The Cincinnati Reds will open their 2026 season on March 26th in Great American Ball Park with the Boston Red Sox in town. Cincinnati’s Cactus League slate at their home in Goodyear, Arizona will begin this Saturday, February 21st, with the Cleveland Guardians both their home complex compatriots and opponents for the day.

With competitive baseball firmly on the horizon, here was Red Reporter’s first stab at how the 26-man roster would look when regular season ball commences just five weeks from now. Since then, though, we’ve obviously seen some major news, deals, etc. that will impact how this entire thing shakes out.

There will surely be many, many more twists and turns between now and Opening Day, but here’s our second guess at what the roster will look like when it gets here.

Starting Rotation

LHP Andrew Abbott

LHP Nick Lodolo

RHP Brady Singer

RHP Chase Burns

RHP Rhett Lowder

Notes: Wednesday’s news that Hunter Greene is dealing with concerning stiffness in his surgically repaired elbow sent shockwaves through Reds camp, through Red Reporter Headquarters, and through the entire baseball world. Now, there’s still plenty of optimism that Greene’s MRI and second opinion will show that he only needs weeks – not months – on the shelf, something this club has dealt with in every season of his career to this point, but regardless of the severity the odds of him being ready for Opening Day seem incredibly long.

So, that makes both Burns and Lowder – both of whom have looked great in camp – near locks for the starting rotation come Opening Day.

Bullpen

RHP Emilio Pagán

RHP Tony Santillan

RHP Graham Ashcraft

LHP Brock Burke

LHP Caleb Ferguson

RHP Pierce Johnson

RHP Connor Phillips

LHP Sam Moll

Notes: Wednesday evening’s trade of Tyler Callihan to Pittsburgh for reliever Kyle Nicolas throws an interesting wrench into this mix, though Nicolas still has an option remaining. I do believe he’ll be very much in the running for a spot on the OD roster, though, with Moll the likeliest to miss out if that’s the case – and Moll is out of options, so he’d need to clear waivers to stick around the organization at all.

The other wild card here is Brandon Williamson. Even though he’s been used as a starter in 118 of his 121 career games since turning pro, the innings management the Reds will employ with both Burns and Lowder in the rotation over the course of the year means they could well choose to carry a long man in the bullpen to mitigate that a bit, and Williamson – who’ll be on an innings limit of his own after missing 2025 recovering from Tommy John surgery – could well profile as that guy for a time to begin the year.

For now, though Moll holds onto the job thanks to his lack of options giving him that administrative edge.

Position Players

C Tyler Stephenson

C Jose Trevino

1B Nathaniel Lowe

DH/IF Eugenio Suárez

IF Sal Stewart

IF Matt McLain

IF Elly De La Cruz

3B Ke’Bryan Hayes

IF/OF Spencer Steer

OF TJ Friedl

OF Noelvi Marte

OF JJ Bleday

OF Dane Myers

Notes: The lone change here is moving Bleday onto the OD roster and dropping Will Benson, who has an option remaining, off of it. The reality here is that Bleday, Benson, and Lowe are battling for two spots on the roster, and only Bleday and Benson have the ability to be optioned to AAA and kept within the organization. So, I think that gives Lowe the inside track to making the OD bench since the Reds would prefer he stay in the org for long term depth purposes and keeping Bleday and Benson over him would send him back to the free agent market.

If Lowe doesn’t hit over the first few weeks of the season that would become moot with a DFA and promotion of Benson back to the active roster in a LHH role, with where Spencer Steer plays being tweaked to more 1B/DH duties than LF duties in that alignment. Again, the OD roster is not always a reflection of where the roster will be in June, for example, and this series of decisions positions the Reds for the best combination of good enough on Opening Day and maintaining the most depth for the 162 game long haul.

The Cincinnati Reds are fresh off of thumping Team Cuba 19-2 in the latter’s final warm-up game before heading to the World Baseball Classic. On Thursday, they’ll jump right back into Cactus League play at home in Goodyear, this time up against the very same team that ended their 2025 season.

The Los Angeles Dodgers are in town, and they’re rolling out veteran lefty Cole Irvin to start on the day. The Reds, meanwhile, will counter with Jose Franco, who’s again looking to impress the very same brass that saw fit to add him to the team’s 40-man roster earlier this offseason.

The Reds are rolling out a strong lineup full of expected regulars featuring Elly De La Cruz.

The Dodgers, meanwhile, are sitting most all of their regulars, though Max Muncy will be in there alongside old friends Santiago Espinal (at 1B!) and Mike Siani.

First pitch is set for 3:05 PM ET, and this one will actually be broadcast on ESPN for your viewing pleasure.

Go Reds!

It was a wild one in Goodyear Ballpark on Thursday afternoon as ESPN broadcast a ridiculous 14-13 victory by the Cincinnati Reds over the Los Angeles Dodgers that featured a combined 10 (!) homers between the two clubs.

Fortunately for the Reds, they came out victorious in this game that ultimately means nothing in the grand scheme of things, but it sure was entertaining in the process.

The Good

Cincinnati’s offense got off to a rockin’ start against LA lefty Cole Irvin. Elly De La Cruz ripped a 438 foot blast off Irvin in the Bottom of the 1st to get the Reds on the board (from the right side of the plate!), and Will Benson followed later that inning with a 2-run blast of his own (off a lefty!).

Elly’s homer came off the bat at 114.5 mph. Not bad for his less-productive side of the plate.

Cincinnati’s offense was potent throughout, with Nate Lowe (3-run tater), Matt McLain (4th tater of the spring already), and eventually Rece Hinds (a 3-run walk-off in the Bottom of the 9th) all eventually adding to the tally.

Here’s Hinds’ laser down the LF line to flip a 13-11 defecit to the final 14-13 margin.

Cincinnati also managed to walk more times (6) than they struck out on the day (5), and I’ll wager that each and every time the Reds hit as many homers as they have Ks will end up being a very, very good day for them going forward.

The Bad

The pitching today…woof!

Shoutout to Julian Aguiar, at least, who fanned 4 against nary a walk while allowing just a lone earned run (on a solo dinger) in 2.0 IP to get the late win. Hagen Danner, to his credit, also pitched a scoreless, perfect frame.

Everyone else, though got rocked through and through, and that includes projected closer Emilio Pagán. Pagán was tagged for 4 ER on 4 H in his lone frame, and that included an ugly trio of homers allowed. Meanwhile, top projected setup man Tony Santillan wasn’t much better as he allowed 3 ER on a hit and 3 walks while also yielding a homer before being pulled having recorded just a pair of outs.

The miserable spring for Connor Phillips continued too, unfortunately, as he once again had serious issues finding the zone. He was tagged for 3 ER on 2 H and 2 BB in his IP while recording nary a K, and his spring ERA now sits at 14.73.

Adding insult to injury was the way the pitching staff got knocked around. Old friends Santiago Espinal and Nick Senzel combined for 3 homers and 7 ribbies off Reds pitching on the day, though at least the arms kept Matt McLain’s brother Sean from socking one into the stands.

The Joe Nuxhall Memorial Honorary Star of the Game

That goes to Sean’s big brother Matt, who went 3 for 3 with a homer, 3 runs scored, and a pair of ribbies to push his Cactus League OPS up to a ridiculous 2.112 so far.

Hat tip to Elly (2 for 3, 2 R, 2 RBI, HR) and Lowe (2 for 3, R, 3 RBI, HR) for equally excellent play.

What’s Next

Andrew Abbott will take the mound on Friday on the road in Scottsdale as the Reds take on the San Francisco Giants. First pitch is set for the usual 3:05 PM ET, though this one sadly won’t be televised. You will be able to listen in through 700 WLW’s feed, however.

The Cincinnati Reds have trimmed their roster prior to Friday’s trip to Scottsdale to face the San Francisco Giants. According to C. Trent Rosecrans of The Athletic, right-handed pitchers Julian Aguiar and Jose Franco were joined by shortstop Edwin Arroyo and outfielder Hector Rodriguez in being optioned to AAA Louisville, while infielder Leo Balcazar was optioned to AA Chattanooga.

Right-hander Darren McCaughan, who was in camp as a non-roster invitee, was reassigned to minor league camp as part of the moves.

Perhaps the biggest bit of news here is that both Aguiar and Franco are now out of the running for spots in the team’s starting rotation for Opening Day. Both were always going to be considered dark horse candidates given the presence of each of Chase Burns, Rhett Lowder, and Brandon Williamson in camp, but it’s somewhat notable that both were optioned right now given that we’re all waiting with bated breath to see just how forked ace Hunter Greene’s right elbow is.

As for the rest of the moves, they’re pretty stock issue. Arroyo is already away with Team Puerto Rico for the World Baseball Classic, and despite his best efforts so far in spring camp is clearly behind Elly De La Cruz and Matt McLain in the middle-infield mix for the time being. It’s a similar story for Rodriguez, as he’s buried on the depth chart (for the time being) behind the likes of JJ Bleday and Will Benson and will get a second, more thorough chance to mash at AAA as still just a 21 year old.

It’s also worth pointing out who did not get cut in this round. Despite having pretty significant hills to climb to beat out more established guys for Opening Day roster spots, each of Christian Encarnacion-Strand, Rece Hinds, Tejay Antone, and Blake Dunn will remain in big league camp for the time being, as will non-roster guys like Nate Lowe and Garrett Hampson.

The Cincinnati Reds will roll out lefty Andrew Abbott for another tune-up start today when they take on the San Francisco Giants at their stadium over in Scottsdale, Arizona. They’ll also be up against an old friend as righty Tyler Mahle takes the mound for the Giants.

The Reds, who still refuse to post anywhere but on the cesspool that is Twitter, posted their lineup earlier this afternoon, and we’ll get to see Sal Stewart play 2B on the day.

See is a bit dishonest, actually. This game will not be televised anywhere, so you’re going to have to simply use your imagination to glean anything from how Sal looks defensively out there today. You will be able to listen to the game courtesy of 700 WLW and the Reds Radio Network, so task your ears with doing the heavy lifting if you can find the time.

First pitch is set for 3:05 PM ET.

Go Reds!

The Cincinnati Reds will venture over to Surprise, Arizona for Saturday’s Cactus League action, the Kansas City Royals playing host for the day. The Royals will be starting veteran left-hander Kris Bubic, and perhaps with that in mind manager Terry Francona has rolled out a starting lineup featuring a lone left-handed hitter (TJ Friedl) to start the day.

Hat-tip to Redleg Nation’s Doug Gray for relaying the travel roster for the day, one that features red-hot regulars Matt McLain, Elly De La Cruz, and Sal Stewart in the heart of the lineup.

Fellow lefty Nick Lodolo will start for Cincinnati on the day, doing so now with a potential Opening Day start in his crosshairs with fellow starter Hunter Greene sidelined indefinitely with elbow stiffness. As things look at the moment, Greene will almost certainly not be ready to go on Day One, leaving the likes of Lodolo, Andrew Abbott, and Brady Singer the most obvious candidates to get the honor.

In Lodolo’s first (and only, so far) start of Cactus League play, he fired a pair of scoreless IP with 4 K, nary a walk, and a pair of scattered hits, though that did come against the lowly Chicago White Sox. On Saturday, he’ll get the chance to show even more against a more potent Royals club even though their star, Bobby Witt, Jr., is away with Team USA playing in the World Baseball Classic.

Old friends Jonathan India, Brandon Drury, and Kevin Newman are in the starting lineup today for the Royals.

First pitch is set for the usual 3:05 PM ET, though there is once again no televised feed. Reds radio will be there for your ears, however, on 1360 WSAI.

Jonathan India turned around a 94.3 mph sinker in a 2-2 count, launching it 392 feet over the left field wall for a leadoff dinger in Saturday afternoon’s Cactus League outing. It was precisely the kind of thing that made Cincinnati Reds fans smile for most of four seasons, the 2021 National League Rookie of the Year working a count, waiting for his pitch, and punishing it atop the lineup.

India, of course, is on the Kansas City Royals now. His homer came off Reds lefty starter Nick Lodolo and put the Reds in an early hole, one they’d never get out of in an eventual 6-2 loss. Good for Indy, though, who struggled mightily in his first season with KC and is looking for a serious bounce-back campaign in ‘26.

In his second start of the spring, Lodolo struggled a bit more than he had in his previous outing – he yielded 6 hits and issue a pair of walks in his 3.0 IP day – but he struck out 4 and didn’t allow anyone else to score after India, somehow. The Reds of the Cincinnati pitching staff looked rather excellent on the day so long as you ignore the outing by Caleb Ferguson, who was thumped for 5 ER in 0.2 IP after allowing a pair of walks and 5 hits on the day.

Cincinnati’s offense simply couldn’t wake up in Surprise on the day. Both Matt McLain and Elly De La Cruz went hitless, which is something that’s been completely unthinkable for both during their white-hot starts to Cactus League play, and Sal Stewart went 0 for 3, too. The lone offensive bright spots on the day came from Spencer Steer (2 for 3 with a double and a run scored), Dane Myers (who walked twice), and Christian Encarnacion-Strand (a double that plated Steer).

While India’s leadoff homer immediately set the tone for the day, he wasn’t the only former Red who did damage against them. Kevin Newman started at shortstop for the Royals and went 2 for 3 with a double and a run scored, and Brandon Drury went 1 for 4 as KC’s starting 1B on the day.

The Reds will head back to Goodyear and will host the Arizona Diamondbacks tomorrow at 3:05 PM ET, this time with Brady Singer on the mound to start. He’s looking to improve upon his rather ugly first outing of the spring, and he’ll get the chance to do so in front of your eyes as this one will be viewable via MLB.tv and Reds.tv (for those of you in the Reds TV area).

Elly De La Cruz is no longer going to lead off for the Cincinnati Reds. That much we are sure of since manager Terry Francona took over, with his switch-hitting superstar now penciled into the #3 spot in the lineup each and every day.

Elly is also a guy who filed a 67 steal season onto his ledger at just 22 years of age, and already has 139 steals in 420 career games as he enters just his age 24 season in 2026. All that despite playing most of the latter half of 2025 with a quad injury that clearly sapped both his ability to reach base in the first place and take extra bases once getting there.

It’s a bit of a dichotomy, especially when you factor in the tendencies of previous manager David Bell and Tito, who wants his baserunners to be a bit more cautious and calculated when taking off. It’s a situation with enough variables that I thought it worth asking you, the fine readers of Red Reporter, whether you thought Elly had another 50+ steal season in him in 2026.

In a pretty overwhelming vote, you sure as heck think he does.

A healthy quad will certainly help Elly, who still managed 37 swipes in that banged-up 2025 campaign. Presumably more thumpers behind him in the lineup everyday will, too, as the likes of Sal Stewart and Eugenio Suárez work deeper counts, take more pitches, and see more off-speed breaking balls as pitchers try to keep the ball in the ball park.

There’s also the playing time factor that Elly may have to deal with more in 2026 than ever before. Francona has spoken openly about trying to get Elly days off here and there after he played in the full 162 games last year (and looked worn down and hurt a lot of the time), and even a modicum of reduction in opportunities will obviously make racking up counting stats harder to do in a shorter amount of time. However, that could mean he’s closer to 100% in more games played, and that could be enough for his turbochargers to reset faster than they did just last year.

Personally, I took the over here, too. I think Elly’s got a handful of 50+ steal seasons in those legs, and we’ll look back at 2025 as the exception to the rule.

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For Cincinnati Reds left-hander Andrew Abbott, there couldn’t have been much better news on Sunday. Manager Terry Francona informed the 2025 National League All Star that he would get the ball come Opening Day, an honor that will sear him into the history books for all those in Reds Country.

The Reds announced the move on Twitter, with MLB.com’s Mark Sheldon later catching up with Abbott for reaction to the honor.

Abbott, who’ll pitch in his age-27 season in 2026, has pitched to a combined 138 ERA+ across 304.1 IP the last two seasons. His 8.9 combined bWAR over those two seasons ranks 8th in all of Major League Baseball behind the likes of only Chris Sale, Garrett Crochet, Hunter Greene, Zack WHeeler, Cristopher Sanchez, Tarik Skubal, and Paul Skenes.

That’s as elite as company comes, and firmly puts him in the conversation as one of the aces of the game. Just last season, his 5.6 bWAR ranked 6th in all of baseball.

The only cold comfort here is that it all but confirms that fellow ace Greene won’t be ready for Opening Day after experiencing enough elbow soreness this past week after his first start of the spring that he went for an MRI for more information. For all of Abbott’s accolades, Greene still sits a bit higher than him in terms of both stuff and seniority, and would have been the obvious choice for Opening Day against the Boston Red Sox were everything 100% hunky dory. Now, we’re stuck waiting until Tuesday’s MRI results are known to see just how long after Opening Day we’ll have to wait to see Cincinnati’s other ace pitch.

Congrats to Andrew on his first OD nod!

The Cincinnati Reds embark upon split-squad action on Sunday afternoon in the Land of the Endless Strip Mall, taking on the Arizona Diamondbacks at home in their Goodyear complex while also fencing with the San Diego Padres at their home at the Peoria Sports Complex.

Both games, believe it or not, are going to have live, televised broadcasts via Reds.tv and MLB.tv!

Brady Singer will get the start against the Diamondbacks with first pitch set for 4:05 PM ET (thanks to the overnight time change), while Chase Burns will toe the rubber for his Reds contingent on the road against the Friars – that one’s set for a 4:10 PM ET start.

Dane Myers, Noelvi Marte, JJ Bleday, Sal Stewart, and Nate Lowe are among the crew that hit the road to face San Diego behind Burns. The squad that got to avoid the road trip and play at home behind Singer includes TJ Friedl, Matt McLain, Elly De La Cruz, Spencer Steer, Will Benson, Tyler Stephenson, Christian Encarnacion-Strand, Ke’Bryan Hayes, and Rece Hinds.

Due to the split squad action, it’s likely we’ll see hitters get more than just a pair of PAs today, too, with most playing close to a whole game for the first time all spring.

Here are the travel rosters for both games courtesy of Redleg Nation’s Doug Gray.

The Cincinnati Reds played a set of split squad games on Sunday afternoon and that led to plenty of playing time for prospects and as a group the position players took full advantage of it.

In Goodyear the Reds were hosting the Arizona Diamondbacks and in the 6th inning multiple prospects picked up hits in a rally that saw five runs come across the plate in the frame. Christian Encarnacion-Strand and Rece Hinds both doubled earlier in the inning. Carlos Jorge followed Hinds in the inning and the first pitch he saw he lined it over the head of the center fielder for a triple. Rafhlmil Torres came up next and like Jorge he lined the first pitch he saw into center and he picked up an RBI double with it.

Then Tyson Lewis stepped into the batters box. He saw four pitches in his at-bat, but that fourth one was clobbered. Lewis hit it over the wall in left-center for a 439-foot home run that came off of his bat at 110 MPH. (We’ll assume the distance was adjusting for the wind blowing in)

Ryan McCrystal would follow Lewis with a single, but he’d be stranded on the bases. The next time that McCrystal came to the plate two innings later he saw both Lewis (single) and Torres (reached on an error) standing on the bases. He wasn’t going to strand anyone, himself included, as he unloaded on a laser down the right field line for a 3-run home run. After a hit batter later in the inning it was Zavier Warren‘s turn to join the hit parade and he crushed a 403-foot 2-run home run to put Cincinnati up 13-4. The box score for this game can be found here.

Over in Peoria where the Reds faced off against San Diego things didn’t go nearly as well for the team as a whole. Chase Burns gave up four runs in 3.2 innings in the start, and two minor leaguers combined to give up nine runs in the 8th inning of what turned into a 14-3 loss.

But there were some good performances in the game from some prospects, too. Chase Petty fired off 2.0 shutout innings of relief on 31 pitches. He’s now thrown 4.0 shutout innings for the Reds in his two games out in Arizona so far.

Francisco Urbaez got the start at second base for the Reds and went 1-2. He had half of the hits for the team among the starting nine. Sal Stewart had the other.

Cincinnati was trailing 4-0 entering the 7th inning, but they would get on the board when P.J Higgins was hit by a pitch with two outs and then Alfredo Duno came through with a 2-run home run into left-center. Two innings later the Reds would get another run when Ruben Ibarra singled, Mason Neville doubled to move Ibarra over to third base, and then Austin Callahan picked up an RBI on a groundout. The box score for this game can be found here.

The post Tyson Lewis’ 439-foot home run caps a big day for Reds prospects appeared first on redsminorleagues.com.

Earlier this week David Lorduy came out of the bullpen against Puerto Rico and recorded outs against two of the three batters he faced, giving up a double in his outing. On Sunday he was asked to do a lot more than get two outs.

