The Cincinnati Reds have spent much of 2026 dealing with the usual frustrations, but Dane Myers has quietly given them something worth building on.
What started last winter as a low-risk move for a platoon bat has turned into one of the most useful developments on the roster. Myers came to Cincinnati after posting a .617 OPS last season and carrying a .653 OPS for his career entering 2026.
The selling point was simple: he had shown he could punish left-handed pitching. This year, he has done that and then some.
Against southpaws, Myers has put up a .286/.372/.480 line with the platoon edge. That alone would have made him a worthwhile piece.
But the bigger surprise is that he has taken real steps against right-handed pitching too. For his career, he had been basically non-existent in that split, hitting .213/.260/.289.
In 2026, he’s at .252/.341/.311 when facing righties. The power isn’t loud, but the on-base ability and contact are enough to matter, especially for a player handling center field.
That matters because center field is one of the hardest spots to fill with someone who can defend and still contribute at the plate. Myers has the athleticism for it.
The metrics are mixed - 0 outs above average and -7 defensive runs saved on the season - but the eye test says there’s more here. He gets after it in center, and his arm is no joke, ranking in the 97th percentile.
He’s also brought value on the bases. Myers has 10 steals without being caught, but the bigger point is how he takes extra bases and keeps pressure on pitchers and defenses. His baserunning has already been worth three runs this season.
Overall, Myers has hit .265/.353/.378 in 2026, and there’s reason to think there could be a little more pop coming next year. He dealt with a shoulder injury earlier in the season, which cost him time and may have sapped some power.
He may not be a star, but he looks like the kind of all-around player winning teams need.
And he may not be the only answer in center.
Top prospect Carlos Jorge was just promoted a few days ago, and September gives him a chance to show what he can do before the Reds start thinking seriously about 2027. Jorge put together a strong year between Chattanooga and Louisville, hitting .308/.376/.427 with eight homers and 33 steals. He was more productive at Double-A, where he hit .330/.402/.452, than he was in Louisville, where he posted a .263/.327/.377 line over 29 games.
That split doesn’t change the bigger picture. Jorge is a converted infielder, a dynamic athlete with speed and a balanced skill set, and he also hits left-handed.
That gives Cincinnati options. The Reds could pair him with Myers in a platoon, or if both keep showing they belong, they could fill two of the three outfield spots with them.
Center field is hard to solve across the league. Right now, the Reds might have two players who can make it a strength in 2027. And if one of them doesn’t stick, the other gives them a pretty solid fallback.
In Other News...
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Franconas view lines up with the organizations recent roster moves to keep affiliates eligible for the playoffs, a sign that the Reds are treating development and competition as connected goals rather than separate tracks. He also believes in keeping clear boundaries with minor league coaching staffs while still staying involved and showing respect, a balance that fits his bigger idea that winning habits should be formed in the minors and carried all the way to the majors. [Read more 🡒]
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The bigger problem was that the Reds could never quite stop the bleeding around him. Injuries piled up across the rotation, forcing the club to keep patching together innings in a way that made every Greene setback feel even heavier. By the end, the pitching situation had gotten so thin that Cincinnati was even turning to position players like Jose Trevino in blowout losses, a reminder of just how far the staff had fallen from the kind of depth the Reds hoped to lean on. [Read more 🡒]
Elly De La Cruz Is Forcing A Bigger Reds Conversation
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MLB Networks Brian Kenny recently went as far as to call De La Cruz a top-five player in the league based on the numbers backing up this surge, which is the kind of recognition that changes how a young franchise centerpiece is viewed. For Cincinnati, it adds another layer to a season already shaped by hope and impatience, because if De La Cruz is entering that tier, the bigger question is no longer whether he can carry the lineup, but how far the Reds can go with him playing at this level. [Read more 🡒]