Noelvi Marte’s latest fall has forced the Reds into a harder conversation about what comes next.
Cincinnati sent the 24-year-old back to Triple-A after a rough stretch that left no room for patience at the big league level. Marte hit just .189/.229/.321 with a 44 wRC+ in 63 games, and his month of August was even uglier: .133 with a -29 wRC+ in 10 games. For a player who once looked like part of the Reds’ future core, that kind of production has changed the tone around him fast.
What makes this especially jarring is how different the picture looked around this time last year. Marte put together a .865 OPS and 133 wRC+ in August, while also making the move from third base to right field during the season. He even worked his way into the No. 2 spot in Terry Francona’s lineup, the kind of placement that suggested he had settled in as a regular.
That confidence is gone now.
Francona’s comments after the demotion made that clear. Per Charlie Goldsmith, the manager said Marte is “a broken player right now,” and added: “This is kind of a pivotal time for [Marte].
Don’t just go down - he’s probably going to find ways to get hits in Triple-A. You’ve got to play with some urgency and get after it.’”
When asked what urgency would actually look like, Francona pointed to the basics: being a vocal leader on the field and arriving early to practice. That can read as a coach trying to strip the game down for a player who has lost his rhythm. It can also sound like a manager who isn’t sure how much faith he has left.
Marte has already been through this once. He was sent down to Louisville in April, then forced his way back after crushing Triple-A pitching for a few months. But the production never followed him back to Cincinnati, and the Reds had little choice but to make another move.
There is at least one reason the organization may not be ready to close the book entirely. Marte was also ineffective in 2024, finishing with -1.4 fWAR before bouncing back to a career-best showing in 2025. Another reset in the minors could help again.
Still, the bigger issue is trust. Marte has now drifted close to unplayable territory for the second time in three seasons, and even a turnaround may not guarantee him another real chance with the Reds.
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