The Cincinnati Reds prospect was once again coming out of the bullpen for Colombia and it was early as Cuba grabbed a 4-0 lead off of starter Luis Patino and couldn’t record more than one out. Lorduy entered the game and needed seven pitches to get two outs and end the inning.

He returned for the 2nd inning and the 22-year-old faced off against the 8-9-1 hitters. Lorduy didn’t waste much time as he needed 10 pitches to get through the inning while picking up a strikeout along the way. The 3rd inning was easy going for the most part, too. After getting Yoan Moncada to pop up to the catcher he hit Ariel Martinez with the first pitch he threw him, but two pitches later he got out of the inning with a double play.

That would end the day for David Lorduy, but it was a good day on the mound for the righty. He threw 2.2 hitless innings with no walks, one hit batter, and a strikeout. He threw 24 pitches and 17 of those were strikes.

The post Reds prospect David Lorduy dominates in WBC relief appearance appeared first on redsminorleagues.com.

The Cincinnati Reds have made two sets of cuts this spring and have trimmed the players in big league camp from 57 down to 45. As things stand right now we still don’t know exactly where things are going with Hunter Greene and his elbow, but if he’s going to miss the start of the season that would open up a spot on the Opening Day roster that otherwise would not be there. Beyond that, though, it seems pretty safe to say that if everyone else remains healthy there are likely only three spots available to grab.

The rotation if Greene is out would consist of Andrew Abbott, Brady Singer, Chase Burns, Nick Lodolo, and Rhett Lowder. The bullpen is going to include Brock Burke, Caleb Ferguson, Emilio Pagan, Graham Ashcraft, Pierce Johnson, and Tony Santillan. That leaves just two spots in the bullpen.

The position player group seems pretty locked in, too. Your catchers will be Tyler Stephenson and Jose Trevino. The infield is going to have Sal Stewart, Matt McLain, Elly De La Cruz, Eugenio Suarez, and Ke’Bryan Hayes. In the outfield you’ve got  TJ Friedl, Spencer Steer, Noelvi Marte, JJ Bleday, and Dane Myers. That would leave just one position player spot available.

It’s possible that maybe you aren’t as comfortable with handing a spot to Dane Myers as the Reds seem to be, but all indications seem to suggest he’s going to make the club. Outside of him, though, there’s probably not much argument to be made that if everyone else is healthy that they will be in Cincinnati in three weeks.

When we look at the bullpen and the two spots that are available you’ve got a variety of different types of guys. Starting pitchers Chase Petty and Brandon Williamson are still around and either guy could fill that multi-inning role if asked, but both could also be viewed as rotation depth who could wind up in Triple-A for a bit just in case the club does need them to have the base built up if it’s needed.  Then you’ve got a bunch of relievers that range from hard throwers with little control, to groundball guys, to lefties, to a guy returning from his third Tommy John surgery.

The Most Likely to Make the Bullpen

This group likely includes Brandon Williamson, Connor Phillips, Kyle Nicolas, and Tejay Antone. Last season Phillips was quite good with the Reds as he pitched in 21 games and had a 2.88 ERA. But with that there were some concerns with his control as he walked 12 batters and hit two others – that’s 14 free passes to just 98 batters that he faced. This spring he’s walked five batters in 3.2 innings.

The Reds also just traded for Kyle Nicholas. He split last year with Pittsburgh and Indianapolis in Triple-A with the Pirates organization. His ERA in the big leagues was 4.74 last season and while his walk rate was better than in the past it was still a bit higher than you’d like it to be as he walked 18 batters in 38.0 innings with the Pirates and 20 in 35.2 innings with Indianapolis. He’s currently pitching for Team Italy in the World Baseball Classic, so he’s not even in camp with the Reds right now.

Brandon Williamson and Tejay Antone are both coming off of Tommy John surgery and neither pitched much in 2024 and both missed all of 2025. While Williamson has been talked about as fighting for a spot in the rotation it seems far more realistic that the team goes with Lowder and or Burns for the spot or two that is there and has a soon-to-be 28-year-old Williamson in the bullpen if they’re going to go with him on the Opening Day roster. He’s pitched well so far this spring, striking out six with just one walk in 4.0 innings and his stuff looks as good or better than it did when he was last healthy.

And then there’s Tejay Antone. He’s no longer the mid-to-upper 90’s fastball guy with a devastating breaking ball that he was in 2020 and 2021. This spring he’s been more in the 93-95 range with the fastball, but he’s changed the looks a bit on his breaking balls and he’s added a cutter since he last pitched in MLB. He hasn’t allowed a run yet in his three 1-inning outings.

The Longshots but with a Chance

The next group features a lot of guys that throw real hard but haven’t been able to find consistent results for one reason or another. That’s going to include guys like Luis Mey, Zach Maxwell, Yunior Marte, Lyon Richardson, Chase Petty, and Hagen Danner. You’ve also got a guy like Sam Moll, who has plenty of big league experience but who is coming off of a tough 2025 campaign.

Everyone in this group is on the wrong side of a 50-50 chance of making the team.

The Most Likely to get a Bench Spot

There are only two guys that feel like they are ahead of the rest of the group and that’s Will Benson and Nathaniel Lowe. Benson has spent a lot of time with the Reds over the last three seasons, though he’s also spent time in Triple-A. He’s found some success at times, but he’s also really struggled at times in the last two years where his on-base percentage has been .273 and .274. He’s got power and he’s a solid defender but there are questions about if he’ll ever hit again after a breakout 2023 season.

Nathaniel Lowe has spent parts of the last seven years in the big leagues, and he’s played in at least 140 games in MLB in each of the last five years. The 2025 season saw his offense drop off with the Nationals where he had a .665 OPS, but after joining the Red Sox in the second half he looked like the guy he had been previously – an above-average hitter, granted that was only in 34 games. It seems teams weren’t entirely sold, though, as the best he could get was a minor league deal with a big league camp invitation as a free agent this offseason. Like Benson, Lowe has plenty of power. Unlike Benson, his track record as a hitter is solid to quite good in the big leagues. What works against Lowe is that he’s pretty much only a first baseman or DH, and the Reds have a lot of guys to fill that role ahead of him in Sal Stewart, Eugenio Suarez, and Spencer Steer.

The Longshots but with a Chance

Blake Dunn hyperextended his knee over the weekend and is going to get an MRI to see if there’s anything to be worried about. If healthy he could fill a role as a backup outfielder who can provide elite speed off of the bench.

Rece Hinds isn’t quite as fast as Dunn is, but he’s got above-average speed that would work well off of the bench as a pinch runner. He also brings a ton of power potential to the game. Hinds has gotten time in center recently, too, and while it’s probably not a spot he’s the best at he can cover you there as well as both corner spots in the field.

Christian Encarnacion-Strand is in a similar boat as Nathaniel Lowe. While he’s also capable of playing third base if needed, he’s mostly a first baseman and designated hitter. Unlike Lowe he doesn’t have the track record of hitting in the big leagues, though. He got started a little later than everyone else this spring because of a hamstring injury, but he’s back now and playing. The power stacks up with most players on the team, but whether he can get to it enough or hit enough are bigger questions.

The Guys with Little Chance

Only one player in camp has zero big league service time and that’s Michael Trautwein. Teams need plenty of catchers in camp and as a guy who has played in the upper levels of the minor leagues he’s still in big league camp, but he is right there with Will Banfield and P.J Higgins as catchers who are not really playing for a big league job right now unless there’s an injury to the two guys that are locks to make the roster in Stephenson and Trevino.

Then there’s Garrett Hampson. The 31-year-old has been in the Major Leagues in parts of the last eight years but he’s also coming off of his worst showing in the big leagues where he hit a combined .143/.250/.169 in 91 plate appearances while playing for Cincinnati, Arizona, and St. Louis. A utility-type of player who can cover you defensively at multiple positions, the Reds need one of those types less than ever before because of how the roster is constructed. As a non-roster invitee he was already a longshot, but he’s also gone 1-16 this spring.

The post The odds of the remaining minor leaguers to make the 2026 Reds appeared first on redsminorleagues.com.

As of last week, Red Sox utility infielder Romy Gonzalez was experiencing shoulder troubles and received a platelet-rich plasma injection. He admitted that he would likely miss Opening Day, though he may end up missing significantly more time. Today, Sean McAdam of MassLive adds that Gonzalez will visit a shoulder specialist next week to see if he needs to undergo surgery. Gonzalez opined that surgery “is not a season-ender by any means, in my opinion,” though any longer absence for the lefty-mashing infielder will be a blow to the Red Sox’ lineup regardless.

The right-handed-hitting Gonzalez injured his shoulder at the end of 2025 and experienced renewed soreness in January while ramping up for Spring Training. He posted career-best offensive numbers in 2025, batting .305/.343/.483 with a 123 wRC+ in 341 plate appearances for the Sox. While his performance against right-handers was slightly below average (95 wRC+), he absolutely teed off on southpaws. In 143 PA with the platoon advantage, Gonzalez hit seven of his nine home runs and posted a 162 wRC+ that was tied for 12th-best among hitters with at least 100 PA against lefties. Obviously, the team will hope he avoids surgery, but with that kind of production, they’ll do what it takes to ensure Gonzalez comes back at full strength.

A few other injury updates from around the league:

• Angels right-hander Robert Stephenson faced live hitters for the first time on Friday as he works to be ready for Opening Day, per Jeff Fletcher of the Orange County Register. Stephenson said there is understandably “a little polishing to do” but added that he felt good physically and reached 95 MPH on his fastball (he averaged 96.4 MPH on his four-seamer last year). Tommy John surgery and symptoms of thoracic outlet syndrome have limited him to 10 innings with Los Angeles. In his last healthy season in 2023, Stephenson threw 52 1/3 innings with a 3.10 ERA and a well-above-average 38.3% strikeout rate. When healthy, he should factor into the late-inning mix with fellow right-hander Ben Joyce, who is currently rehabbing his own shoulder issue.
• Reds outfielder Blake Dunn is going for an MRI on his left knee today, according to Mark Sheldon of MLB.com. Dunn hyperextended his left knee while attempting to make a catch yesterday. The 27-year-old was a 15th-round draft pick by the Reds in 2021 and appeared in 49 big-league games from 2024-25, though he has posted just a 63 wRC+. He fared much better at Triple-A in 2025, batting .291/.397/.401 with a 121 wRC+ along with 24 stolen bases in 98 games. Currently, Cincinnati has Will Benson, Dane Myers, and Spencer Steer on hand as outfield backups. A healthy Dunn will stay at Triple-A for depth. [UPDATE: Dunn is dealing with a lower-grade knee strain, manager Terry Francona told Charlie Goldsmith and other reporters.  Dunn will be sidelined for a few days, but appears to have avoided a lengthy absence.]
• Dodgers utilityman Tommy Edman took light batting practice yesterday, per Fabian Ardaya of the Athletic. He could face higher velocity off a machine in a few days if he continues to progress, but he is still weeks away from being fully ramped up. Edman underwent surgery in November to address an ankle issue that plagued him all season. Manager Dave Roberts confirmed a couple of weeks ago that Edman would begin the year on the injured list. This news won’t move up his return, though in any case, the team wants Edman at full strength. He is entering the second year of his five-year, $74MM contract. He posted an 81 wRC+ in 97 games in 2025, showing a drop in power while also striking out slightly less than in 2024.

Photo courtesy of D. Ross Cameron, Imagn Images

The World Baseball Classic got underway this week, but in the first two days no Cincinnati Reds players got on the field as the only pool that had played was Pool C which didn’t feature anyone from the organization. That changed on Friday when the other three groups in Pool play began.

The first Reds player to get on the field was left-handed pitcher Ryjeteri Merite and he had his work cut out for him. The 20-year-old has never pitched in a game outside of the Dominican Summer League, but he was good enough to be placed on Team Netherlands. In their opening game he came out of the bullpen to open up the 4th inning. The first batter he faced? Salvador Perez. He got ahead of him 0-2 before Perez would foul off three of the next four pitches. On the 7th pitch of the at-bat Merite came at him with a slider at 80.3 MPH and got him to chase it out of the zone and hit a weak fly ball to center for an out.

The next batter was Wilyer Abreu, who has played in 115+ games for the Boston Red Sox in the last two seasons and has a career OPS of .791 in the big leagues. He hit 22 home runs last season in 115 games. Merite threw him two sliders and the second one stayed in the zone enough for Abreu to ground it through the infield for a seeing eye single (79 MPH exit velo).

It didn’t get easier after that as William Contreras stepped up to the plate. The veteran has a career .805 OPS as a big leaguer in parts of the last six seasons. Merite fell behind him 2-0 and then 3-1, but came back with a 94 MPH sinker and got a grounder but former Reds prospect and long time big leaguer Didi Gregorius couldn’t come up with it cleanly and everyone was safe on the plate. That brought Javier Sanoja to the plate. He’s spent parts of the last two years with the Marlins and played in 120 games with them last season. Merite would get ahead with a called strike on a slider and then came back with a 92 MPH fastball that induced an inning-ending groundball double play. That would be the only inning he would pitch in the game.

Not long after that Great Britain and Mexico took the field and Ivan Johnson got the start for Team Great Britain at third base. He would finish the day 1-4, picking up a single in the 6th inning.

There are still games taking place today that could see more Reds players get on the field, but that’s it for now.

Several prospects had an impact in the spring training game on Friday afternoon. Steele Hall came off of the bench to take over at shortstop and he drove in a run with a single in his only at-bat. Yerlin Confidan came off of the bench late in the game when Blake Dunn was injured and in the next inning he came to the plate and drove in a run with a single of his own.

The post Reds MiLB Notebook: Ryjeteri Merite makes his WBC debut appeared first on redsminorleagues.com.

This afternoon Major League Baseball and the Cincinnati Reds released the 2026 Spring Breakout preliminary rosters. The Spring Breakout is a single game in 2026 that will feature a team of prospects from each organization that will face off against a similar team from another organization. This year the Cincinnati Reds will be facing off against the San Francisco Giants on Thursday March 19th at 4:05pm ET. The game will be broadcast on MLB Network and will also be available for free on MLB.com or MLB.tv.

The preliminary roster is currently of 40 players. It will be reduced to 23-27 players on March 18th. Each team’s roster will include of the organization’s Top 30 prospects according to MLB Pipeline with the exclusion of players who are injured, guys who are on a Dominican Summer League roster, or players who are on the 40-man roster for the big league club and have opted to not play in this event. The club itself then took the remaining spots and added in additional prospects to fill out a 40-player pool of guys they will be considering for the final roster for March 18th.

With that out of the way, here’s what the Reds preliminary roster looks like:

The Reds are one player shy of 40 on their preliminary roster because Tyler Callihan was submitted as one of the players, but he was traded last night to the Pittsburgh Pirates. On this list there are 10 players on the big league 40-man roster. Some of them are still in big league camp and competing for jobs, which could lead to them choosing to not play in this game. When it comes to the pitchers, the schedule for their throwing days could come into play as well – particularly guys who are starting pitchers and aren’t being asked to pitch every other day.

Given that this isn’t the final roster and we won’t be seeing plenty of these guys in the actual game, I’m not going to take much time talking about the roster or specific players right now. What I will do, though, is note that these are the players who were “unranked” but still placed on the roster by the organization:

Pitchers Edgar Colon, Trevor Kuncl, David Lorduy, and Jose Montero, catchers Cade Hunter and Ryan McCrystal, infielders Alfredo Alcantara (the RML #23 prospect), Ty Doucette, and Rafhlmil Torres, as well as outfielders Jay Allen II, Kyle Henley, and Kien Vu.

The post The 2026 Cincinnati Reds preliminary Spring Breakout Roster appeared first on redsminorleagues.com.

The Pirates announced they’ve traded relief pitcher Kyle Nicolas to the Reds for left fielder/second baseman Tyler Callihan. Both players were on the 40-man roster, so there’s no corresponding move.

It’s a swap of talented but largely unproven players between the NL Central rivals. Nicolas, 27, has the more significant MLB experience of the two. A second-round pick by the Marlins in 2020, he was traded to Pittsburgh as one of two prospects the following year for Gold Glove catcher Jacob Stallings. Nicolas was a starting pitcher at the time but always projected to a bullpen future because of spotty command.

Nicolas debuted as a September call-up in 2023. The Ball State product has opened each of the following two seasons on optional assignment to Triple-A Indianapolis. Nicolas has posted below-average numbers at the MLB level but remains an intriguing depth piece with big stuff.

In 98 MLB innings, Nicolas carries a 4.68 earned run average. He has struck out a league average 22% of opponents while issuing walks at a lofty 12.2% rate. He split his time evenly between the majors and Triple-A last year. While he allowed nearly five earned runs per nine at the MLB level, he posted a 3.79 ERA with an excellent 31% strikeout rate against minor league opposition. Nicolas walked more than 12% of Triple-A opponents and has posted double digit walk rates at almost every stop of his professional career.

The command will probably keep Nicolas in middle relief. He’d have the raw stuff to pitch at the back of a bullpen if he can find a way to throw more strikes. Nicolas sits in the 97-98 mph range with his heater and has a pair of power breaking balls: a 90-91 mph slider and mid-80s curveball.

He also uses his 6’3″ frame to get down the mound and generate a lot of extension, though the long levers have also seemingly held him back from finding consistency in his delivery. Nicolas commanded the ball better down the stretch last season. He walked only 8.4% of opponents while posting a 3.46 ERA in 26 innings after the All-Star Break. It’s a small sample but perhaps something to build off as he tries to earn a permanent bullpen spot.

Nicolas has a little over one year of service time. He’s at least two years away from arbitration and five years from reaching free agency. He has one minor league option remaining, so the Reds can send him to Triple-A Louisville without exposing him to waivers. Nicolas tossed two scoreless innings this spring before joining Team Italy for the World Baseball Classic. (He’s from Ohio but has a family link to Italy that made him eligible to participate.)

Cincinnati doesn’t have a ton of roster flexibility in the bullpen, where six of their relievers cannot be optioned. Graham Ashcraft has options but is a lock to begin the season in the late innings. Unless the Reds move on from Sam Moll, they’d only have one bullpen spot available between Nicolas, Luis Mey, Connor Phillips and Zach Maxwell. The latter four pitchers all have big arms but come with strike-throwing questions.

The Pirates subtract from their bullpen depth to take a flier on an intriguing hitter who hasn’t found a position. The 25-year-old Callihan was an overslot third-round signee out of high school in 2019. Scouts have praised the lefty hitter’s offensive aptitude while panning his defense. The Jacksonville native has a career .262/.332/.417 batting line over six minor league seasons.

Callihan’s performance in the low minors was a little inconsistent. He has posted better numbers as he’s climbed the minor league ladder. Callihan hit .271/.345/.413 in Double-A two seasons ago and was out to a .303/.410/.528 start over 24 Triple-A contests last year. The Reds called him up at the end of April.

Unfortunately, Callihan didn’t get a chance to establish himself as a rookie. He suffered a gruesome injury just six days into his big league career.

Callihan was playing left field against the Braves on May 5. Matt Olson hit a line drive that sliced away from him down the left field line. Callihan slid to try to catch the ball and was unable to brace himself before hitting the wall with his outstretched glove hand. The collision broke his arm and forced him to undergo season-ending surgery. (Adding insult to injury, Olson trotted around for an inside-the-park home run because Callihan had touched the ball in fair territory.)

That ended his debut campaign after six at-bats, in which he collected his first career hit and run batted in. Callihan entered Spring Training without any restrictions and has gotten into seven exhibition contests, going 2-9 with a home run.

Baseball America ranked Callihan the #20 prospect in the Cincinnati system over the offseason, while Eric Longenhagen of FanGraphs slotted him 29th in the organization. Callihan has improved his plate discipline and has above-average raw power, but his strikeout rate has climbed in the upper minors.

He’s a below-average defender at second base who probably fits better in left field or at first base. There are some similarities to last winter’s Spencer Horwitz pickup in that regard, though Horwitz had a much longer track record of hitting in Triple-A than Callihan does.

Callihan has less than one year of service and has two minor league options remaining. He’ll battle for a bench job in camp but seems likelier to begin the season in Indy. He can factor in as a bat-first utility type throughout the season if he’s hitting well in the minors.

Respective images via Jordan Godfree and Sam Greene, Imagn Images.

On Wednesday afternoon the Cincinnati Reds put a 19-2 hurtin’ on Team Cuba in an exhibition game as the latter got prepared for their World Baseball Classic opener on Friday. About two hours after the game ended the Reds front office completed a trade, sending #19 prospect Tyler Callihan to the Pittsburgh Pirates in exchange for right-handed reliever Kyle Nicolas.

