La Cruz has become too central to what Cincinnati does to treat any lower-body issue lightly, so even a precautionary exit will be watched closely once the postgame update arrives. [Read more 🡒]
Elly De La Cruz Just Put Cincinnatis Stretch Run In Doubt
Elly De La Cruz leaving Tuesdays game against the Cubs with an apparent left quad injury was the kind of development the Reds could not afford at this point in the season. The team confirmed the injury on social media, and it comes with the September schedule tightening around them and a run of playoff-contending opponents looming.
For Cincinnati, the concern is bigger than one night out of the lineup. De La Cruz has now dealt with the same quad issue in back-to-back seasons, and he has already missed time this year with a hamstring injury, so every new setback adds another layer of uncertainty to the stretch run. The Reds have been trying to keep pace in a crowded race, and losing their most dynamic player would make an already difficult closing month even more complicated. [Read more 🡒]
Reds Deadline Fallout Just Took Another Brutal Turn
The Reds trade deadline shuffle already looked like a mixed bag, and it has only gotten messier in the days since. Cincinnati moved Nathaniel Lowe to the Guardians and Caleb Ferguson to the Cardinals, hoping to reshape the roster for the stretch run, but the early returns have not done the club many favors.
Fergusons rough stay in St. Louis ended with his release, underscoring how quickly a deadline move can turn from useful depth to a dead end. Around the same time, Carson Spiers began a rehab assignment as he works his way back from injury, while former draft pick Hunter Hollan was released from the organization, adding another reminder that the Reds are still sorting through the fallout of a deadline built on uncertainty. [Read more 🡒]