The Reds keep running into the same problem: the offense doesn’t have enough reliable bats, and the numbers make that hard to argue with. Cincinnati sits last in batting average at .227, last in hits per game at 7.53, and last in strikeouts per game at 9.52.
The club is also 25th in runs per game at 4.07 and 27th in RBIs per game at 3.89. Power has shown up in spurts - the Reds rank sixth in baseball with 1.30 home runs per game - but stringing together consistent production has been a different story.
That reality was front and center ahead of Tuesday’s game against the St. Louis Cardinals, when Terry Francona gave a blunt read on where he stands with Elly De La Cruz in the leadoff spot.
“Truthfully, I’d prefer him (Elly De La Cruz) not to be (hitting leadoff),” Francona told Charlie Goldsmith of Charlie's Chalkboard. “I’m not taking a shot at him.
He can hit anywhere he wants. He’s good.
I don’t know that right now we have a guy who we feel like could do that every day. When him and Sal (Stewart) don’t get hits, it gets pretty glaring for us.
That’s a big load for them. Not altogether fair.”
The bigger point is impossible to miss: when De La Cruz and Stewart aren’t carrying the lineup, the offense can go silent in a hurry. De La Cruz is only 24, and Stewart is still 22, so leaning on both of them to power an entire 162-game attack is a lot to ask.
Cincinnati entered the season expecting more from the rest of its young core, too. Noelvi Marte, Matt McLain, TJ Friedl, and Will Benson were supposed to provide at least average-to-good production. That hasn’t happened.
Marte is hitting .189 with an OPS of .555 and was sent to Triple-A Louisville for the second time this season. His defense has also not taken the step forward the Reds were hoping for.
McLain has shown some offensive life at times, but the consistency hasn’t been there. He’s batting .194 with an OPS of .638, a step back from last season.
Friedl is going through the worst year of his career and has barely been on the field. He’s hitting .158 with an OPS of .479 and hasn’t had a hit since the All-Star break.
Benson has been in Louisville since the end of June. In 51 games with the Reds, he hit .188 with an OPS of .643.
Outside of De La Cruz and possibly Spencer Steer - who is on the injured list and could miss the rest of the season - the young group the Reds were counting on has regressed sharply.
That leaves Cincinnati with a lot to sort out this offseason. If the Reds want to make a real jump in 2027, they’re probably going to have to find help beyond the organization to patch the holes.
In Other News...
Reds Bullpen Churn Continues As Another New Arm Already Disappears
The Reds bullpen turnover kept moving this week, and one of the newer faces is already gone. Ron Marinaccio, a former Padres right-hander who had joined Cincinnati after getting designated for assignment by Toronto, made only four appearances in a Reds uniform before the club moved on, underscoring how quickly the relief mix has been changing as the team tries to settle the back end of games.
Marinaccios departure adds another layer to a stretch in which Cincinnati has been cycling through arms and looking for someone to stick. The right-hander chose free agency rather than take a Triple-A assignment, leaving the Reds to keep sorting through options while another bullpen addition disappears almost as soon as it arrived. [Read more 🡒]
Jeff Brantley Just Fired Up The Sal Stewart Rookie Debate
The National League Rookie of the Year conversation has settled into a familiar Midwest rivalry, with Reds infielder Sal Stewart and Cardinals infielder JJ Wetherholt emerging as the main names in the race. Around Cincinnati, the discussion has only grown louder, and Jeff Brantley added more fuel during a recent broadcast by leaning toward Stewarts bat over the kind of defensive value that tends to sway award voters.
Brantleys take taps into the broader split among fans and commentators who are trying to figure out what should matter most in a close rookie chase. Stewart has the offensive profile that makes the case easy to understand from a Reds perspective, while Wetherholts reputation gives St. Louis plenty to point to as the debate keeps building toward the final stretch. [Read more 🡒]
Alfredo Duno Is Giving Reds Fans A Reason To Look Ahead
With the Reds trying to piece together a frustrating season, it is easy to see why attention is drifting toward the organizations next wave of talent. Catching prospect Alfredo Duno is part of that conversation after ESPN.coms Kiley McDaniel ranked him No. 16, pointing to the power in his bat and the progress he has made defensively even while he is on the injured list.
For a club dealing with injuries to key players such as Hunter Greene and sitting 24th in ESPNs power rankings, Duno offers a reminder that the future is not all gloom. His rise gives Cincinnati fans something to track beyond the daily grind of a difficult year, especially with uncertainty lingering around how a potential lockout could shape what comes next. [Read more 🡒]