Both players were on their respective club’s 40-man roster, so it was an even swap in those terms and neither team has to make other moves to create a spot. And both players have plenty of team control before the two players would reach free agency as Callihan has just under a year of service time, while Nicolas has under two years.

In 2025 Tyler Callihan’s long journey to the big leagues ended as he made his debut with the Reds on April 30th. He had been selected by the team in the 3rd round of the 2019 MLB draft out of Providence School of Jacksonville in Florida. He would play in 59 games after the draft, spending 52 with the Greeneville Reds before joining the Billings Mustangs for seven games (including the playoffs).

While that 2019 campaign wasn’t a full season, it only wasn’t because he wasn’t drafted until June. Callihan was healthy and on the field nearly every day once he signed. It would be the last time that was the case until four years later when he played in 131 games between High-A Dayton and Double-A Chattanooga.  The injury bug continued to get Callihan after that, too. In 2024 he only played in 73 games and then last year he managed just 28 games before he suffered a season-ending injury in Atlanta less than a week into his MLB career when he crashed into the wall in foul territory and broke his arm in multiple places and required surgery in early May.

When spring training began it appeared that Tyler Callihan would be competing for a spot on the bench. His versatility and ability to fill in at first, second, third, left field, or right field was quite useful from a defensive perspective. His speed could have been useful off of the bench, and he’s got enough pop in his bat to at least be a threat as a pinch hitter against right-handed pitchers.

He’s not going to get that chance with Cincinnati now that he’s been traded, but perhaps he can grab that spot with the Pirates.

The post Cincinnati Reds trade Top 20 prospect Tyler Callihan to Pittsburgh appeared first on redsminorleagues.com.

Right-hander Hunter Greene has left the Cincinnati Reds' spring training camp due to right elbow stiffness.

Manager Terry Francona and president of baseball operations Nick Krall told reporters on Wednesday that Greene will have an MRI in Cincinnati and be examined by team orthopedic consultant Dr. Timothy Kremchek. Greene also will consult with Los Angeles Dodgers head team physician Dr. Neal ElAttrache.

Expected to be the Reds' ace, Greene added more lower-body work to his offseason routine in hopes of avoiding injuries.

Greene went 7-4 with a 2.76 ERA last year, helping Cincinnati earn an NL wild card for its first playoff appearance since 2020. Greene whose 99.5 mph average four-seam fastball velocity led the major leagues among those throwing at least 1,250 pitches, was limited to a career-low 19 starts and 107 2/3 innings. Still, his 296 pitches of 100 mph or higher were second in the major leagues behind Mason Miller's 422.

Greene was placed on the 15-day injured list on May 9 with a right groin strain. He returned on May 23 and made three starts before going back on the IL with the same injury. This time, he was sidelined until Aug. 13.

Greene, 26, is entering his fifth big league season. He made the NL All-Star team for the first time in 2024 while going 9-5 with a 2.75 ERA in 26 starts. He also had 169 strikeouts in 150 1/3 innings despite spending time on the IL that year with elbow soreness.

Reds ace Hunter Greene is heading for an MRI after experiencing stiffness in his right elbow, manager Terry Francona tells reporters at Reds camp this morning. Greene himself says the injury dates back to late last season (link via Charlie Goldsmith). He was recommended for an injection and had a normal offseason but tells the Reds beat that the discomfort has crept back up recently. Greene will be examined by longtime team physician Timothy Kremchek and have a second opinion from Dr. Neal ElAttrache. He says his ulnar collateral ligament was intact at a recent check, but news of a new round of imaging will inherently lead to some concern until the results are known.

Greene acknowledged in his comments that, like many big league pitchers, he’s aware of some bone spurs in his elbow. He’s navigated that issue in the past, it seems, and surgery has not been recommended as an option to this point. The right-hander wouldn’t commit to whether he’ll be able to make his first start of the season.

“If something has to be done, it’s early and we’ll get it out of the way quick and can have the big chunk of the season,” Greene said this morning. “If we have a playoff push, I’ll be ready to go.”

Even a brief absence for Greene is a bitter pill for the Reds to swallow. The former No. 2 overall draft pick has been one of the game’s best pitchers on a rate basis over the past two seasons but has missed considerable time due to a pair of groin strains in 2025 and some elbow discomfort in 2024. He’s started 45 games across the past two seasons and worked to a 2.76 ERA with a 29.2% strikeout rate, 8.1% walk rate and 33.5% ground-ball rate. Last season’s 15.4% swinging-strike rate was fourth-best in MLB (min. 100 innings pitched), trailing only Tarik Skubal, Dylan Cease and Logan Gilbert.

Greene is entering the fourth season of a six-year, $53MM extension. The 26-year-old is being paid $8MM this season before making $15MM and $16MM in 2027-28. The Reds hold a $21MM club option (with a $2MM buyout) over his 2029 season.

With Greene’s status up in the air, one of the stronger-looking rotations in the sport takes a big hit. Cincinnati can still trot out Andrew Abbott, Nick Lodolo, Brady Singer and top prospects Chase Burns (the No. 2 pick in 2024) and Rhett Lowder (the No. 7 pick in 2023), but neither Burns nor Lowder has fully established himself in the majors yet. Lowder pitched only 9 1/3 minor league frames last year due to forearm, oblique and shoulder issues.

Depth options on Cincinnati’s 40-man roster include another former first-rounder, Chase Petty, and a pair of formerly touted prospects returning from injury: righty Julian Aguiar and lefty Brandon Williamson. The Reds also selected righty Jose Franco to the 40-man roster this past November to protect him from the 2025 Rule 5 Draft; he tossed 110 innings of 3.11 ERA ball between Double-A (2.76 ERA) and Triple-A (3.51 ERA) last season.

There are, of course, some notable starters remaining in free agency. Lucas Giolito and fellow righty Zack Littell — the latter of whom finished the 2026 season with Cincinnati — remain unsigned. Veterans like Tyler Anderson, Patrick Corbin and old friend Anthony DeSclafani would be more affordable depth pursuits.

However, president of baseball operations Nick Krall told Goldsmith that even if Greene misses time, he doesn’t anticipate engaging with any free agents to fill that void. That perhaps leaves the door cracked for waiver and trade activity to replenish some depth, but the Reds’ 2026 payroll is already expected to be higher than in 2025, so the team may not have much budget space with which to tinker after spending more than $47MM in free agency already.

The Cincinnati Reds have six or seven players who are heading to the World Baseball Classic (Irvin Machuca is a reserve pitcher on Team Mexico who will be eligible to join them in case of an injury, or after pool play). The youngest of the players, and the least experienced of them, is Ryjeteri Merite.

Back in December of 2023 he signed with the Reds. He then missed most of the 2024 season, making just three starts at the end of the year and only throwing 3.2 innings. Last season he remained healthy and made 11 starts with three relief appearances for the Dominican Summer League Reds and allowed just three earned runs in 33.1 innings while striking out 44 batters. That’s a 0.81 ERA. Hitters had a .197/.319/.265 line against him during the year with four doubles, two triples, and no home runs.

Despite the fact that he’s never pitched outside of the Dominican Summer League as a professional, the Netherlands felt like he was one of their best options to take to the World Baseball Classic. Having just turned 20 in December, Merite pitched on Tuesday in a tune up for the tournament.

The Netherlands faced off against the Baltimore Orioles in Florida and Merite got the start in the game. He would walk Taylor Ward with one out and that would cost him as three pitches later Pete Alonso took a pitch on the outside corner at the bottom of the zone the other way for a 2-run home run. He would come back to strike out both Ryan Mountcastle and Samuel Basallo to end the inning.

Mountcastle has been in the big leagues for six seasons and he’s had nearly 2700 big league plate appearances. Basallo has only played in 31 big league games, but he also debuted four days after he turned 21-years-old last August. In Triple-A last season he hit .270/.377/.589 and has been rated as a top 10 prospect in all of baseball by just about everyone. He wasn’t exactly facing Pete Alonso hitting in a lineup full of Single-A kids – he came back after giving up a homer to strike out two big leaguers.

That would be the only inning he would pitch on the day, but he’d get credited with the win as the Netherlands rallied and scored seven runs over the next two innings to put the game away.

Having spent his career in the DSL there hasn’t been a ton of reports rolling in. I did have some scouting information on him, but since he actually pitched in the game on Tuesday with Hawkeye running we can take a look at that to tell us a bit more about what he’s throwing.

The Fastball: He threw his 4-seam fastball twice. The sinker showed up 11 times and he averaged 94 MPH on it, topping out at 94.8 on the day.

The Slider: Merite threw this pitch eight times on the day, averaging 79.7 MPH with it.

There was no broadcast of the game, so we can’t look at his inning of work. But above there is some video from last summer and it doesn’t take a seasoned scout to see that breaking ball and see a good one. When you toss in the fact that he’s also a lefty who can throw 95 MPH it’s a profile you can get a little excited about.

The Netherlands will be playing in Pool D of the World Baseball Classic. That group will be in Miami. Here’s what the schedule looks like for them in pool play:

• Game 1: March 6th vs Venezuela at 12pm ET on tubi
• Game 2: March 7th vs Nicaragua at 12pm ET on tubi
• Game 3: March 8th vs Dominican Republic at 12pm ET on Fox
• Game 4: March 10th vs Israel at 7pm ET on Fox One

You can see the career stats for Ryjeteri Merite here.

The post Reds prospect Ryjeteri Merite gets ready for the 2026 WBC appeared first on redsminorleagues.com.

Eugenio Suarez‘s power bat is returning to the Queen City, but is that enough to bolster an inconsistent lineup?

Major League Signings

• Emilio Pagan, RHP: Two years, $20MM (Pagan can opt out after 2026 season)
• Eugenio Suarez, 1B/3B: One year, $15MM (plus $16MM mutual option for 2027)
• Pierce Johnson, RHP: One year, $6.5MM (plus mutual option for 2027)
• Caleb Ferguson, LHP: One year, $4.5MM
• JJ Bleday, OF: One year, $1.4MM

2026 spending: $37.4MM
Total spending: $47.4MM

Trades And Claims

• Acquired LHP Brock Burke from Angels as part of three-team trade (Rays acquired IF Gavin Lux from Reds and minor league RHP Chris Clark from Angels; Angels acquired OF Josh Lowe from Rays)
• Acquired OF Dane Myers from Marlins for minor league OF Ethan O’Donnell
• Acquired cash considerations from Rays for OF Ryan Vilade
• Acquired minor league RHP Dusty Revis from Mariners for RHP Yosver Zulueta
• Claimed C Ben Rortvedt off waivers from Dodgers (Rortvedt was claimed back by Dodgers in February)
• Claimed RHP Roddery Munoz off waivers from Cardinals (Munoz later non-tendered and selected by Astros in the Rule 5 Draft)

Option Decisions

• Austin Hays, OF: Reds declined $12MM club option for 2026, paid $1MM buyout
• Scott Barlow, RHP: Reds declined $6.5MM club option for 2026, paid $1MM buyout
• Brent Suter, LHP: Reds declined $3MM club option for 2026, paid $350K buyout

Notable Minor League Signings

• Nathaniel Lowe, Garrett Hampson, Josh Staumont, Michael Toglia, Michael Chavis, Anthony Misiewicz, Yunior Marte, Tejay Antone, Carson Spiers, Davis Daniel, Darren McCaughan, Will Banfield, Hagen Danner, P.J. Higgins, Brandon Leibrandt

Extensions

• None to date

Notable Losses

• Hays, Barlow, Suter, Lux, Vilade, Zulueta, Nick Martinez, Santiago Espinal, Miguel Andujar, Reiver Sanmartin, Zack Littell (still unsigned), Wade Miley (still unsigned)

Kyle Schwarber grew up in Middletown, an Ohio city just a short drive away from Cincinnati.  The idea of adding both a local product and a top-tier bat in Schwarber inspired the Reds to go beyond their usual financial zone in free agency, as the team reportedly made Schwarber an offer in the range of five years and $125MM.  As was widely expected going into the offseason, however, Schwarber ended up re-signing with the Phillies (for five years and $150MM), leaving the Reds and Schwarber’s many other suitors looking for a backup plan.

Instead of adding a 56-homer slugger in Schwarber, the Reds brought in a 49-homer slugger who also had some ties to Cincinnati, as Suarez returned for his second stint with the organization.  After bashing 189 homers for the Reds from 2015-21, Suarez went yard 132 more times in four subsequent seasons with the Mariners and Diamondbacks, including 49 home runs in 2025.

Though there were plenty of similarities between Schwarber and Suarez’s 2025 campaigns, there’s a reason Suarez was available at the relative bargain price of one year and $15MM.  Schwarber is entering his age-33 seasons while Suarez turns 35 in July, Suarez’s walk rates over the last two seasons have been below average while Schwarber’s have been elite, and Suarez’s overall production has been inconsistent.

From the start of July 2024 to the end of July 2025, Suarez was arguably the hottest hitter in baseball in batting .276/.336/.593 with 60 homers over 766 PA with Arizona.  He struggled badly in the first half of the 2024 season, however, and then his bat drastically cooled again this past summer after the D-Backs sent Suarez to the Mariners at the trade deadline.

Between the up-and-down numbers, Suarez’s age, and his defensive drop at third base, it seemed like Suarez wasn’t getting the types of offers he was expecting after a 49-homer campaign.  Suarez’s alternate strategy was a one-year deal in a familiar (and hitter-friendly) environment at Great American Ball Park, with the idea that he’ll have a better chance of landing a pricey multi-year deal after another big platform year.  It’s not out of the question that the Reds could again reunite with Suarez next winter if the price is right, but for now, the club is happy to add some much-needed power to the lineup for at least 2026.

Hitting was the Reds’ chief need this winter, as Cincinnati’s run to a wild card berth came despite middling offensive numbers almost across the board.  Bringing Suarez into the lineup (primarily as a DH, since Ke’Bryan Hayes has third base covered) should alone provide a lot of pop, though the Reds will again be relying on a lot of the same faces from 2025.

While the Reds were willing to go above and beyond spending-wise for a special case like Schwarber, their free agent spending was (as usual) limited for much of the winter.  President of baseball operations Nick Krall said in early November that the team’s payroll would be largely unchanged from 2025, and that has proven to be the case.  As per RosterResource‘s calculations, Cincinnati finished 2025 with a payroll of roughly $118.7MM, and they currently have around $126MM on the books for the coming season.

Uncertainty over the Reds’ broadcast contract with Main Street Sports contributed to the team’s modest spending.  The Reds were one of the nine teams who walked away from their deals with MSS due to the company’s continued financial issues, and Cincinnati then joined five of those teams in signing on with Major League Baseball to handle its broadcasts for at least 2026.  Staying with MLB will bring some short-term stability to the situation, though the lesser broadcast rights represents a significant hit to the Reds’ revenues.

With money at a premium, it isn’t surprising that most of the Reds’ offseason pursuits (particularly on the batting front) came on the trade market.  Schwarber and old friend Miguel Andujar drew the team’s interest in free agency, but the Reds were linked to such names as Ketel Marte, Luis Robert Jr., Brandon Lowe, and Jake Meyers.  Robert has long been on Cincinnati’s radar, but the White Sox ended up dealing the outfielder to the Mets.  Lowe, meanwhile, landed on an NL Central rival, as the Rays dealt their longtime infielder to the Pirates.

Only Krall and his front office lieutenants know exactly why any of these trade pursuits didn’t materialize, but it is fair to guess that the roadblock might’ve been the Reds’ reluctance to deal from their rotation depth.  There was plenty of speculation that the Reds could dangle one of their starters for a prominent bat, except there was never much chance that any of Hunter Greene, Nick Lodolo, Andrew Abbott, or Chase Burns were heading anywhere.  If teams kept asking about that group (and not more palatable trade chips like Brady Singer, or maybe Chase Petty or Rhett Lowder), it isn’t surprising that the Reds couldn’t line up on a trade fit.

Since the rotation powered the Reds’ playoff chase, it is understandable that Krall wasn’t keen on moving any arms from his club’s biggest strength.  Both the team’s rotation (and bullpen) took a hit via a free agent departure, when swingman Nick Martinez left to sign with the Rays.  Deadline acquisition Zack Littell is also a free agent, and while he remains unsigned at the time of this post, Cincinnati is probably deep enough in starters that a reunion isn’t likely.

Between Martinez leaving, and the Reds’ decision to decline their club options on Brent Suter and Scott Barlow, some big holes needed to be filled in the relief corps.  The Reds’ biggest free agent expenditure addressed the bullpen, as Emilio Pagan was brought back on a two-year, $20MM deal.

This new contract is pretty similar to the two-year, $16MM pact he signed with Cincinnati back in November 2023, as this new deal also allows the right-hander to opt out after the first season.  Pagan passed on his previous opt-out chance in the wake of an injury-marred down year in 2024, but he rebounded in very impressive fashion to post a 2.88 ERA, 30% strikeout rate, and 8.1% walk rate across 68 2/3 innings last season, while converting 32 of 38 save opportunities.

Pagan’s extreme fly-ball tendencies always run the risk of variance in his performance, depending on how many of those fly balls stay in the park or sail over the outfield wall.  He is also entering his age-35 season, so a decline simply based on age isn’t out of the question.  Still, in somewhat similar fashion to the Suarez deal, the Reds were willing to invest on a player they already know and like, and who has a track record of success in the organization.

Barlow and Suter could’ve been retained for a total of $9.5MM via their club options.  The Reds instead spent a bit more on another righty and lefty relief duo in Pierce Johnson (one year, $6.5MM) and Caleb Ferguson (one year, $4.5MM).  The four pitchers are pretty comparable overall, though the newcomers perhaps bring a bit more upside and a bit more postseason experience to the pen.

Cincinnati’s most prominent swap of the winter saw the team part ways with a bat in order to land some more bullpen help.  Gavin Lux delivered barely replacement-level production in his only season in southwest Ohio, so the Reds sent him to the Rays as part of a three-team trade with the Angels that brought Brock Burke into the relief corps.  Burke is a solid left-hander who doesn’t miss many bats, but he has developed a knack for inducing grounders.

The Reds had some interest in re-signing Austin Hays after declining their club option, but Hays went to the White Sox in part because Chicago could offer him the type of regular playing time that wasn’t available in Cincinnati’s outfield mix.  With Hays and Lux gone, a Reds outfield that was already something of a question mark heading into the offseason needed some more reinforcement, though the acquisitions of JJ Bleday and Dane Myers don’t really provide a clear answer to the outfield questions.

Bleday (the fourth overall pick of the 2019 draft) had a strong year with the A’s in 2024, but has posted exactly 0.0 fWAR over his other three Major League seasons.  After Bleday followed up his seeming breakout year with more struggles in 2025, the A’s parted ways with the outfielder at the non-tender deadline.  Myers is more of a glove-first fourth outfielder type, as he has batted only .245/.299/.354 over 511 career PA with the Marlins.  The righty-hitting Myers has hit well with the platoon advantage and should get a decent amount of run against lefty pitching.  Bleday wasn’t a huge expenditure at the cost of $1.4MM, and he is arbitration-controlled through 2028 while Myers is controlled through 2029.

Cincinnati’s most regular outfield alignment on paper will probably be Bleday in left, TJ Friedl in center field, and Noelvi Marte in right, with Spencer Steer or Myers likely starting over Bleday when a southpaw is on the mound.  Will Benson provides added depth off the bench or in Triple-A.

How exactly the Reds will juggle their position players remains a topic of debate, though Terry Francona is as good as any manager at finding at-bats for everyone and riding the hot hand.  The situation underlines the curious dichotomy about the Reds heading into 2026 — this is a team aiming to return to the playoffs and make a deeper run, yet the club is also not exactly sure of what it has with the majority of its position players.

Assuming Suarez is more like the version of himself who tore up pitching for the bulk of his D-Backs tenure, he’ll be a source of stability.  Elly De La Cruz is already an All-Star with an even higher ceiling of greater potential.  Hayes is a mediocre hitter but also perhaps the sport’s best defensive third baseman, so he at least brings huge value with his glove.  Friedl is a decent hitter who is probably better suited as a platoon corner outfielder, rather than as a defensively-challenged center fielder slated to get the majority of the work up the middle.

Those players are, at it stands, the surer things.  Marte’s midseason move to right field seemed to work just fine from a defensive perspective, but can he take the next step as a hitter to truly establish himself as a big league regular?  Can Sal Stewart be a Rookie of the Year contender after his very promising numbers over 58 PA in 2025?  Can any or all of Steer, Matt McLain, and Tyler Stephenson return to the form they showed at the plate earlier in their careers?  In Steer’s case, can he also adjust in what might be a utility role, as Cincinnati intends to toggle Steer around between first and second base, the corner outfield slots, and the DH position?

