The Reds’ 40-man roster is already getting stripped down, and Friday brought the move that felt most final: Will Benson chose free agency.
Benson had already been designated for assignment earlier in the season, then cleared waivers and accepted an assignment to Triple-A Louisville. Now he’s officially headed to the open market, joining a list of players whose time in Cincinnati is clearly over. That includes TJ Friedl, who is also understood to be done with the organization, and injured slugger Michael Toglia, who won’t be back in 2027 after being claimed by the Seattle Mariners.
Earlier in the week, the Reds opened another roster spot when infielder Ivan Johnson was outrighted and sent to Louisville on Thursday. It’s another sign that Cincinnati is moving quickly to clean house after the 2026 season.
The broader picture is what really stands out. Johnson, Toglia, Benson and Friedl are among the players who occupied too much space on the 40-man roster, and the club’s decision-making has only become more glaring with time. Christian Encarnacion-Strand, who was pre-arbitration eligible and still had minor league options, was designated for assignment and has since become a capable starter for the Baltimore Orioles.
As for the on-field numbers, Johnson appeared in 16 games, Toglia in 10, Benson in 51 and Friedl in 91. Add in Will Banfield, P.J. Higgins and Rece Hinds, and those seven players combined for 522 plate appearances, which is close to 9% of the team total.
That’s not a massive share on its own, but it helps explain how Cincinnati wound up where it did. The Reds got very little production from that group, and when you fold in the struggles of Ke'Bryan Hayes, Noelvi Marte, Edwin Arroyo and Matt McLain, the offense’s issues in 2026 become much easier to see.
Nick Krall and Brad Meador have plenty to sort through this offseason, and the work goes beyond the position-player side. The pitching staff needs attention, too. Cincinnati has a lot to fix and a short window to get it done, with the Collective Bargaining Agreement set to expire on December 1.
In Other News...
Reds Just Added Another Offseason Roster Question In The Outfield
Will Bensons time in Cincinnati appears to have run its course after a season that never quite found a stable rhythm. The outfielder split time between the major league roster and the minors, spending 51 games with the big club and another 66 in the system while his playing time bounced around and his results varied depending on the pitcher in front of him.
For the Reds, Bensons departure adds another offseason question to an outfield group that still needs clarity. He arrived with the promise of building on a strong 2023, but he was unable to sustain that production, and his decision to elect free agency leaves Cincinnati to sort out what comes next in a spot that already felt unsettled. [Read more 🡒]
Reds May Need These 3 Prospects More Than Anyone Realizes
The Reds are headed into an offseason where the payroll math matters as much as the roster depth chart, with salary commitments and arbitration raises already tightening the teams free-agent flexibility. That puts an even brighter spotlight on the farm system, where a few names are starting to look less like long-term projects and more like possible answers if Cincinnati wants to stay competitive without spending heavily on outside help.
Graham has made a noticeable offensive leap and could be in line for protection from the Rule 5 Draft, while Duno keeps standing out with the bat even as questions remain about whether he can hold up defensively. Acuna is still earlier in his climb, but the young pitcher is moving through the minors with enough promise to keep the Reds interested, especially if the command keeps improving. By 2027, one or more of these prospects could matter a lot more to Cincinnati than they do right now. [Read more 🡒]
Reds Fans Just Got A New Reason To Watch Nick Krall
The Athletic report that peeled back the Reds leadership dynamics added another layer to a season already full of scrutiny around how the organization is run. Bob Castellinis public response tried to draw a clearer line around baseball operations, saying those decisions will be handled by Nick Krall, Brad Meador and Terry Francona, with ownership backing the baseball people instead of hovering over them.
For Reds fans, the interesting part now is whether that promise becomes a real shift or just another attempt to calm the noise around the front office. Krall suddenly looks like a key figure in that answer, because the way the next stretch unfolds could say a lot about how much say Cincinnatis baseball people truly have and how committed ownership is to letting them work without interference. [Read more 🡒]