Obtaining another true everyday player to insert into the lineup might’ve solved at least one of these questions, but Suarez was the one splash permitted for a front office working under budget constraints.  The Reds’ swath of minor league signings provides some interesting depth possibilities, with Nathaniel Lowe standing out as the most intriguing bounce-back candidate, even if he’d add to an already crowded first-base picture.

Francona, Krall and company would happily welcome a problem of having multiple productive hitters for too few positions, given how the 2025 Reds often had trouble providing their excellent starters with suitable run support.  The wild card berth represented great progress, and it’s easy to see how the Reds can contend again in 2026 since they still project to have one of the game’s better rotations.  With the NL Central (let alone the NL wild card picture as a whole) becoming more competitive, the Reds are counting on Suarez and at least a couple of internal breakouts to allow the team to take another step forward.

After signing in April of 2024 with the Cincinnati Reds, Hansel Jimenez didn’t get on the field that season until the final week of the regular season. It went well for him as he went 6-14 with a double and four stolen bases.

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Healthy and ready to go from day one in 2025, Cincinnati put Hansel Jimenez with the Dominican Summer League Reds. He got his season started out in a big way. In the first game of the season he homered, walked twice, and he scored three runs. He went hitless the next two games, striking out five times in his six at-bats. Jimenez rebounded well over the next few days, going 5-10 with four walks, a double, and a home run. He followed that up with a 3-strikeout game before grabbing two hits in the next game and steadying out his performance the rest of June, hitting .279 in the final 12 games but seeing his power disappear as he managed just two extra-base hits in that span.

July didn’t start out comfortably for Hansel Jimenez. On the 1st of the month he was hit by two pitches. In the following two games he would pick up two hits, but then went into a slump over the following two-and-a-half weeks. During that slump where he his .182 over 10 games he did go out and steal five bases on July 10th while going 1-2 with a walk and two more hit-by-pitches. In his final three games of the season he got things going back in the right direction as he had hits in each game, drove in five runs, and had a double and homer.

While there was still nearly a month left in the Dominican Summer League season the Reds brought Hansel Jimenez and several other players from their DSL Reds team stateside to Arizona where they would get some experience in the bridge league and instruction league in August and September.

Later in the year Hansel Jimenez headed to Australia and played in the winter league there, helping lead the Sydney Blue Sox to the best record in the league. He hit .229/.345/.364 with four doubles, four home runs, 17 walks, and 49 strikeouts in 142 plate appearances in the regular season. He went 4-10 in the playoffs with two more doubles, a walk, and five more strikeouts.

For all 2025 Season Reviews and Scouting Reports – click here

Hansel Jimenez Scouting Report

Position: Shortstop | B/T: R/R

Height: 6′ 1″ | Weight: 179  lbs. | Acquired: International FA (2024) | Born: December 5, 2006

There’s a lot to like with Hansel Jimenez. He’s a very athletic player with plenty of power potential. At the plate he’s got a quick bat and in the field he’s got a good arm to go with that athleticism. It’s a guy you can dream on.

He’s been a pull-happy hitter so far in his career and while all five of his home runs with the DSL Reds and three of his four home runs in Australia were to left field, he’s got the ability to hit the ball out the other way, too (see the video below as an example). Jimenez hits the ball very hard and is already showing exit velocities that would be strong for a big leaguer, much less for a teenager.

What he also does that stands out is swing and miss. He struck out 26% of the time this past season in the Dominican Summer League and then struck out 35% of the time in Australia. Jimenez is still young and had time to make adjustments and improve here, but it’s likely an area that he’s going to have to make some strides in if he’s going to be able to climb the ladder.

Defensively Jimenez could stick at shortstop if he doesn’t grow much more, but there’s a chance that he’ll add some weight moving forward on a frame that can handle it and if so he might have to slide over to third base where he’s already spent time at in his career.

There’s starter upside for Jimenez that’s built around power but with a chance to provide some defensive value, too. He’s going to have to show that he can make enough contact and hit for enough average at higher levels, though, if he’s going to be able to make that happen.

Stats

Spray Chart

Video

Interesting Stat on Hansel Jimenez

He played in 17 home games and 18 road games in 2025 with the DSL Reds. At home he had one stolen base while hitting .302. On the road he had 11 steals while hitting .232.

The post 2026 Cincinnati Reds Top Prospects: Hansel Jimenez – SS appeared first on redsminorleagues.com.

The first cuts of spring training came today for the Cincinnati Reds. The club sent six players back to minor league camp, including their #9 rated prospect Cam Collier. Along with him there were three other position players and two pitchers that were reassigned to minor league spring training. Catcher Connor Burns, infielders Michael Toglia and Michael Chavis, and pitchers Joel Valdez and Carson Spiers will all head off to the other side of the spring training complex.

Let’s start with the pitchers because that’s real easy. Both lefty Joel Valdez and righty Carson Spiers are injured and didn’t appear in a game yet. Valdez is dealing with a shoulder injury that got him shut down earlier this spring. Spiers is recovering from Tommy John surgery in the middle of last August and isn’t likely to pitch at all this season.

The position players likely had very little chance to make the team. Cam Collier and Connor Burns have never played above Double-A and neither has a full season with the Lookouts. Both are also blocked at this point, with Collier playing first and third base and the Reds have a plethora of options at both positions right now. Burns is a career .178 hitter and while he is one of the best defensive catchers around, that’s not going to get you many looks in spring training when you also have never played in Triple-A.

As far as their performances, Cam Collier had gone 1-7 in his limited action. Connor Burns played even less. The catcher went 0-2 before he was sent back to minor league camp.

The two older guys from the position group that was sent down today may have had a very outside shot at making the club if a lot of things went their way and plenty of things went the wrong way for some others on the injury front early in camp. Michael Toglia has seen 100+ plate appearances with the Rockies in each of the last four seasons, including 337 of them in 2025. He went 2-9 with two walks and an RBI before being sent down. Michael Chavis has played 357 big league games, but the last one of those came back in 2023. This spring he had gone 3-11 with a home run before he headed back to minor league camp.

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Earlier this week we took a look at some of the Statcast hitting data that I was able to gather from a sampling of 20 games that I was able to get access to from last August and September that involved the Cincinnati Reds playing in bridge and instructional league games.

While I was able to watch the games and in most, but not all of them, there was some Statcast data on the screen, they didn’t all show the same stuff. The games also didn’t include the pitch types, just stuff like velocity and spin rates and induced vertical break for some of the games. I didn’t have access to the files, so I had to manually input the pitch by pitch information and it took quite a bit of time to do that. But it’s now completed and I’ve compiled everything for the pitchers that I was able to see in those games.

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Before getting into the data and some of the things that I saw I need to make it as clear as possible: The sample size here is incredibly small for everyone. And the games were spread out over about a 7-week period of time and even the guys that played in the most games only have a handful of innings worth of data spread out over that span. Toss in the fact that this also came at the end of the year when guys have been mostly pitching all year and probably aren’t at the peak of their performance and it’s just a warning to understand that this information is useful to have but it’s not a full picture in any way.

The Pitchers Data

Some Observations

Of all of the data I saw one guy stood out so far above the rest that it’s not even close. Kyle McCoy, the Reds 8th round pick out of Maryland in 2025, is just throwing the strangest of fastballs. He didn’t pitch after the draft in any regular season games, but he did pitch in two of the games I had access to and at first I thought that the Trackman that was supplying the on-screen information was malfunctioning. But the rest of the pitchers seemed to have normal data and the other game he pitched in showed the same thing.

The average 4-seam fastball in MLB averages about 2300 RPM for it’s spin rate. The average MLB 2-seamer is around 2150 RPM. Kyle McCoy was throwing his fastball with RPM numbers between 1420 and 1900. Generally speaking the higher the RPM on a fastball the more backspin it has and the more “rise” it has, while the lower the RPM the more “sink” it’s going to have.

The sample size is pretty small with McCoy (video below), but his average spin rate on his fastball was 1715. Over the last three years in MLB 430 pitchers have thrown at least 50 2-seam fastballs and no one has had a spin rate that low on the pitch as far as averages go and only Josh Fleming was within 100 RPM of that, coming in at 1759. Only 10 pitchers were even below 1900.

Two guys were also standouts, though not to the same extreme as McCoy, when it comes to their fastball’s induced vertical break. Lisnerkin Lantigua averaged 19.5 inches of IVB on his fastball. Abraham Gaitan was averaging 18″ on his. Stharlin Torres also averaged 18″ of IVB, but I only saw him pitch one game and he only threw a handful of fastballs in that outing.

Dominic Scheffler stood out for the spin rate on his breaking ball on his curveball. He was the only guy to top 3000 RPM with any pitch (the first pitch in the video below was 3049 RPM). He was also the only guy to top 2900. His slider (mid-80’s) also has plenty of spin to it, but it doesn’t quite spin as much as the curveball (mid 70’s) did.

The post Reds Bridge and Instructional League Statcast Pitcher Data appeared first on redsminorleagues.com.

Former MLB reliever Wayne Granger passed away on Wednesday at 81. The National Baseball Hall of Fame announced the news this evening.

Granger, a 6’4″ right-handed pitcher, was a native of Springfield, Massachusetts. He signed with the Cardinals as an amateur free agent and debuted with St. Louis during the 1968 season. Granger tossed 44 innings of 2.25 ERA ball as a rookie. He made one mop-up appearance in that year’s World Series, getting through two scoreless innings in a blowout loss in Game 6 against the Tigers. Detroit would win the decider the next night, coming back from a 3-1 series deficit.

That wound up being Granger’s final appearance of his first stint in a St. Louis uniform. The Cardinals traded him to Cincinnati alongside 23-year-old outfielder Bobby Tolan for Vada Pinson, a star center fielder who was by that point in the decline phase of his career.

It turned out to be a win for the Reds. Pinson played one season with the Cardinals, hitting .255 with 10 homers, and was traded to Cleveland a year later. Tolan had a brief peak but had three excellent seasons as a table-setter in front of the bigger bats as the Big Red Machine dynasty developed.

Granger was a bullpen workhorse over his three seasons in Cincinnati. He led the majors in appearances (90) and games finished (55) during his first year with the Reds. Granger threw 144 2/3 innings — a huge amount out of the bullpen even at a time when most relievers went multiple innings — and worked to a 2.80 ERA. The ’69 season was the first in which MLB officially recognized the save statistic. Granger picked up 27, tying him for third-most in the majors.

He had a similar showing the following year. Granger again posted a sub-3.00 ERA while logging 84 2/3 innings during the regular season. He led the majors with a career-high 35 saves, which was at the time the most in a season in MLB history (including retroactive tallies from before it was officially recognized as a stat).

That was mostly a reflection of the changing way in which teams used their relievers. It certainly didn’t hurt that a 102-win Cincinnati team gave Granger plenty of opportunities to shut the door. He pitched quite well in his own right, however, although that unfortunately didn’t extend to the postseason. Granger gave up five runs in two innings over a pair of appearances in the 1970 World Series. The Reds dropped a five-game set to the Orioles.

Granger played one more season in Cincinnati, again leading the National League in appearances in 1971. The Reds traded him to the Twins after that season. Granger pitched one year in Minnesota before kicking around to a handful of clubs (Yankees, a second stint in St. Louis, White Sox, Astros and Expos).

He retired after the 1976 season and was inducted into the Reds’ team Hall of Fame six years later. Granger finished his career with a 3.14 ERA across 638 2/3 innings. He recorded 108 saves and struck out 303 opponents. MLBTR sends condolences to his family, friends, former teammates and loved ones.

The Reds were perhaps the most surprising playoff club of the 2025 season, as they managed to squeak into the third NL Wild Card spot with an 83-79 record. That return to the postseason came to an abrupt end when they were dispatched by the eventual World Champion Dodgers in the Wild Card round, but that didn’t stop them from making some upgrades to the team this winter. The return of veteran slugger Eugenio Suarez is surely the most impactful addition of the team’s offseason, but it also creates a bit of a logjam within the roster for their existing players. While Suarez is an impactful offensive addition coming off a 49-homer campaign, he’ll surely cut into the playing time of one of the club’s other regulars. That’s especially true given the addition of JJ Bleday to the club’s outfield mix, which effectively replaced the traded Gavin Lux on the roster.

While a reduction in playing time for the rest of the roster is inevitable, the Reds have enough positional flexibility on their roster that exactly how playing time will be divvied up remains an open question. With so many potential lineup configurations, who will end up getting the short end of the stick? There’s a few obvious players who won’t be losing playing time this year. Tyler Stephenson and Jose Trevino are more or less locked in as the club’s catching tandem. Shortstop Elly De La Cruz is a star and will surely be in the lineup every day as long as he’s healthy. TJ Friedl projects as the regular center fielder, and Suarez himself is sure to play everyday as long as he’s healthy.

For virtually every other player on the roster, however, it’s not impossible to imagine them getting squeezed out. Spencer Steer is perhaps the most established player among the rest of the roster, but even he doesn’t seem to be guaranteed everyday at-bats. That’s in part because he’s without a position. While he was a strong defensive first baseman for the Reds last year, his 97 wRC+ isn’t exactly the sort of impact one expects from that spot in the lineup. That could leave Steer handling any number of positions, as he’s at least passable when playing each of second base, third base, and the outfield corners in addition to first base and DH. That leaves the players at each of those positions (aside from Suarez) with a capable, if unspectacular player breathing down their necks in the hunt for playing time.

At first base, the Reds currently figure to utilize Sal Stewart. A consensus top prospect entering 2026, the rookie got an 18-game cup of coffee in the majors down the stretch last year and did everything one could’ve hoped for with the opportunity. He slashed .255/.293/.545 with five homers and a double in just 58 trips to the plate while managing to keep his strikeout rate at a reasonable 25.9%. He also succeeded when the lights were brightest, going 2-for-4 with a walk and four RBI against Los Angeles in the playoffs while the rest of the team struggled to produce. That’s enough that it should earn him a starting job, and he’s spent plenty of time at third and even second base in addition to first, offering some potential flexibility regarding where he’ll play. With that, said, if the rookie struggles at some point this year it wouldn’t be a shock to see him sent down to Triple-A, where the Reds could garner another year of team control over Stewart if he stays in the minors long enough.

While Stewart’s service time considerations could make Cincinnati a bit more willing to pull him out of the lineup than the rest of their players, that doesn’t mean the others are safe in their playing time. Ke’Bryan Hayes was the team’s most notable deadline addition last year, and his elite glove should mean that the Reds’ pitchers are consistently rooting for him to be in the lineup at third base on a regular basis. With that being said, Hayes is undoubtedly the weakest offensive player on the roster. While he flashed upside earlier in his career with the Pirates, he also hit just .235/.290/.306 (65 wRC+) last year after posting a 60 wRC+ the year prior. If Hayes can’t get his offensive production back into the 90 wRC+ range it sat in from 2021-2023, then it could be hard for the team to justify playing him regularly unless the rest of the lineup is mashing.

Hayes’s offensive woes also apply, at least to some extent, to Matt McLain. McLain appeared in 147 games last year after missing the entire 2024 season due to injury, and his results left a lot to be desired. He hit just .220/.300/.343 with a wRC+ of 77. While he turned in a solid 9.5% walk rate to save his overall slash line somewhat, the combination of a 28.5% strikeout rate and a .124 ISO simply isn’t going to cut it if he wants to be even an average big league hitter. McLain is a former top prospect who showed substantial upside in 2023 with a 129 wRC+ in 89 games, but his leash could wind up being somewhat short if he struggles, given that several other players on the team are capable of handling the keystone.

One such player is Noelvi Marte, who spent last season in right field but has been an infielder for most of his career. Marte had a disastrous 2024 season where he hit just .210/.248/.301 after returning from an 80-game PED suspension, but 2025 saw him take a step in the right direction as he posted a 101 wRC+ in 90 games despite losing two months to an oblique strain. Prior to that injury, Marte looked to be in the midst of a breakout, and while a brutal month of September put a damper on his overall season numbers, it’s not hard to see the 24-year-old taking another step forward this year. With that being said, a slump or two like the ones he suffered in 2024 and the second half of 2025 could conceivably leave Marte as the odd man out if the rest of the lineup is hitting.

One wild card with regards to playing time for the rest of the roster is Bleday. He’s more or less locked into the outfield corners defensively, and therefore can’t offer the sort of versatility virtually every other player here can. He’s also a questionable fit to be in the lineup against lefties, which inherently gives him a lower ceiling in terms of playing time than the rest of the roster. That might make him seem like the obvious pick to get the least playing time on the roster, but his lefty bat on a predominantly right-handed roster could prove extremely valuable. Additionally, Bleday is just one year removed from a solid season for the A’s where he posted a 120 wRC+ and 3.2 fWAR. Last year was tougher on him as he hit just .212/.294/.404, but if he can rediscover his 2024 form he could be one of the top hitters in the Reds’ entire lineup and earn a larger share of playing time than many of these players who have mostly shown league average or lower ability in recent years.

Who do you expect to ultimately draw the short end of the stick when it comes to playing time in Cincinnati this year? Will a young player like Stewart be sent down, or could someone like McLain or Marte struggle despite their former prospect pedigree? Will Hayes’s offense be too weak to justify his excellent defense, or will Bleday not hit enough to justify his middling outfield defense? Or, could the rest of the lineup work out so well that Steer finds himself in a utility role? Have your say in the poll below:

TODAY: The Reds officially announced Lowe’s contract.  Sheldon reports that Lowe will earn $1.75MM if he makes Cincinnati’s active roster, with another $250K available in contract incentives.

FEBRUARY 13: The Reds and first baseman Nathaniel Lowe are in agreement on a minor league deal, per Mark Feinsand and Mark Sheldon of MLB.com. The SportsMeter client will be in big league camp as a non-roster invitee.

A year ago, the notion of Lowe settling for a non-roster deal would’ve seemed far-fetched. From 2021-24, the now-30-year-old Lowe was the Rangers’ everyday first baseman — and a good one, at that. He slashed a combined .274/.359/.432 (124 wRC+) with 78 home runs, 104 doubles, 10 triples, 13 steals, a strong 11.3% walk rate and a 23.3% strikeout rate that was only a bit north of average. Defensive metrics were bearish on his glove early in his MLB run, but he posted quality marks in both Defensive Runs Saved (4) and Outs Above Average (10) in 2023-24.

As the Rangers began the process of paring down their payroll, they traded Lowe and his $10.3MM salary to the Nationals for left-hander Robert Garcia. The change of scenery didn’t work out whatsoever for Lowe. He appeared in 119 games and tallied 490 plate appearances with a .216/.292/.373 batting line (86 wRC+) before being designated for assignment and released in August. Lowe’s walk rate in D.C. dipped to 9.6%, and his strikeout rate climbed to 26.5%. He was also a bit more prone to pop-ups and hit fewer line drives than he had during his Texas stint.

The Red Sox, needing help at first base, quickly scooped Lowe up and got better production out of the veteran’s left-handed bat. In a smaller sample of 119 plate appearances with Boston, Lowe turned in a .280/.370/.420 slash that pretty closely resembled the production from his time in Arlington. His production was buoyed by a .361 average on balls in play that he’s highly unlikely to sustain, but Lowe was also dogged by a .267 BABIP with the Nationals — a whopping 72 points south of the .339 mark he carried into the season.

With the Reds, Lowe will have a chance to win a prominent role in the lineup. Top prospect Sal Stewart is the presumptive front-runner at first base, but he has all of 18 big league games under his belt. The 2022 No. 32 overall pick belted five homers in that time and had a big year in Triple-A as well (.309/.383/.524, 152 wRC+) but some veteran competition for him won’t hurt. Also in the mix at first base are Christian Encarnacion-Strand and Spencer Steer. The former hasn’t hit in the majors since 2023 and has minor league options remaining, while the latter can play all over the diamond.

There could be occasional DH at-bats available, although the returning Eugenio Suárez will likely take the bulk of those reps in 2026. Suárez could also see time at the hot corner if the oft-injured Ke’Bryan Hayes hits the injured list, which would open up additional avenues to get both Stewart and Lowe into the lineup — assuming Lowe performs well enough to make the roster, of course.

The Cincinnati Reds have chosen Bob Castellini's successor.

Phil Castellini, Bob Castellini's son, was approved as the team's new owner, the Reds confirmed to WCPO Thursday.

"This was the conclusion of the process that was started when the Reds announced organizational changes in July of 2024 naming Phil president and CEO, and Doug Healy as COO and CFO," the Reds said in a statement.

Those changes went into effect in August 2024.

Bob Castellini held the position for the last 20 years.

Catcher Tyler Stephenson won his salary arbitration case against the Cincinnati Reds on Tuesday and will earn $6.8 million instead of the team's offer of $6.55 million offer.

Players lead 6-1 in cases thus far and up to six more decisions are possible.

Josh Gordon, Allen Ponak and Chris Cameron made the decision one day after listening to arguments.

A decision in the case of Los Angeles Angels left-hander Reid Detmers was expected later Tuesday.

Stephenson hit .239 with 13 homers and 50 RBIs in 88 games last year, sidelined from mid-March until May 2 by a strained left oblique and between Aug. 15 and Sept. 5 by a broken left thumb sustained while catching a pitch from Hunter Greene during a game against Milwaukee.

He earned $4.925 million last year.

Stephenson turns 30 in August and can become a free agent after this years World Series. He has a .261 average with 63 homers and 258 RBIs in six major league seasons, all with the Reds.

Detmers argued for $2.925 million and the Angels for $2.625 million in a hearing before Robert Herman, Samantha Tower and Scott Buchheit.

Detmers, 26, was moved to the bullpen last year and went 5-3 with a 3.96 ERA and three saves in 61 relief appearances, earning $1.825 million.

Detmers pitched a no-hitter against Tampa Bay on May 10, 2022, in his 11th major league start. He is 21-31 with a 4.77 ERA in five major league seasons with the Angels.

Three players remain scheduled for hearings this week: Kansas City left-hander Kris Bubic ($6.15 million vs. $5.15 million), Milwaukee catcher Willson Contreras ($9.9 million vs. $8.55 million) and Miami right-hander Calvin Faucher ($2.05 million vs. $1.8 million).

Withheld decisions to be unsealed this week involve Toronto left-hander Eric Lauer ($5.75 million vs. $4.4 million) and Atlanta left-hander Dylan Lee ($2.2 million vs. $2 million).

Reds catcher Tyler Stephenson won his arbitration hearing against the team, reports Gordon Wittenmyer of the Cincinnati Enquirer. He’ll earn the $6.8MM figure submitted by his reps at ACES rather than the $6.55MM figure submitted by the team. Stephenson is heading into his final season of club control and will be a free agent next winter.

Stephenson pulls in a 38.1% raise on last year’s $4.925MM salary on the heels of a season in which he slashed .231/.316/.421 with 13 homers and 18 doubles in 342 plate appearances. A broken left thumb and an oblique strain limited him to just 88 games in 2025, but he had another generally productive stretch while healthy. Since debuting in 2019, Stephenson has taken just shy of 2000 plate appearances and logged a combined .261/.338/.426 slash with 63 homers and 94 doubles.

Last year’s 33.9% strikeout rate was a career-worst by a wide margin, but his career-high 10.8% walk rate at least helped to mitigate that uptick in punchouts a bit. He actually chased balls off the plate less than the average hitter, but Stephenson’s contact rate on those chases was just 49.4% — well shy off the 55.6% league average. His contact rate on balls within the zone dropped by a concerning six percentage points.

Some of that could be due to his broken thumb, of course. Hand injuries can linger and impact a player’s swing even after he’s cleared to return to action, and it’s worth noting that Stephenson’s bat speed dropped by nearly a mile per hour over the prior season. It’s not unreasonable to think that with better health, he could regain some of that contact. Either way, his quality of contact remained strong; Stephenson averaged 90.5 mph off the bat with an excellent 49.2% hard-hit rate and an even better 14.4% barrel rate.

Heading into the 2026 season, Stephenson will again be the Reds’ primary catcher, teaming with defensive-minded Jose Trevino to handle the majority of Cincinnati’s catching duties. He could also mix in at first base and designated hitter. A healthy platform season should put Stephenson in line for a nice multi-year deal as he heads to the open market ahead of his age-30 campaign next winter.

Following Stephenson’s victory, players have gone 6-1 against teams in this offseason’s slate of arbitration hearings.

The Reds announced that catcher Ben Rortvedt has been claimed off waivers by the Dodgers. Cincinnati designated him for assignment when they signed Eugenio Suárez earlier this week. The Dodgers have a full 40-man roster and will need to open a spot for Rortvedt.

The Dodgers clearly like Rortvedt as a depth catcher. They acquired him at last year’s deadline and he got some playing time down the stretch when Will Smith was hurt. After the season, he and the Dodgers avoided arbitration by agreeing to a $1.25MM salary for 2026.

They then tried to sneak him through waivers, hoping that the salary would be enough to make other clubs pass, therefore allowing Rortvedt be in the minors as non-roster depth. They tried a similar move with infielder Andy Ibáñez, signing him to a $1.2MM deal and then putting him on the wire. It didn’t work in either case. The Reds claimed Rortvedt in November and the Athletics claimed Ibáñez today.

The Dodgers are taking this chance to bring Rortvedt back again. For now, he appears to be the clear #3 catcher behind Smith and Dalton Rushing. They could option Rushing to the minors but seemingly don’t think he has anything left to prove there, which is why they called him up last year and moved on from Austin Barnes.

Assuming Rortvedt is indeed third on the chart, he could be bound for the waiver wire again in the future. He is out of options and would have to be nudged off the 40-man if he’s not going to be on the active roster.

Time will tell how that plays out. For now, he’s back with the champs. His performance has been up and down in recent years. With the Rays in 2024, he posted a .228/.317/.303 line in 328 plate appearances. His 87 wRC+ indicated he was 13% below league average but that’s not bad for a part-time catcher. Thanks to some solid defense, FanGraphs credited him with 1.4 wins above replacement in that role.

Things turned sour in 2025. He slashed .095/.186/.111 and got outrighted to the minors. As mentioned, he was traded to the Dodgers and got some time filling in for Smith. In his 58 plate appearances, he hit .224/.309/.327, somewhat similar to his 2024 production. Teams clearly view him as a useful depth catcher but what remains to be seen is if he can hold onto a roster spot or if he can be passed through waivers.

Photo courtesy of Jayne Kamin-Oncea, Imagn Images

Reds right-hander Graham Ashcraft won his arbitration hearing against the team, ESPN’s Jeff Passan reports. He and his reps at the Bledsoe Agency filed for a $1.75MM salary, while the team filed at $1.25MM. Ashcraft will receive the larger of those two figures in 2026. Players have won all five arbitration hearings that have been decided thus far in 2026.

Ashcraft, 28 next week, had a breakout season in the bullpen for Cincinnati. The former starter took to his new relief role, logging 65 1/3 innings with a 3.99 ERA. A forearm strain late in the season may have helped beef that ERA up a bit; he missed two weeks in late August/early September and was immediately tagged for five runs in his first two innings back on the mound, though he righted the ship thereafter, rattling off 5 1/3 shutout innings to end the year.

The 6’2″, 245-pound Ashcraft already threw hard as a starter, but his heater jumped to an average of 97.1 mph in relief. He paired that offering with a slider sitting 89.8 mph and showed more bat-missing ability than his 22.5% strikeout rate would otherwise indicate. That mark is right in line with league average, but Ashcraft’s 13.2% swinging-strike rate is more than two percentage points north of par. He also posted a solid 8.8% walk rate and a huge 55.9% ground-ball rate.

Ashcraft began the season working in lower-leverage spots but was one of manager Terry Francona’s top options in tight situations by season’s end. By measure of leverage index, Tony Santillan worked in the most pressure-packed spots, but Ashcraft was only a bit behind him, ranking slightly ahead of closer Emilio Pagan, who was more typically reserved for more traditional ninth-inning work.

The Reds re-signed Pagan to a two-year deal this winter, the second season of which is a player option. Ashcraft, alongside Santillan, will reprise his role as one of Pagan’s top setup men. If Pagan opts out after the season and signs elsewhere, Ashcraft could be in the mix for closing opportunities in 2027. This was his first trip through arbitration. Ashcraft is controllable through 2028 and is owed two more raises in arbitration over the next couple offseasons.

The latest episode of the MLB Trade Rumors Podcast is now live on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and wherever you get your podcasts! Make sure you subscribe as well! You can also use the player at this link to listen, if you don’t use Spotify or Apple for podcasts.

This week, host Darragh McDonald is joined by Steve Adams of MLB Trade Rumors to discuss…

• The Twins parting ways with president of baseball operations Derek Falvey (2:10)
• The Mariners getting Brendan Donovan in a three-team trade with the Cardinals and Rays (18:15)
• The Reds signing Eugenio Suárez (35:50)
• The Pirates reportedly just missing on Suárez and what they could still do at this late stage of the offseason (39:20)
• The Giants having an agreement Luis Arráez and also Harrison Bader (49:20)
• The White Sox acquiring Jordan Hicks from the Red Sox (58:35)
• The Athletics signing Jacob Wilson to an extension (1:12:20)
• Several players not being allowed to participate in the World Baseball Classic due to insurance issues (1:16:05)

Check out our past episodes!

• Examining MLB’s Parity Situation – Also, Bellinger, Peralta, Robert, And Gore – listen here
• What The Tucker And Bichette Contracts Mean For Baseball – Also, Nolan Arenado And Ranger Suarez – listen here
• The Cubs Land Cabrera And Bregman, Remaining Free Agents, And Skubal’s Arbitration Filing – listen here

The podcast intro and outro song “So Long” is provided courtesy of the band Showoff.  Check out their Facebook page here!

Photo courtesy of Joe Puetz, Imagn Images

The Reds announced that catcher Ben Rortvedt has been designated for assignment. That’s the corresponding move to open a 40-man spot for infielder Eugenio Suárez, whose signing is now official.

Rortvedt, 28, has never appeared in a game for the Reds. Cincinnati just claimed him off waivers from the Dodgers in November. At the time of that waiver claim, it was reported that Rortvedt and the Dodgers had already signed a deal for 2026 to avoid arbitration. The backstop will make $1.25MM this year.

The Dodgers were likely hoping that figure was high enough that no other club would claim him off waivers. Rortvedt is out of options and therefore can’t be sent to the minors while staying on the 40-man roster. Since he has at least three years of big league service time, Rortvedt has the right to reject outright assignments. But since his service clock is less than five years, he would have to forfeit his salary commitments in electing free agency. Had he cleared waivers, he likely would have stayed with the Dodgers as non-roster catching depth.

Instead, the Reds claimed him and have held him for the past few months. They might now be hoping that they get to keep Rortvedt as non-roster depth instead of the Dodgers. With this DFA, Cincinnati now has Jose Trevino and Tyler Stephenson as the only two catchers on the 40-man roster. Will Banfield is their most experienced non-roster guy at the moment, even though he has just seven big league games on his track record.

Rortvedt’s career has been up and down but he would be a solid depth option. He showed his potential by having a decent showing with the Rays in 2024. He stepped to the plate 328 times and put up a .228/.317/.303 line. That line led to an 87 wRC+, indicating he was 13% below league average. But since catchers are usually about ten points below the rest of the league, that’s not bad for a part-time backstop. Rortvedt’s glovework also got decent reviews, enough for FanGraphs to credit him with 1.4 wins above replacement for the year, even with that so-so offense.

Things backed up with Tampa last year. He hit .095/.186/.111 in his 70 plate appearances before getting outrighted off the roster. He was flipped to the Dodgers at the deadline as part of the three-team trade which saw the Reds gets Zack Littell. The Dodgers called him up in September when Will Smith was injured and Rortvedt bounced back somewhat, with a .224/.309/.327 line in a small sample of 58 plate appearances for the eventual World Series champs.

The Dodgers liked him enough that they seemingly hoped to keep him around as relatively expensive depth behind Smith and Dalton Rushing. The Reds will now have a maximum of one week of DFA limbo to work with. The waiver process takes 48 hours, so they could field trade interest but will likely place Rortvedt on waivers at some point in the next five days. If another team claims him, the Reds would likely need to add some veteran depth via minor league deals.

Photo courtesy of Jayne Kamin-Oncea, Imagn Images

Eugenio Surez and the Cincinnati Reds have agreed on a $15 million, one-year contract, two people familiar with the negotiations told The Associated Press on Sunday night.

The people spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because the deal was pending a physical and had not been announced.

Surez was the top slugger left on the free agent market and the two-time All-Star returns to Cincinnati, where he played seven seasons. He hit 189 home runs for the Reds from 2015 through 2021, including 49 in 2019.

The move gives the Reds the proven power hitter they had been seeking throughout the offseason. A third baseman for most of his 12-year major league career, the 34-year-old Surez is expected to be Cincinnati's primary designated hitter and perhaps play some games at third base or first.

The team has Gold Glove winner KeBryan Hayes at third, and touted prospect Sal Stewart is likely to play first.

The Reds were one of many teams interested in Surez at the trade deadline last year, but they didnt want to part with key prospects. He was traded from Arizona to Seattle on July 31 and finished fifth in the majors with 49 home runs and fourth with 118 RBIs. He batted .228 overall with an .824 OPS.

The Mariners fell one win shy of reaching their first World Series, losing to Toronto in the American League Championship Series. Surez had two home runs in Game 5, including a grand slam in the eighth inning.

Great American Ball Park in Cincinnati has averaged 2.67 home runs per game since it opened in 2003. That is the second-highest homer rate in the majors among ballparks to host at least 1,200 games.

Surez was traded by the Reds to Seattle during spring training in 2022. He spent two seasons with the Mariners before getting traded to the Diamondbacks.

Surez broke into the majors with Detroit in 2014. He is a .246 career hitter with 325 homers, 949 RBIs and a .792 OPS.

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February 3rd: The Reds made the Suarez deal official today. Catcher Ben Rortvedt was designated for assignment as the corresponding move.

February 1st: Eugenio Suarez is returning to Cincinnati, as ESPN’s Jeff Passan reports that the slugger has signed a one-year, $15MM deal with the Reds that includes a mutual option for the 2027 season.  Jon Heyman of the New York Post reports that the option is worth $16MM, though mutual options are rarely triggered by both sides.  The deal will become official once the Reds clear a spot on their 40-man roster, and presumably when Suarez passes a physical.  Suarez is represented by Octagon.

Reports emerged last week that the Reds had interest in a reunion with the third baseman, who hit .253/.335/.476 with 189 homers over 3730 plate appearances during the 2015-21 seasons.  The continued uncertainty over the Reds’ broadcast deal with Main Street Sports was said to be a holdup for the team in how much money they had available to pursue Suarez or other targets like Austin Hays (who signed with the White Sox yesterday).

With an agreement now in place with Suarez, it could be that the Reds have gotten some clarity about how they’ll proceed with MSS or perhaps a new broadcasting agreement with Major League Baseball itself.  Alternatively, Suarez’s acceptance of just a one-year deal and arguably a discount price may be another reason why the two sides were able to line up on a contract.

MLB Trade Rumors ranked Suarez 20th on our list of the winter’s top 50 free agents, and projected him for a three-year, $63MM deal.  The one-year, $15MM pact falls well short of that prediction in both years and average annual value, as it could be teams were wary of making a larger commitment to a strikeout-prone player who turns 35 in July.  Suarez’s third base glovework also dropped in 2025, as he posted -6 Defensive Runs Saved and -3 Outs Above Average.

With the bat, however, Suarez hit 49 home runs in 2025, matching his career high set with the Reds in 2019.  Suarez’s overall slash line of .228/.298/.526 reflects his power-heavy output, as he delivered a below-average walk rate for the second consecutive season.  Though Suarez’s 29.8% strikeout rate put him in the fifth percentile of all batters, he maxed out when he did make contact, with strong hard-contact and barrel rates.

It has been a strange two-season run for Suarez, who sandwiched a superstar-level campaign in between two mediocre half-seasons.  Suarez had only a .591 OPS over his first 315 PA of the 2024 season with the Diamondbacks, before he caught fire and hit .276/.336/.593 with 60 homers over 766 PA from July 1, 2024 to July 31, 2025.  Unfortunately, Suarez then drastically cooled off after he was dealt to the Mariners at the trade deadline, but he somewhat rebounded to get some key hits during Seattle’s postseason run to Game 7 of the ALCS.

This rather extreme streakiness could be another reason Suarez’s market never really took off this winter, as teams were justifiably not sure exactly which version of Suarez they’d get in his 13th big league season.  The Mariners had some interest in a reunion, and other teams like the Cubs, Red Sox, and Pirates were also linked to the slugger.

Pittsburgh was the other finalist for Suarez’s services, according to MassLive.com’s Chris Cotillo.  As per MLB.com’s Alex Stumpf and Jason Mackey of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, the Pirates were willing to offer a $15MM average annual salary to Suarez and also offered him a second guaranteed year.  In taking just a one-year contract, Suarez seems to be hoping to fully re-establish his market by having a big season in 2026 and then re-entering free agency next winter.  It was also very likely to Cincinnati’s benefit that Suarez is already very familiar with the organization from his previous seven-year run in the Queen City.

While the Pirates are on the way up, Suarez may have been more interested in joining a Reds team that actually did make the playoffs in 2025.  Cincinnati reached the postseason on the strength of its rotation, as the lineup was average at best in most offensive categories, and 21st of 30 teams in home runs.  Elly De La Cruz and Spencer Steer combined for 43 homers as the Reds’ top two home-run hitters in 2025, so Suarez alone tops that total.

Suarez steps right into an everyday role in the Reds’ lineup, though it will be interesting to see where exactly Suarez is deployed.  Ke’Bryan Hayes is arguably the best defensive third baseman in the game, so Suarez is more likely to see a lot of action as a DH and possibly at first base.  Suarez’s MLB history as a first baseman consists of just three late-game appearances, all of which came last year.  The Reds will surely give Suarez plenty of time at the position this spring to see how Suarez fares at the cold corner, and Steer and Sal Stewart will also receive at-bats in the first base/DH mix.  Stewart can also play some second base and Steer could play left field, with Steer’s right-handed bat complementing the left-handed hitting JJ Bleday on the grass.

Bleday and Dane Myers were the only notable offensive adds the Reds made prior to today, with the two outfielders more or less replacing Hays and Gavin Lux (who was dealt to the Rays as part of the three-team deal with the Angels that brought reliever Brock Burke to Cincinnati).  Suarez now represents a major boost to the Reds’ lineup, and a source of stability on a team that is still waiting to see what it has in players like Steer, Stewart, Matt McLain, or Noelvi Marte.  Even De La Cruz was more good than great in 2025, but EDLC figures to benefit with Suarez providing protection behind him in the lineup.

RosterResource estimates a $126.1MM payroll for the Reds at the moment, which is a minor increase over their $118.7MM figure from the 2025 season.  President of baseball operations Nick Krall said in early November that the Reds would be spending at “around the same” levels as 2025, so it could be that the team is essentially done with significant offseason moves unless they can unload some salary.

This could again change depending on what happens with the Reds’ broadcast deal, or ownership might potentially green-light some more spending either now or during the season (perhaps once some ticket revenue starts rolling in).  The Reds seem to be well-positioned to make another run at a postseason berth in 2026, even though within the NL Central alone, the Pirates will be better and the Brewers and Cubs each figure to keep battling for the division crown.

Inset photo courtesy of Stephen Brashear — Imagn Images

4:37pm: Tom Friend of Sports Business Journal reports that the Tigers, Angels and Braves are all moving on from Main Street Sports as well. Friend writes that it’s likely that the Detroit and Los Angeles clubs will also turn their broadcasts over to MLB, although they haven’t closed the door on working out some kind of independent streaming deal on a different platform than MLB.tv.

Friend’s reporting is most interesting regarding the Braves. He writes that the team could launch its own network rather than turning distribution to the league. The Rangers went that route when their deal with Diamond collapsed last offseason. The Texas franchise created its own network that negotiated directly with distributors to set up cable, satellite and streaming deals on different platforms.

The Braves haven’t made anything official, though they’ve more or less confirmed they won’t be returning to Main Street. “The Atlanta Braves are aware of the reports regarding Main Street Sports Group,” the team said in a statement. “While disappointed with this development, we have been actively preparing for this outcome and are well on our way towards launching a new era in Braves broadcasting. … We look forward to sharing our path forward in the coming weeks.”

1:10pm: Major League Baseball will take over the broadcasts of six new teams in 2026, reports John Ourand of Puck. The six clubs are the Brewers, Marlins, Rays, Royals, Cardinals and Reds. That represents six of the nine clubs who terminated deals with Main Street Sports last month. That leaves the Braves, Tigers and Angels as the three clubs from that group of nine who still need to formalize broadcast plans for this year.

The company has seemingly been hanging by a thread for a long time. Cord cutting and streaming have been eroding the regional sports network (RSN) model for years. Previously known as Diamond Sports Group and operating under the Bally Sports logo, the company was in bankruptcy for most of 2023 and 2024. When they emerged from bankruptcy late in 2024, they changed the company name and switched to the FanDuel Sports branding. More trouble emerged recently as they reportedly missed payments to several teams, which is what prompted the nine teams to walk away last month.

In recent years, MLB has handled the broadcasts of several other clubs who saw RSN deals collapse. The Padres, Diamondbacks, Rockies, Twins and Guardians were with the league in 2025. In those instances, the league largely kept TV broadcasts the same, retaining most of the personnel. For fans, this arrangement worked better as it did not involve local blackouts. Customers without cable packages could buy streaming packages directly from the league.

For teams, this expanded viewership but the financial situation wasn’t as good. Instead of a guaranteed fee from the RSN, they instead got a fungible amount of money based on streaming numbers. Clear numbers haven’t been made available but the industry consensus is that teams bring in less money via this model than they did via the previous RSN system. Travis Sawchik of MLB.com says the new model only brings in about 50% of the previous RSN set-up.

This often has on-field implications. Some of those teams, particularly the Padres and Twins, saw their player payrolls decrease in recent years. The lower spending capacity seemingly had an impact on Juan Soto being traded from the Padres to the Yankees a couple of years ago and Carlos Correa getting traded from the Twins to the Astros last summer, among other moves.

It was reported in September that ESPN would be acquiring the local rights for those five teams for the next three years. It’s unclear how that will impact local customers who have been paying the league directly to stream games. Also in September, it was reported that the Mariners would also be moving to the league. Last month, the Nationals announced that they would be moving to the MLB model.

Assuming the league will still be selling streaming packages for the five teams it was handling last year, then the league will have at least 13 teams in its portfolio in the coming season. With three clubs still outstanding, it’s possible MLB could get to more than half the league.

Commissioner Rob Manfred has previously spoken of his desire to market a streaming package like MLB.TV but without local blackouts. Controlling the rights for roughly half the league will make that more viable. Expanding the portfolio even further will be challenging. Most of the larger-market clubs still have pretty healthy RSN situations and would have less interest in jumping into a pooled system with these clubs.

That is part of a broader league strategy that will come into play in the next few years. A large number of the league’s broadcast deals expire after 2028. Manfred’s hope is to maintain as much flexibility as possible until then, at which point he could try to sell companies packages of combined rights. As an example of how this might play out, ESPN’s deal recently fell apart but then MLB pivoted to split it up and sell it to various companies. ESPN bought back some bits and acquired some new ones, while Netflix and NBC/Peacock acquired other components.

It will take a few years to see how that all plays out. In the shorter term, it could impact the upcoming collective bargaining agreement negotiations. The current CBA expires December 1st of this year. Presumably, MLB doesn’t want those talks to lead to canceled games in 2027. Ratings and attendance have been up lately, with the faster pace of the pitch clock a possible explanation. Missed games due to a lockout would hurt that momentum, which wouldn’t help the league in selling rights the following year.

For fans of the teams involved in today’s news, new information about broadcast options should be forthcoming. The Cardinals already announced their streaming prices, which are $19.99 monthly or $99.99 for the full season. Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald outlined the situation for Marlins fans today, with some more details still to be determined.

This could also impact player payroll for some clubs. Though the streaming model is a less certain source of revenue, these teams now at least have some clarity on what kind of money should be coming in this year. As of less than two weeks ago, the Reds were reportedly interested in players like Eugenio Suárez but reluctant to make more moves until they figured out the broadcast puzzle. They reportedly reached an agreement with Suárez yesterday.

Photo courtesy of Ron Chenoy, Imagn Images

The Cincinnati Reds, Kansas City Royals, Miami Marlins, Milwaukee Brewers, St. Louis Cardinals and Tampa Bay Rays will have their local television broadcasts produced and distributed by Major League Baseball this season.

The Royals, Brewers and Cardinals made their plans official on Monday with the other three clubs expected to make their announcements in coming days.

The six clubs along with the Atlanta Braves, Detroit Tigers and Los Angeles Angels terminated their deals after the Main Street Sports Group, which operates the regional FanDuel Sports Network stations, did not make scheduled rights payments.

The Braves, Tigers and Angels still have not made a decision about their local coverage plans.

Atlanta though signaled that it will not be striking a new deal with Main Street.

The Atlanta Braves are aware of the reports regarding Main Street Sports Group. While disappointed with this development, we have been actively preparing for this outcome and are well on our way towards launching a new era in Braves broadcasting, the statement said.

MLB will produce broadcasts for at least 13 teams this season. It also added the Washington Nationals and Seattle Mariners during the offseason.

Our focus, particularly given the point in the calendar, is to maximize the revenue thats available to the clubs, whether thats MLB Media or third party, Commissioner Rob Manfred said last month. The clubs have control over the timing. They can make a decision to move to MLB Media because of the contractual status now. I think that whats happening right now clubs are evaluating their alternatives. Obviously theyve made significant payroll commitments already and theyre evaluating the alternatives to find the best revenue source for the year and the best outlet in terms of providing quality broadcasts to their fans.

MLB has touted expanded market reach when it takes over production of teams due to a combination of being on local cable systems, satellite and direct-to-consumer streaming.

Diamond Sports Group was the largest owner of regional sports networks when it filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in March 2023.

At the time of the filing, Diamond operated 19 networks under the Bally Sports banner and had the rights to 42 professional teams (14 baseball, 16 NBA and 12 NHL).

The networks emerged from bankruptcy proceedings last March under the Main Street Sports Group with its networks rebranded as FanDuel Sports Network. However, the networks are on the verge of insolvency and going out of business if a new majority owner or investors are not found.

Main Street currently has 15 owned and operated networks under the FanDuel banner with the rights to 20 pro teams: 13 NBA and seven NHL.

The NBA and NHL teams have been crafting contingency plans if Main Street suddenly goes out of business, an increasingly possible scenario over the past three weeks even though the company has committed to carrying hockey and basketball through the end of the regular season.

FanDuel Sports Network is continuing to broadcast NBA and NHL games, and we appreciate the leagues engagement in ongoing discussions on our go-forward plans," a Main Street Sports Group spokesperson said in a statement. "We appreciate the relationships we have had with these MLB partners and their fans over many years, and we wish them the best.

MLB took over broadcasts of the San Diego Padres and Arizona Diamondbacks during the 2023 season and the Colorado Rockies in 2024. It added the Cleveland Guardians and the Minnesota Twins last season.

Manfred said last month that local media provides more than 20% of industry revenue.

The local media landscape is evolving very quickly. Its still a very robust audience on the traditional cable model. But the economics are changing. Theyre becoming more of a challenge," Brewers President of Business Operations Rick Schlesinger said on Monday. "The bundle that fortified all of the large rights fees in the ecosystem of 15-20 years old is changing, and were adapting to it. The universe is going to be there. Theres going to be a local game element to baseball.

"Whether that evolves from the typical RSN model to solely streaming or a hybrid or other forms, to be determined. I think the fans will have optionality for local games. Theres so many games that we deliver 162 theres plenty for everybody. I feel good about the future, even though I cant predict where its actually going to land and when its going to land.

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Most of the clubs in the league currently have a full 40-man roster, which means that just about every transaction requires a corresponding move. Some extra roster flexibility is on the way, however. The 60-day injured list goes away five days after the World Series but comes back when pitchers and catchers report to spring training.

Most clubs have a slightly earlier report date this year due to the World Baseball Classic. Last year, the Cubs and Dodgers had earlier report dates because they were had an earlier Opening Day than everyone else as part of the Tokyo Series. Gavin Stone was the first player to land on the 60-day IL in 2025, landing there on February 11th. According to MLB.com, every club has a report date from February 10th to 13th this year.

It’s worth pointing out that the 60 days don’t start being counted until Opening Day. Although a team can transfer a player to the 60-day IL quite soon, they will likely only do so if they aren’t expecting the player back until late May or beyond. A team also must have a full 40-man roster in order to move a player to the 60-day IL.

There are still plenty of free agents still out there, including big names like Framber Valdez, Zac Gallen, Justin Verlander, Chris Bassitt, Lucas Giolito, and more. Perhaps the extra roster flexibility will spur some deals to come together. It could also increase the ability of some clubs to make waiver claims or small trades for players who have been designated for assignment. If a team wants to pass a player through waivers, perhaps they will try to do so in the near future before the extra roster flexibility opens up.

Here are some players who are expected to miss some significant time or who have uncertain recovery timelines from 2025 injuries.

Angels: Anthony Rendon, Ben Joyce

Rendon’s situation is unique. He underwent hip surgery a year ago and missed the entire 2025 season. He is still on the roster and signed through 2026. He and the club have agreed to a salary-deferment plan and he is not expected to be in spring training with the club. His recovery timeline is unclear, but general manager Perry Minasian said earlier this month that Rendon would be “rehabbing at home,” per Alden González of ESPN. If they were going to release him, they likely would have done so by now, so he seems destined for the injured list.

Joyce underwent shoulder surgery in May and missed the remainder of the 2025 season. His current status is unclear. In August, he told Jeff Fletcher of the Orange County Register that he didn’t know if he would be ready for spring training. He would only land on the 60-day IL if the Halos don’t expect him back before the end of May.

Astros: Hayden Wesneski, Ronel Blanco, Brandon Walter

All three of these pitchers underwent Tommy John surgery in 2025. Wesneski was first, with his surgery taking place on May 23rd. Blanco followed shortly thereafter in early June. They will likely be targeting returns in the second half. Walter’s procedure was in September, meaning he will likely miss the entire season. All three should be on the 60-day IL as soon as Houston needs roster spots for other transactions.

Athletics: Zack Gelof

Gelof underwent surgery to repair a dislocated shoulder in September, with the expectation of him potentially being healthy for spring training. At the end of December, general manager David Forst told Martín Gallegos of MLB.com that Gelof would be “a little bit behind” in spring. He would only land on the 60-day IL if the A’s think he’ll be out through late May.

Blue Jays: Jake Bloss

Bloss underwent surgery on the ulnar collateral ligament in his elbow in May. He was on optional assignment at the time and stayed in the minors for the rest of the season. Going into 2026, the Jays could keep him in the minors but they could also call him up and place him on the major league IL. Doing so would open up a roster spot but would also mean giving Bloss big league pay and service time.

Braves: Ha-Seong Kim, AJ Smith-Shawver, Danny Young, Joe Jiménez

Kim recently fell on some ice and injured his hand. He underwent surgery last week, and the expected recovery time is four to five months. The shorter end of that window only goes to mid-May, so perhaps Atlanta will hold off on making a decision until they watch his recovery, especially since they have other guys with clearer injury timelines.

Smith-Shawver underwent Tommy John surgery in June, so he shouldn’t be back until the second half and is therefore a lock for the 60-day IL once Atlanta needs a spot. Young underwent the same procedure in May, so he should also be bound for the IL.

Jimenez is more of a question mark. He missed the 2025 season due to left knee surgery. He required a “cleanup” procedure on that knee towards the end of the season. His timeline isn’t currently clear.

Brewers: None.

Cardinals: None.

Cubs: Justin Steele

Steele will probably be a bit of a borderline case. He underwent UCL surgery in April but it wasn’t a full Tommy John surgery. The Cubs described it as a “revision repair”. Steele had undergone Tommy John in 2017 as a minor leaguer.

Since Steele’s more recent procedure was a bit less serious than a full Tommy John, the club gave an estimated return timeline of about one year, putting him in line to potentially return fairly early in 2026. Given his importance to the Cubs, they would only put him on the 60-day IL if his timeline changes and he’s certain to be out through late May.

Diamondbacks: Corbin Burnes, Lourdes Gurriel Jr., A.J. Puk, Justin Martínez, Blake Walston, Tyler Locklear

The Snakes were hit hard by the injury bug in 2025. Burnes, Walston and Martínez all underwent Tommy John surgery. Burnes and Martínez had their procedures in June, so they should be targeting second-half returns and be easy calls for the 60-day IL. Walston would be a bit more borderline because his surgery was around Opening Day in late March last year. Puk had the slightly less significant internal brace procedure in June, so he could also be a borderline case.

Turning to the position players, Gurriel tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee in September. He required surgery which came with a return timeline of nine to ten months, so he should be out until around the All-Star break.

Locklear should be back sooner. He underwent surgery in October to address a ligament tear in his elbow and a labrum injury in his shoulder. The hope at the time of that procedure was that he would be game ready to go on a rehab assignment around Opening Day and would therefore miss only about the first month. He would therefore only hit the 60-day IL if he doesn’t meet that timeline for some reason.

Dodgers: Brock Stewart

Stewart underwent shoulder debridement surgery in September. His timeline for 2026 isn’t especially clear. He will likely start the season on the IL but it’s unclear if he’ll be out long enough to warrant landing on the 60-day version.

Giants: Randy Rodríguez, Jason Foley

Rodríguez underwent Tommy John surgery in September, so he’s a lock for the 60-day IL and might even miss the entire 2026 campaign. Foley’s status is a bit more murky. He underwent shoulder surgery in May while with the Tigers. Detroit non-tendered him at season’s end, which allowed the Giants to sign him. He is expected back at some point mid-season. The Giants may want to get more clarity on his progress during camp before deciding on a move to the IL.

Guardians: Andrew Walters, David Fry

Neither of these guys is a lock for the 60-day IL. Walters had surgery to repair his right lat tendon in June with a recovery estimate of eight to ten months. Fry underwent surgery in October due to a deviated septum and a fractured nose suffered when a Tarik Skubal pitch hit him in the face. His timeline is unclear. It’s possible one or both could be healthy by Opening Day, so relevant updates may be forthcoming when camps open.

Mariners: Logan Evans

Evans required UCL surgery just last week and will miss the entire 2026 season. He was on optional assignment at the end of 2025, so the Mariners could keep him in the minors. Calling him up and putting him on the big league 60-day IL would open up a 40-man spot but would also involve Evans receiving big league pay and service time for the year.

Marlins: Ronny Henriquez

Henriquez underwent internal brace surgery in December and will miss the entire 2026 season, so he’s a lock for the 60-day IL.

Mets: Tylor Megill, Reed Garrett, Dedniel Núñez

All three of these pitchers underwent Tommy John surgery late in 2025 and are likely to miss the entire 2026 season, making them locks for the 60-day IL. Núñez went under the knife in July, followed by Megill in September and Garrett in October.

Nationals: Trevor Williams, DJ Herz

Williams underwent internal brace surgery in July. That’s a slightly less serious variation of Tommy John but still usually requires about a year of recovery. Herz underwent a full Tommy John procedure in April. Since that surgery usually requires 14 months or longer to come back, both pitchers are likely out until around the All-Star break and therefore bound for the 60-day IL once the Nats need some roster spots.

Orioles: Félix Bautista

Bautista underwent shoulder surgery in August, and the club announced his recovery timeline as 12 months. He’s a lock for the 60-day IL and may miss the entire season if his recovery doesn’t go smoothly.

Padres: Yu Darvish, Jhony Brito, Jason Adam

Darvish underwent UCL surgery in November and will miss the entire 2026 season. Instead of going on the IL, he may just retire, but it seems there are some contractual complications to be ironed out since he is signed through 2028.

Brito and Adam could be borderline cases. Brito underwent internal brace surgery in May of last year. Some pitchers can return from that procedure in about a year. Adam ruptured a tendon in his left quad in early September. In November, he seemed to acknowledge that he wouldn’t be ready for Opening Day. As of now, a trip to the 60-day IL seems unlikely unless he suffers a setback.

Pirates: Jared Jones

Jones required UCL surgery on May 21st of last year. The Bucs announced an expected return timeline of 10 to 12 months. The shorter end of that window would allow Jones to return fairly early in 2026. If it looks like he’ll be on the longer end of that time frame, he could wind up on the 60-day IL.

Phillies: Zack Wheeler

Wheeler underwent surgery to address thoracic outlet syndrome in September, with a timeline of six to eight months. As of now, it seems unlikely Wheeler would require a trip to the 60-day IL, but it depends on how his ramp-up goes. He’s also approaching his 36th birthday, and the Phils could slow-play his recovery.

Rangers: Cody Bradford

Bradford required internal brace surgery in late June of last year. He recently said he’s targeting a return in May. That’s a pretty aggressive timeline, but perhaps the Rangers will delay moving him to the 60-day IL until that plan is strictly ruled out.

Rays: Manuel Rodríguez

Rodriguez underwent flexor tendon surgery in July of last year and is targeting a return in June of this year, so he should be a lock for the 60-day IL.

Reds: Brandon Williamson, Julian Aguiar

Both of these pitchers required Tommy John surgeries late in 2024, Williamson in September and Aguiar in October. They each missed the entire 2025 season. Presumably, they are recovered by now and could be healthy going into 2026, but there haven’t been any recent public updates.

Red Sox: Tanner Houck, Triston Casas

Houck is the most clear-cut case for Boston. He had Tommy John surgery in August of 2025 and will miss most or perhaps all of the 2026 season. Casas is more borderline. He’s still recovering from a ruptured left patellar tendon suffered in May of last year. It doesn’t seem like he will be ready by Opening Day, but his timeline apart from that is murky.

Rockies: Jeff Criswell, Kris Bryant

Criswell required Tommy John surgery in early March of last year. With the normal 14-month recovery timeline, he could be back in May. Anything slightly longer than that would make him a candidate for the 60-day IL. Bryant’s timeline is very difficult to discern. He has hardly played in recent years due to various injuries and is now dealing with chronic symptoms related to lumbar degenerative disc disease. Updates will likely be provided once camp opens.

Royals: Alec Marsh

Marsh missed 2025 due to shoulder problems and is slated to miss 2026 as well after undergoing labrum surgery in November.

Tigers: Jackson Jobe

Jobe required Tommy John surgery in June of last year. He will miss most or perhaps even all of the 2026 season.

Twins: None.

White Sox: Ky Bush, Drew Thorpe, Prelander Berroa

These three hurlers all required Tommy John surgery about a year ago, Bush in February, followed by Berroa and Thorpe in March. Given the normal 14-month recovery period, any of them could return early in 2026, but they could also end up on the 60-day IL if the timeline pushes slightly beyond that.

Yankees: Clarke Schmidt, Gerrit Cole, Carlos Rodón, Anthony Volpe

Schmidt is the only lock of this group. He required UCL surgery in July of last year and should miss the first half of the 2026 season. Cole is recovering from Tommy John surgery performed in March of last year. His target is expected to be late May/early June, so he has a decent chance to hit the 60-day. However, given his importance to the club, the Yankees probably won’t put him there until it’s certain he won’t be back by the middle of May.

Rodón had surgery in October to remove loose bodies in his elbow. He’s expected to be back with the big league club in late April or early May, so he would only hit the 60-day IL if his timeline is pushed. Volpe required shoulder surgery in October. He’s not expected to be ready by Opening Day, but his timeline beyond that doesn’t seem concrete.

Photo courtesy of Allan Henry, Imagn Images

Cincinnati Reds legend Joey Votto may be the newest addition to the NBC Sports Major League Baseball broadcast team, according to a report from Front Office Sports.

The report said the network is finalizing deals to make Votto part of the team, along with Clayton Kershaw and Anthony Rizzo.

42-year-old Votto played 17 seasons with the Reds as a first baseman before the Reds decided not to extend his contract.

Votto parted ways with the Reds in November 2023. While he agreed to a non-roster invite from his hometown Toronto Blue Jays, he never played for the team.

Votto went on to officially retire in 2024. His career ended with a .294 batting average, 356 homers and 1,144 RBIs in more than 2,000 games. He was a six-time All-Star and was named the National League MVP in 2010.

The former Reds star's potential involvement with NBC Sports comes after the network secured a three-year, $600 million contract to bring back MLB coverage.

NBC is also taking over Sunday Night Baseball from ESPN and will have exclusive rights to the wild-card playoff round.

At just 24 years old, Elly De La Cruz has already made a name for himself in the MLB and continues to make waves season after season but will he continue to do so for the foreseeable future as a Cincinnati Red?

The shortstop rejected an extension offer from the Reds that would have been the largest payday in the history of the franchise, according to a report from MLB.com's Manny Randhawa.

According to Randhawa, De La Cruz was offered a long-term extension last spring, but he said no. De La Cruz opted to decline the offer as he stays with the Reds until he reaches arbitration eligibility in 2027.

We engaged in Spring Training of 2025 and presented an offer, Reds president of baseball operations Nick Krall told MLB.com on Friday. The offer would have been the largest contract in Reds history. We didnt have any further conversations regarding the offer.

Currently, the largest contract in Reds history is former first baseman Joey Votto's 10-year, $225 million deal back in 2012.

Juan Soto currently holds the MLB's contract record when he signed a 15-year, $765 million deal with the New York Mets in 2024. Soto's deal broke the previous record set in 2023 when Shohei Ohtani signed a 10-year, $700 million deal with the Los Angeles Dodgers.

The two-time All-Star hasn't always had glowing stats with the Reds, but he continues to break records and has quickly become a fan favorite, even starring on the cover of "MLB The Show 25."

In 2023, just weeks after his major league debut, De La Cruz became the first Reds player to hit for the cycle since 1989. In 2024, he became the fifth player in MLB history to hit at least 20 home runs (25) and steal at least 60 bases (67) in a single season he was also the youngest to do so.

The Cincinnati Reds are getting reliever Brock Burke from the Angels in a three-team trade that sends Gavin Lux to the Rays, according to multiple reports.

Burke, a 29-year-old lefty, finished the 2025 season with a 3.36 ERA and 1.23 WHIP in 61 innings with the Angels. He threw 52 strikeouts and gave up 58 hits. In his MLB career, which also includes a stint with the Rangers, he has a 3.88 ERA over 214 games.

He signed a one-year deal with the Angels earlier this month, meaning he will be a free agent after this season.

Lux, who came to Cincinnati last year after five seasons with the Dodgers, will go to Tampa Bay along with Angels pitcher Chris Clark. The Angels will receive outfielder Josh Lowe from the Rays.

The Reds have made multiple additions to the bullpen this offseason, with Burke joining LHP Caleb Ferguson and RHP Pierce Johnson. They also brought back last year's primary closer, Emilio Pagan.

We spoke with manager Terry Francona about the importance of bolstering the bullpen this week.

You can watch the entire interview with Tito here:

"When you're deeper, you have a chance to win maybe every night," Francona said. "Now, all of a sudden, you have a game where it's 4-2, you're losing but you have a chance to win because your bullpen keeps you in it."

Cincinnati has yet to add a big-name bat after missing on Middletown native Kyle Schwarber in December. It's unclear whether they're still looking for an impact hitter, but Francona said he knows the front office is "always trying to get better.

The Cincinnati Reds are hoping to build upon an encouraging 2025 season, which ended in a trip to the playoffs for the first time since the abbreviated 2020 season.

The playoff run was short-lived, as the Reds were swept in two games by the eventual World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers.

"A lot of them hadn't been in that situation before," Reds manager Terry Francona said when WCPO 9 Sports Anchor Caleb Noe spoke with him Thursday night. "Getting there is huge. Moving on is bigger."

You can watch our full interview with Tito here:

Francona, heading into his second season with the team, was the keynote speaker at Moeller High School's "First Pitch Dinner."

Ahead of the dinner, he spoke with us about many topics, including the Reds' offseason moves.

"I was at the ballpark today. I know (the front office is) always trying to get better," said Francona.

The Reds were rumored to have been in the running to sign Middletown-native and three-time MLB all-star Kyle Schwarber, who ultimately signed a 5-year, $150 million contract extension to stay with the Philadelphia Phillies.

The Reds ranked among the bottom half of Major League Baseball in most hitting categories last season, including home runs. Cincinnati finished behind 20 other teams (out of 30) with 167 dingers.

"I don't spend a whole lot of time worrying about what we don't have," said Francona. "My job is to take who we have and see how good we can play."

The Reds did make multiple additions to the bullpen this offseason in the form of LHP Caleb Ferguson, LHP Brock Burke and RHP Pierce Johnson. They also brought back last year's primary closer, Emilio Pagan.

"When you're deeper, you have a chance to win maybe every night," said Francona. "Now, all of a sudden, you have a game where it's 4-2, you're losing but you have a chance to win because your bullpen keeps you in it."

The Reds' first spring training game is Saturday, Feb. 21, in Goodyear, Arizona.

Opening Day is March 26 at Great American Ball Park, against the Boston Red Sox.

"If we're as good as we think we are, we'll be where we're supposed to be," said Francona.

Outfielder JJ Bleday and the Cincinnati Reds agreed Saturday to a one-year contract.

The 28-year-old hit .212 with 14 homers and 39 RBIs with the Athletics this year, down from a .243 average in 2024, when he set career bests with 20 homers and 60 RBIs for Oakland.

Selected fourth overall by Miami in the 2019 amateur draft, Bleday became a free agent last month when the A's designated him for assignment and failed to offer a 2026 contract. His contract was automatically renewed by the A's last March for $770,000 while in the major leagues and had he remained on the team's 40-man roster he would have been eligible for salary arbitration for the first time.

Bleday was the A's opening-day center fielder in 2024 and 25. He has a .215 average with 49 homers and 142 RBIs in four seasons with the Marlins (2022) and As.

Right-hander Keegan Thompson was designated for assignment to open a roster spot. He agreed last month to a one-year contract calling for $1.3 million in the major leagues and $350,000 in the minors.

The Cincinnati Reds have announced their Hall of Fame class of 2026.

Former players Brandon Phillips, Aaron Harang and Reggie Sanders were selected alongside former manager Lou Piniella.

Phillips was a second baseman for the Reds from 2006 to 2016, and became one of the most popular players of all time. He won four Gold Gloves throughout his time on the team and earned three NIL All-Star selections.

Harang, who played for Cincinnati from 2003 to 2010, was a starting pitcher with an impressive list of records. In 2006, he led the NL in strikeouts, reaching a total of 216. Harang also led the Reds in strikeouts in the 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007 and 2009 seasons.

Sanders was an outfielder for the team from 1991 to 1998 who earned an All-Star selection in 1995.

WATCH: Executive director Rick Walls talks about telling inductees the news

Piniella, or "Sweet Lou," started managing the Reds in 1990. That same season, he led the team to the World Series, where they came out victorious. He went on to manage Cincinnati for two more seasons after that.

The Reds said Phillips and Harang received the most votes of the eight nominees on the "Modern Player Ballot," selected by the Hall of Fames Election Governance Committee.

That ballot also included votes from fans, members of the media and Reds alumni.

Sanders and Piniella were selected by the Veterans Committee, which chooses inductees whose playing careers ended more than 15 years ago, along with managers and executives.

WCPO 9's Frank Marzullo caught up with Reds Hall of Fame and Museum Executive Director Rick Walls, who said he got to make the call to tell each member of the class of 2026 the news.

"Telling a player they're going to be in bronze really makes a big difference. You're talking about really preserving the legacy," Walls said.

Walls said when it came to Phillips, it was easy.

He recalled telling Phillips, "You were a fan favorite. The media selected you, your teammates, the alumni selected you ... it's going to be really exciting for you."

"I think he believed and understood that this was important to him, it's important to Reds history," Walls said.

The team said the four will be honored at the Reds Hall of Fame Induction Celebration April 24-26. You can find tickets here.

Emilio Pagn wanted to remain with the Cincinnati Reds, even as he was exploring his options in free agency.

However, Pagn will be back with the club as its closer after finalizing a $20 million, two-year contract on Thursday. He has the right to opt out after the 2026 season.

It was a pretty easy choice to come back. I like everything that we've got going on here, Pagn said. At the end of the day, I wasnt going to make a decision based on who was giving me the most money. I wanted to go somewhere where I felt comfortable, where I felt like I had a chance to win games and be around a special group of people, and Cincinnati checks all three of those boxes.

The 34-year-old right-hander became the Reds closer early last season and went 2-4 with a 2.88 ERA and a career-high 32 saves in 38 chances. He ranked second in the National League in saves and tied for fifth in the majors.

Pagn said the one area where he is looking to improve is using his split-finger fastball more. He felt like he established pretty good command of the pitch late last season.

Pagan is primarily a four-seam fastball pitcher with the splitter and cutter used nearly equally as his secondary pitch.

There was times during the year where even though the results on it were good, the movement pattern on it was a little bit inconsistent. And so I finally felt like I got to a point where I know what the action on the pitch is going to be. And if you know which way the balls going to move, its a lot easier to throw it where you want to, he said. The splitter has, in my opinion, changed the way that I can attack both left-handed and right-handed hitters. And so for me, its just diving into being more consistent with that pitch.

Pagn, who is 28-27 with a 3.66 ERA and 65 saves in nine major league seasons with Seattle, Oakland, Tampa Bay, San Diego, Minnesota and Cincinnati, will be one of the elder statesmen of a pitching staff that has a young starting rotation. Right-hander Hunter Greene is the staff ace followed by the lefty duo of Andrew Abbott and Nick Lodolo.

Cincinnati also has plenty of momentum this offseason after reaching the postseason in Terry Francona's first year at the helm. The Reds finished 83-79 and beat out the New York Mets for the National League's final wild-card spot.

After a two-year hiatus, RedsFest is returning to the Cincinnati Convention Center in January.

The team announced its two-day fan event will be the first event hosted at the newly renovated center at the corner of 5th and Elm streets Jan. 16-17. Reds fans can go to meet-and-greets or autograph sessions for their favorite current or former players, find authentic memorabilia and get insight into the upcoming season.

While the Reds have not announced the schedules for each day, the team said this offseason's festivities will be 3-10:30 p.m. Friday, Jan. 16, and 11 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 17. The first 10,000 fans in attendance each day will get a free RedsFest bag and sticker sheet.

Reds season ticket holders receive complimentary admission. For those who are not, tickets are on sale now. Two-day tickets are $40 for adults and $25 for children, with one-day ticket options also available. You can purchase tickets at Great American Ball Park during normal business hours, or go online here.

The Reds are coming off their first playoff appearance since the expanded COVID playoffs, falling to the World Series champs, the Los Angeles Dodgers, in the Wild Card round. Manager Terry Francona is nominated for the NL Manager of the Year for his leadership.

Chasing their first playoff victory since 2012, the Cincinnati Reds instead watched the season slip away Wednesday night.

The Reds were eliminated from the National League Wild Card round with an 8-4 loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers in Game 2. Cincinnati is 0-5 in the playoffs over the past 13 seasons.

Rookie Sal Stewart raised optimism with a two-run single in the first inning and three RBIs in the game, but his throwing error at first base in the sixth opened the door for four Los Angeles runs.

That the Dodgers big inning came after the Reds failed to score in their half of the sixth, despite loading the bases with no outs, only heightened the sting.

It's tough, Stewart said. I didn't make some plays out there that cost the team and it's a tough pill to swallow. I guess I'll regroup in a few days, a few weeks, and get back to work.

There remains plenty to savor for Cincinnati like eight victories over the final 11 games of the regular season to secure the final playoff spot in the NL. And there is a roster with plenty of young talent that suggests the best is yet to come.

For now, though, the Reds are left to sift through the rubble of their Game 2 defeat.

There were a lot of highs and lows this year and a lot to hang our hats on, outfielder TJ Friedl said. Getting a taste of that (playoff-clinching) champagne, that's something we as a group want to remember that feeling.

The Reds got to Dodgers ace Yoshinobu Yamamoto early when Spencer Steer was hit by a pitch as the second batter of the game and Austin Hays reached base when Los Angeles right fielder Teoscar Hernandez dropped his fly ball along the right-field line.

Stewart, who made his major league debut Sept. 1 and was starting in his first playoff game, singled past Freddie Freeman at first base to give Cincinnati a 2-0 lead.

The Dodgers chipped away to take a 3-2 lead in the fourth, with the Reds poised to regain the advantage in the sixth against Yamamoto after Friedl, Spencer Steer and Gavin Lux all opened the inning with singles to load the bases.

But the Reds failed to score when Hays grounded into a force out at home, while Stewart and Elly De La Cruz struck out. Stewarts costly throwing error followed a half inning later.

Learning what postseason baseball feels like, understanding what it takes to get to the postseason and what it takes to win in the postseason, I think that is all valuable experience we can use going forward, Steer said. Hopefully, that's the standard for this organization going forward is the postseason.

The Los Angeles Dodgers defeated the Cincinnati Reds 10-5 in the first game of the wild card round at Dodger Stadium Tuesday.

What started as an offensive onslaught by the Dodgers that chased LA-native Hunter Greene away from the mound early turned threatening for the Reds as the innings went, but it was too little, too late.

In the top of the 8th, the Reds made things interesting. Matt McClain scored after Sal Stewart drew a walk. Shortly after, Spencer Steer's single led to Noelvi Marte scoring. Miguel Andujar scored after a walk from Elly De La Cruz. But the Reds couldn't get more runs across with the bases loaded.

De La Cruz grounded into a force out in the top of the seventh, leading Austin Hays to score the Reds' first playoff run since 2013. De La Cruz went on to score after Tyler Stephenson doubled.

Shohei Ohtani struck early that put the Reds behind from the jump.

In his playoff debut a year ago, Ohtani hit a tying three-run homer in the second inning of the NL Division Series opener against San Diego. Los Angeles rallied for a 7-5 victory and went on to beat the New York Yankees in the World Series.

This year, he got busy even quicker.

Ohtani hit a leadoff homer in the first inning and a two-run drive in the sixth as the Dodgers went deep five times Tuesday night for a 10-5 win over the Cincinnati Reds in Game 1 of their NL Wild Card Series.

As usual, Ohtani appeared unruffled stepping into the white-hot spotlight on baseball's biggest stage.

His focus gets more keen and the at-bat quality is better, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. Thats the reason why he signed to be with this ballclub, this organization, to play in games like this to showcase his other-worldly talent.

Ohtani's 117.7 mph drive off a 100.4 mph fastball from Reds ace Hunter Greene in the first was the fastest pitch he's homered on in his major league career.

It was Ohtanis 13th leadoff homer this year, giving the Dodgers a 1-0 lead as they opened defense of their 2024 World Series championship.

It was a really hard pitch to hit, but I felt like I reacted pretty well, Ohtani said through a translator. I was happy I was able to help the team score early.

His second homer a 454-foot drive to right-center off reliever Connor Phillips came with two outs in the sixth, extending the lead to 8-0. The three-time MVP also struck out three times.

Ohtani hit a career-high 55 homers during the regular season, one more than last year when the two-way superstar from Japan set the previous franchise record and became the first player in major league history with 50 homers and 50 stolen bases.

If the Wild Card Series goes to a deciding third game, Roberts has said Ohtani would probably start on the mound Thursday. If the Dodgers sweep the short series, Roberts said Ohtani would probably start either the first or second game of a best-of-five Division Series in Philadelphia.

Ohtani has yet to appear on the mound in the playoffs. He didn't pitch last year in his first season with the Dodgers while recovering from a second elbow surgery.

I expect really fun things this postseason out of Shohei, Roberts said.

Game two is scheduled for 9:08 p.m. Wednesday. Game three is scheduled for Thursday at 9:08 p.m. ET. However, if there are only two wild card series remaining (or this is the only series to go to three games), the third game will shift up to around 7:38 p.m. ET.

Baseball's economic disparity will be on display in the playoffs, where the Los Angeles Dodgers have committed more than $500 million in salaries and luxury tax this season as they take on a Cincinnati Reds team with a $121 million payroll.

Six of the 12 postseason teams have payrolls of $200 million or more, with the Boston Red Sox about $500,000 short of the mark. The World Series champion Dodgers overtook the New York Mets with in-season moves that boosted their payroll to $341.5 million, according to Major League Baseball's latest tabulation.

Despite deferring over $1 billion in payments for eight players, including Shohei Ohtani, Los Angeles is projected to pay nearly $168 million in luxury tax. That shatters the prior mark of $103 million it paid for the 2024 season for a record total spend of $509.5 million.

The second-biggest spender, the Mets, didn't even make the 12-team postseason despite spending $428.8 million which represents a decrease of about $1.5 million from 2024. The Mets payroll after in-season moves is $339.7 million and they project to pay $89.1 million in tax.

Final payrolls and tax figures won't be calculated until award bonuses are determined following the World Series.

Baseball's collective bargaining agreement expires in December 2026 and some owners are advocating that management push for a salary cap. Baseball players have always resisted a cap, and the sport's 10th work stoppage since 1972 is possible.

The Yankees have the third-highest spend at $363.3 million with $301.5 million in payroll and $61.8 million in tax. Their Wild Card Series opponent is the Red Sox, who committed just under $199.6 million with a $198 million payroll a little over $1.5 million in tax.

Cleveland at $103.9 million has the lowest payroll of the playoff teams. The Guardians play Detroit, which is at $162.6 million.

San Diego ($224.1 million in spending) meets the Chicago Cubs ($211.8 million) in the other NL first-round series. The Padres have a $217.3 million payroll and are projected to pay a $6.9 million tax.

Two teams with first-round byes didn't reach this year's luxury tax threshold, Milwaukee at $124.8 million and Seattle at $167.2 million.

Philadelphia has the fourth-highest spend at $347.7 million with a $291.7 million payroll and $55.9 million in forecast tax.

Toronto is at $266 million with a $252.7 million payroll and $13.4 million in projected tax.

After a day filled with champagne and cigars, the Cincinnati Reds are preparing for their first playoff series since 2020.

Despite losing to the Milwaukee Brewers, the Reds took the final National League wild card spot thanks to a Miami Marlins win over the New York Mets.

Now, they'll take on the reigning World Series champs, the Los Angeles Dodgers, in a three-game series in LA. That means Reds Country will have some late nights watching Tito and company try to top MVP favorite Shohei Ohtani and what feels like the baseball equivalent of the Monstars from "Space Jam."

Here's everything you need to know about the series.

Game 1 Tuesday, Sept. 30 at 9:08 p.m. ET on ESPN

Game 2 Wednesday, Oct. 1 at 9:08 p.m. ET on ESPN

Game 3 (if necessary) Thursday, Oct. 2 at 9:08 p.m. ET on ESPN

However, if there are only two wild card series remaining (or this is the only series to go to three games), the third game will shift up to around 7:38 p.m. ET.

The Reds haven't exactly done

against the Dodgers. But no time to change that like now!

Cincinnati has just one win over LA, with the Dodgers taking the first series 2-1 and then sweeping the Reds in the second series in August.

There isn't too much playoff history between the two sides. The last time the Reds and Dodgers faced off was in 1995, when Barry Larkin led Cincinnati in a sweep of LA in the National League Division Series.

Yes! The extra innings rule where a runner is placed on second base at the start of the inning does not exist in the playoffs. Managers are also given two replay challenges instead of one.

If Cincinnati can pull off the upset, they'll take on the Philadelphia Phillies in the NLDS starting Saturday, Oct. 4. That series would be the first opportunity for the Reds to host a playoff game this season (but we won't get ahead of ourselves here).

While the weather may have been unseasonably warm for a late September Sunday, the Cincinnati Reds and their fanbase were the ones truly turning up the heat.

For the Reds, game 162, the final moment in the marathon that is Major League Baseball's regular season, was what it all hinged on. If they won the match-up against Milwaukee, the outcome of Miami vs. New York wouldn't matter.

That was the hope and dream of dozens of Reds faithful inside Holy Grail Tavern & Grille at the Banks, as they watched to see if their ball club could end a five-year playoff drought.

"Its just awesome to have something to root for and have a winning team," Reds fan Ryan Campbell said.

The Reds took an early lead, but fell behind 4-2 to the Brewers. However, over in Miami, the Marlins took a commanding 4-0 lead over the New York Mets, and all hope was not lost.

Watch to see how Reds fans reacted to their team heading back to the playoffs:

While the local squad didn't seem to be pulling out a victory, Reds fans thought of a new cheer.

"Let's go Marlins," the fans shouted.

Suddenly, all the attention gravitated to the other game.

"We never wanted to give up on the game, but yeah, we were watching the Marlins, Mets pretty closely," Ian Sullivan said.

"We love the fish!" one fan said.

The fans roared at every out and base hit from the Marlins, as the innings came to a close and the final outs approached.

Then, in a final moment, a double play ended the New York Mets' season and started a triumphant cheer from across downtown Cincinnati.

"We've been waiting for this for a long time, so we're absolutely thrilled," a Reds fan told me.

"It's awesome, we're going to the playoffs!" another fan said.

The Reds are doing more than batting in runs; they're batting in hope.

The Cincinnati Reds are headed to playoff baseball.

The Reds may have lost 4-2 to the Brewers on Sunday, but the Miami Marlins shut out the New York Mets, securing Cincinnati the final NL wild card spot. The Reds either needed to sweep the Brewers to get the spot or the Mets needed to lose, allowing Cincinnati to head to the playoffs due to the head-to-head tiebreaker.

Cincinnati will now face the 3-seeded Los Angeles Dodgers in a three-game series. Game 1 of the series is set for Tuesday, Sept. 30 at 9:08 p.m. The game will air on ESPN.

The last time the Reds made the playoffs was during the shortened season in 2020. Prior to that, the Reds got an NL wild card spot in 2013.

After the Reds secured the wild card with the Mets' loss, the Reds' broadcast showed the entire team including Terry Francona donning ski goggles and popping bottles of champagne in the locker room.

The team celebration reflected the time it's taken to get back to this point. Here are just a few of the celebration moments in the locker room:

"We fought our way here," Nick Martinez said.

Elly De La Cruz, who scored one of Cincinnati's two runs Sunday, said "it feels amazing" to head to the postseason.

After the win, Francona said he wants to sit back and watch his team have fun because "they deserve it."

"They're a team, they act like a team, they play like a team... and now we're going to party like a team," Francona said.

The celebration also rang out back here in Cincinnati. WATCH: Reds fans at The Banks cheer the moment Cincinnati secured the wild card spot:

The Cincinnati Reds control their own destiny in the wild card race after a 7-4 win over the Milwaukee Brewers on Saturday.

The Redlegs went into Saturday's game back 0.5 after the Mets beat the Marlins earlier in the day. With Cincinnati's win, the Reds and Mets are now tied for the final wild card spot, and the Reds hold the head-to-head tiebreaker over New York.

Saturday's matchup was the battle of the lefties with Cincinnati's Andrew Abbott starting on the mound, while the Brewers' Richard Gasser started for them.

Both Cincinnati and Milwaukee went back-to-back on scoreless innings until the third.

Sal Stewart got Cincinnati on the board first after he hit a single out to center field, allowing Noelvi Marte to run it in from third.

The Brewers then swapped out Gasser for reliever Jacob Misiorowski at the top of the third inning. Cincinnati's Ke'Bryan Hayes hit a swinging bunt off Misiorowski to get Miguel Andujar to home to extend Cincinnati's lead.

With the bases loaded, Misiorowski hit Matt McLain, walking in Stewart to give the Reds a 3-0 lead.

On an explosive play, TJ Friedl then gave the Reds a 6-0 lead after he singled to left field, allowing both Hayes and Tyler Stephenson to score. McLain then made it home after a throwing error by Milwaukee left fielder Isaac Collins.

The Brewers got on the board in the bottom of the third with an RBI groundout from Christian Yelich.

The Brewers got another run on an RBI double from Brice Turang. Spencer Steer ran to the back of the outfield to attempt to catch the hit, but the ball bounced off his glove.

Cincinnati and Milwaukee once again swapped a few scoreless innings. The Brewers also swapped Misiorowski for right-hander Grant Anderson in the sixth inning.

Stewart then hit Cincinnati's first home run of the day off Anderson, with a 387-footer toward right field.

The Brewers then matched Stewart's home run with their own solo homer from outfielder Jackson Chourio.

At the bottom of the sixth inning, Abbott was replaced by right-hander Connor Phillips. First baseman Jake Bauers hit an RBI single off a pitch from Phillips to get the Brewers within three of the Reds. Phillips was then replaced by Graham Ashcraft.

After Ashcraft loaded the bases, Cincinnati escaped the sixth inning with a groundout to first by shortstop Joey Ortiz.

In the top of the seventh, Milwaukee then replaced Anderson with lefty Rob Zastryzny, who got the Brewers out of the inning quickly. The Reds then began the bottom of the inning with Nick Martinez on the mound.

The Brewers' right-hander Carlos Rodriguez quickly got Milwaukee out of the eighth inning, before Martinez retired three to bring it to the ninth.

Elly De La Cruz and Stephenson both struck out swinging in the ninth, while Hayes was walked. McLain was able to get an infield single off Rodriguez before Friedl was struck out swinging, as well.

Emilio Pagan took the mound as Cincinnati's closer, retiring all three batters. Sal Frelick struck out swinging before Yelich popped out to De La Cruz and Jackson Chourio grounded out to Elly, as well.

The Reds and Brewers face off in their final game of the regular season Sunday. First pitch is at 3:10 p.m.

Gavin Lux hit two doubles and scored the go-ahead run as the Cincinnati Reds defeated the Milwaukee Brewers 3-1 on Friday night, overtaking the New York Mets for the third National League wild-card spot.

Cincinnatis win and New Yorks 6-2 loss to Miami enabled the Reds to tie the Mets in the standings. However, the Reds vying for their first postseason berth since 2020 own the head-to-head tiebreaker over the Mets.

The Reds allowed just three hits and handed a rare loss to Milwaukees Quinn Priester, who had set a Brewers record by winning 12 straight decisions. The Brewers had won the last 19 games in which Priester had pitched, a stretch including 16 starts and three appearances in which he followed an opener.

Priester (13-3) struck out four and allowed three runs, nine hits and one walk in five innings. The last time the Brewers lost a game Priester had pitched was May 24 against the Pittsburgh Pirates.

The score was tied 1-all in the sixth when Lux hit a leadoff double and advanced to third when the ball got past left fielder Jake Bauers. Miguel Andujar singled home Lux and scored an insurance run on Tyler Stephensons sacrifice fly.

Connor Phillips (5-0) earned the win with 1 1/3 scoreless innings in relief of Zack Littell, who allowed one run over 4 2/3 innings. Emilio Pagan retired the side in order in the ninth for his 31st save in 37 opportunities.,

The Brewers could have clinched the best record in the majors and guaranteed themselves home-field advantage throughout the playoffs with a win. Milwaukee still can earn that status if it wins one of its last two games or Philadelphia loses one of its final two games.

Cincinnati led 2-1 and had a runner on first in the sixth when Elly De La Cruz hit what looked like a potential double-play grounder until the ball hit second base and bounced away. Andujar advanced to third on De La Cruzs bizarre single and scored an insurance run on Stephensons sacrifice fly.

The Brewers have won each of their last 13 series with Cincinnati. The Reds can end that streak by winning either Saturday or Sunday.

Andrew Abbott (9-7, 2.80) pitches for Cincinnati and Robert Gasser (0-1, 6.00) starts for Milwaukee on Saturday.

Noelvi Mart robbed Bryan Reynolds of a tying home run in the ninth inning, and the Cincinnati Reds beat the Pittsburgh Pirates 2-1 Thursday to move within a half-game of the New York Mets for the final NL wild card.

Nick Lodolo tied his career high with 12 strikeouts before leaving with a right groin injury in the seventh.

Mart and Gavin Lux drove in runs, and the Reds (81-78) were positioned to move in into the last wild card spot if the Mets lost at the Chicago Cubs later Thursday. Cincinnati has the tiebreaker over the Mets (81-77) and Arizona (80-78), which played at the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Mart used his 6-foot-2 height when he jumped at the 8-foot right-field wall and reached back above the first-row of seats to catch Reynolds 348-foot drive for the second out of the ninth. Mart had all three putouts as Emilio Pagn got three straight outs for his career-high 30th save in 36 chances.

Lodolo (9-8) got 27 swings and misses, including 15 on curveballs. He allowed two hits and walked one, leaving due to the injury after 6 1/3 innings and 81 pitches. Lodolo also struck out 12 at Philadelphia on April 8, 2023.

Braxton Ashcraft (4-4) gave up two runs and a career-high eight hits in 4 1/3 innings. Nick Yorke had an RBI grounder in the eighth.

Cincinnati salvaged the three-game series finale, which started after a 1-hour, 22-minute rain delay.

After making the catch on Reynolds, Mart sprinted toward the right-field line to grab Andrew McCutchen's liner for the final out.

Cincinnati was six games out of a wild-card spot in early September after losing 10 of 13 games but has won 10 of its last 17..

Pirates: RHP Mitch Keller (6-15, 4.22) and Braves LHP Joey Wentz (5-6, 5.46) start Friday's opener of a season-ending series at Atlanta.

Reds: RHP Zack Littell (10-8, 3.86) faces Brewers RHP Quinn Priester (13-2, 3.25) on Friday in Milwaukee.

Spencer Horwitz hit an run-scoring double in the 11th inning and the Pittsburgh Pirates beat Cincinnati 4-3 on Wednesday night, preventing the Reds from gaining ground in the race for an NL wild card.

The Reds entered Wednesdays action tied with Arizona, one game behind the New York Mets, in the battle for the third wild card. The Mets faced the Chicago Cubs and the Diamondbacks played the Los Angeles Dodgers later Wednesday.

The Pirates took the lead in the 11th when Bryan Reynolds scored his third run of the game on Horwitzs double. In the bottom of the inning, the Reds loaded the bases before Yohan Ramirez got Noelvi Marte to ground into a force play.

Pirates starter Paul Skenes allowed four hits and struck out seven in six innings in his final scheduled start of the season. The 23-year-old right-hander, at 1.97, became the first qualified pitcher with an ERA under 2.00 since Justin Verlander in 2022, and at age 23 became the youngest with a sub-2.00 ERA since 20-year-old Dwight Goodens 1.53 in 1985. Skenes also finished with 0.95 WHIP and 216 strikeouts.

Cincinnati faced a two-run deficit heading into the eighth inning and used a pair of homers to force extra innings.

In the eighth, Noelvi Martes drive to center caromed high off the wall and rolled into left-center, and he circled the bases for his first career inside-the-park homer. Then, Tyler Stephenson added a solo homer with one out in the ninth to tie it at 2. Jack Suwinskis RBI double in the 10th put the Pirates ahead 3-2, but the Reds rallied and scored on a sacrifice fly by Gavin Lux.

Reds right-hander Hunter Greene allowed two runs on five hits in six innings with two walks and seven strikeouts. Greene topped 100 mph with five pitches and has thrown 295 pitches of 100 mph or more, most among starters and second only to reliever Mason Miller, who began the night with 405.

Stephenson narrowly missed a game-tying home run by inches in the fifth when he doubled high off the center field wall. Skenes struck out the final two batters to strand Stephenson at third.

Skenes recorded his 211th strikeout in the second inning, a single-season franchise record for a right-handed pitcher, surpassing Mitch Kellers 210 in 2023.

Pirates RHP Braxton Ashcraft (4-3, 2.62) and Reds LHP Nick Lodolo (8-8, 3.44) will start Thursdays series finale.

Oneil Cruz hit a two-run homer and the last-place Pittsburgh Pirates beat the wild-card chasing Cincinnati Reds 4-2 on Tuesday night.

Cincinnati entered the game tied with the New York Mets for the third NL wild card. The Reds own the first tiebreaker over the Mets with a 4-2 edge in the season series. The Mets played the Cubs on Tuesday night.

The Pirates scored all four of their runs in the second inning against Brady Singer (14-11).

Jack Suwinski doubled and scored on Nick Yorke's single. Yorke scored from first on Alexander Canario's double. Cruz's 20th homer of the season made it 4-0.

Elly De La Cruz, who snapped a 43-game homerless streak on Saturday, got the Reds' on the board with a two-run homer off Johan Oviedo to make the score 4-2 in the bottom of the second.

The Reds had runners on first and third with two outs in the sixth, but Pirates rookie Hunter Barco (1-0), making his major league debut, got Matt McLain to ground into a force play. Barco earned his first career victory.

The Reds managed only five hits and grounded into three straight inning-ending double plays including in the ninth to help Dennis Santana secure his 15th save.

Suwinski appeared to make a diving catch on Will Benson's drive in foul territory down the left field line with two outs in the fourth. The Reds challenged and the ruling of a catch was overturned. Benson struck out to end the inning stranding two runners.

The loss snapped Cincinnati's season-high five-game winning streak. The Reds have won five straight games four times this season.

Reds RHP Hunter Greene (7-4, 2.74 ERA) opposes Pirates RHP Paul Skenes (10-10, 2.03) on Wednesday night.

The Cincinnati Reds are offering ticket deals to encourage fans to get to Great American Ball Park as the team aims to clinch a playoffs spot.

Tickets for $8 are available for the final three home games this week against the Pittsburgh Pirates. In an email, the Reds promoted #PackGABP as it seeks to get fans to the stadium to root on the team.

Game times are 6:40 p.m. Tues., Sept. 23, 6:40 p.m. Wed., Sept. 24 and 12:40 p.m. Thurs., Sept. 25.

The Budweiser 3-2-1 concession offer, usually only available on Tuesdays, has been extended for the whole series. That includes $3 12-ounce cans of select beers, $2 hot dogs and $1 ice cream cups.

Thursdays game is also a Business Day Game, which means fans can purchase a View Level ticket and receive $10 in concession credits.

The Cincinnati Reds have moved to the top of the National Leagues third wild card standings. With another 1-0 win Sunday afternoon in GABP and a loss by the New York Mets, the Reds and Mets are fighting for the third position.

The team recently completed a four-game sweep of the Chicago Cubs.

The Reds are off Monday before opening a three-game series Tuesday against the Pittsburgh Pirates. The Pirates lost five games in a row before winning their last two over the Athletics, with Sunday's game finishing 11-0.

Read more about what it will take for the Reds to make the playoffs here.

The Cincinnati Reds have a shot at making the MLB playoffs, something that didn't seem likely a few weeks ago.

This article will detail the playoff scenarios, updated every day until the Reds either clinch or are eliminated.

The Cincinnati Reds are seeking the sixth and final seed, otherwise known as the last wild card spot, to get into the National League side of the MLB playoffs.

Six teams make the National League playoffs, with the first round consisting of the lowest four seeds playing against one another. The two best division winners get a bye in round 1, while the third division winner plays the lowest-seeded wild card team. Right now, that means the Reds would travel to Los Angeles to play the Dodgers in a best-of-three series. All three games in the wild card round happen at the higher seed's home stadium, unlike the rest of the playoffs where they alternate home and away games.

The two other teams ahead of the Reds in the wild card race are the Chicago Cubs and the San Diego Padres (who have already clinched).

The Redlegs are going to have to hold off five teams to secure that last spot (we'll break down the remaining schedules below):

Cincinnati Reds 83-78

New York Mets 83-78

The Reds

make the playoffs

Reds won

Mets won

Reds to beat the Brewers

Marlins to beat the Mets

Reds

The Reds have a 3-game series left to close out the year: Away at the Milwaukee Brewers on Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

On Friday, the Redlegs beat the Brewers 3-1 off a go-ahead run by Gavin Lux. On Saturday, they beat Milwaukee 7-4.

The Brewers have been the best team in all of Major League Baseball this year, but with the team having already clinched a bye in the first round of the playoffs, it's unclear whether or not they'll throw all their weapons at the Reds in the last three games of the season. The Brewers are likely to rest its bullpen, and perhaps even some position players.

Mets

The Mets may have lost Friday night, but they shut out the Marlins 5-0 on Saturday.

The best-case scenario for the Reds is the Marlins remain hot and beat up on the Mets on Sunday to give them more control of their own destiny, because the Reds have the tiebreaker over the Mets.

The Giants, Cardinals, Marlins and Diamondbacks are now mathematically eliminated.

The wild card round begins on Tuesday, Sept. 30.

Either way, it's going to be a wild week to watch. Here's a hype video the Reds made to really amp you up for the next week:

The surging Cincinnati Reds beat the Chicago Cubs 1-0 on Sunday and moved into a tie with the New York Mets for the final wild card spot in the National League.

The Reds have won a season-high five straight games and six of seven. The Mets lost to the Nationals earlier in the day.

Sunday's game was delayed one hour and 11 minutes by rain.

Matt McLain doubled and scored on Gavin Lux's two-out double to right, putting the Reds ahead 1-0 in the third.

Lux collected two of the Reds' five hits against Jameson Taillon (10-7) who pitched seven innings with no walks and four strikeouts.

Reds starter Andrew Abbott allowed five hits in 4 2/3 innings before the Reds turned to the bullpen. Nick Martinez (11-13) pitched 2 1/3 shutout innings. Graham Ashcraft allowed one hit in the eighth.

The Cubs had runners on first and second with two outs in the ninth against Tony Santillan who struck out Pete Crow-Armstrong for his 7th save of the season.

It's the second time in the four-game series that the Reds won by a 1-0 score. Hunter Greene pitched a complete-game shutout in Thursday's series opener.

The Cubs had runners on first and second with nobody out in the third, and first and third with one out in the fourth, but didnt score against Abbott.

Since losing to the Mets on Sept. 5 to fall six games back in the wild card race, the Reds have gone 10-5 while the Mets have lost 11 of 15.

Cubs RHP Cade Horton (11-4, 2.66 ERA) will start Tuesday's series opener against the Mets.

Reds RHP Brady Singer (14-10, 3.86) will start Tuesday's series opener against the Pirates.

Spencer Steer homered and drove in five runs, helping Brady Singer and the Cincinnati Reds beat the St. Louis Cardinals 6-2 on Wednesday.

The Reds (76-76) used 11 hits to take the rubber game of the three-game series. They are hoping to rally into the third NL wild card in the final days of the season.

Singer (14-10) permitted two runs, one earned, and three hits in 5 2/3 innings.

Cincinnati went ahead to stay in the fourth. Sal Stewart and Elly De La Cruz each drew a one-out walk against Andre Pallante (6-15) before Steer connected for his 18th homer.

Steer collected his third hit when he drove in two runs with a single off Matt Svanson in the seventh, giving the Reds a 6-2 lead.

Hunter Greene tied a season high with 12 strikeouts and the Cincinnati Reds beat the Mets 3-2 Sunday to take two of three from New York and move back above .500.

New York's Brandon Sproat (0-1) held the Reds hitless through 5 1/3 innings in his major league debut before allowing three consecutive hits, Noelvi Marte's single, Ely De La Cruz's tiebreaking RBI double and Austin Hays' run-scoring single.

Hays had a sacrifice fly in the fourth that scored Marte, who walked, stole second and advanced on a groundout.

Greene (6-4) allowed one hit in seven innings, a third-inning home run by Brett Baty on a slider. He threw 30 pitches of 100 mph or higher and increased his season total to 346, most among starting pitchers.

Juan Soto hit his 38th homer, a ninth-inning drive off Tony Santillan, who got his fifth save when Starling Marte hit a double-play grounder with two on.

New York (76-67) leads San Francisco by 3 1/3 games for the last NL wild card. The Reds (72-71) are four games back of the Mets.

Sproat, a 24-year-old right-hander, became the third Mets pitching prospect to debut in recent weeks after Nolan McLean (Aug. 16) and Jonah Tong (Aug. 29). It was the first time three Mets starting pitcher debuted in a 21-day span.

Sproat allowed three runs, three hits and four walks in six innings with seven strikeouts. He averaged 96.1 mph with 11 fastballs and 95.9 mph with 24 sinkers, also throwing 19 each of curveballs and sweepers along with eight changeups and seven sliders. Sproat threw 58 of 88 pitches for strikes.

Marte broke up Sproats no-hit bid in the sixth with a single to right on a first-pitch, up-and-in sinker.

Sproat was the 45th Mets pitcher this season, tying the big league record set by Miami last year.

Mets: McLean (4-0, 1.37 ERA) starts Monday's series opener at Philadelphia, which starts RHP Aaron Nola (3-8, 6.78)

Reds: LHP Nick Lodolo (8-7, 3.22) will be on the mound for Monday's series opener at San Diego.

Davey Johnson, an All-Star second baseman who won the World Series twice with the Baltimore Orioles as a player and managed the New York Mets to the title in 1986, has died. He was 82.

Longtime Mets public relations representative Jay Horwitz said Johnsons wife, Susan, informed him of his death after a long illness. Johnson was at a hospital in Sarasota, Florida, when he died Friday, Horwitz said.

Johnson played 13 major league seasons with Baltimore, the Atlanta Braves, Philadelphia Phillies and Chicago Cubs from 1965-78 and won the Gold Glove three times while being voted an All-Star four times. He managed the Mets, Cincinnati Reds, Los Angeles Dodgers and the Washington Nationals during a span from 1984-2013.

During his time with the Reds, Johnson led them to the NL Central title in 1995.

Former Nationals general manager Mike Rizzo called it a tough day.

Davey was a good man, close friend and a mentor, Rizzo said in a text message. A Hall of Fame caliber manager with a baseball mind ahead of his time.

Darryl Strawberry, a member of the '86 Mets, on social media called Johnson a remarkable leader who transformed the franchise into a winning organization.

His ability to empower players to express themselves while maintaining a strong commitment to excellence was truly inspiring, Strawberry posted on Instagram with a photo of him, Johnson and Dwight Doc Gooden. Daveys legacy will forever be etched in the hearts of fans and players alike. My heartfelt condolences go out to Susan Johnson and the entire Johnson family during this difficult time. He will be missed but remembered for his incredible impact on the game and the lives he touched.

Ryan Zimmerman, who played for Johnson with Washington from 2011-13, said Johnson was an even better human than he was a baseball man.

He knew how to get the best out of everyone on and off the field, Zimmerman said in a text message. I learned so much from him, and my career would not have been the same without my years with him. He will be deeply missed by so many people.

Johnson was AL manager of the year in 1997 when Baltimore won the division. He was NL manager of the year in 2012 when the Nationals made the playoffs for the first time since the move from Montreal.

Davey was a world-class manager, owner Mark Lerner said in a statement. I'll always cherish the memories we made together with the Nationals, and I know his legacy will live on in the heads and minds of our fans and those across baseball.