It’s the big trend around the NFL, and it’s something that Zac Taylor brought up a few days ago as he spoke about roles on the Bengals’ defense: Offenses, including the Bengals, have leaned further into throwing the ball more out of 12 and 13 personnel (two and three tight end sets) over the last two years.

The play that Kyle Dugger made against the Bengals that stands out to me wasn’t the pick six that he had against Joe Flacco in 2025 in a game against the Steelers. It was the physical pass breakup that he had against Mike Gesicki in the back corner of the end zone in 2024 when the Bengals faced the Patriots.

On Thursday, the Bengals signed Dugger to a one-year deal. It’s tough to find a starting role for him right now, especially with the Bengals listing him as a safety. While the Bengals have a wide open position at slot corner, NFL Pro says that Dugger hasn’t defended a receiver in true man coverage since the 2023 season. I can’t imagine him lining up one-on-one against, for example, Zay Flowers or Michael Pittman in the slot.

But there a lot of other roles in specific subpackages where Dugger fits, especially against multi tight end sets.

Last year, the Bengals typically matched 12 personnel with a base (4-3) defense. The Bengals’ base defense allowed the most yards per play (6.1) in the entire NFL. The Bengals’ 4-3 defense also ranked dead-last in EPA/play and second-worst in EPA/pass.

Dugger can give the defense the versatility to have more options against two tight end looks.

Just like the Bengals are in “11.5 personnel” with Mike Gesicki and Drew Sample on the field, the defense can be in a true big nickel with Dugger on the field next to Barrett Carter and Demetrius Knight (maybe we could call this a 4-2.5 defense).

There’s a lot to love about Bryan Cook, but he hasn’t been the style of safety who moves all over the field, blitzes and plays the slot. Jalen Davis is a true slot corner, and he doesn’t have the size to expand his role. Ja’Sir Taylor looks like a true special teamer who can offer inside/outside flexibility in a pinch.

Dugger has had an interesting career. He was a second-round pick by the Patriots in 2020 out of Lenoir-Rhyne University, and Dugger became a classic traits prospect who developed into an impact piece. Heading into the 2024 season, he signed a four-year, $58 million deal with New England.

But then, following the coaching change entering 2025, he didn’t really fit. He ended up playing the entire fourth quarter of a preseason game last year. He was a backup in New England during the first half of the season, was traded to a Steelers team desperate for help in the secondary and started on a team that made the playoffs.

There’s a lot to like about Dugger’s intangibles. He was a captain in New England and was viewed as one of that defense’s top communicators. Bill Belichick once handed Dugger the green dot in a pinch. Last November, he effectively pulled a “Joe Flacco” and played the the entire game at safety right after getting traded to the Steelers.

On the field, Mike Tomlin called Dugger a “big time playmaker.” Dugger’s ability go get yards after takeaways is viewed as one of his strengths, and it’s a sign of the 30 year-old’s athleticism. He has real upside as a blitzer, and he can win one-on-one matchups against protectors who try to pick him up. There’s fun tape of him slicing through the line of scrimmage and pressuring the quarterback.

Dugger can line up on the edge or at linebacker, and his hybrid/tweener athleticism is an asset.

There are a lot of ways to envision him on the field against 12 personnel. He can take on blocks, finish as a tackler, run blitz or play the deep half as a safety. He’s also known for being forceful against the run, and Dugger’s explosiveness is what made him a high draft pick in 2020.

Belichick said about Dugger, “He’s big. He can run. He can tackle. He can cover. He can blitz. He’s great. These guys are great. That’s why they go high in the draft.”

Dugger has also played a good chunk of snaps in the slot, but he hasn’t shown the ability to be an every down slot corner who can cover opposing receivers.

He gives the Bengals the ability to be more versatile without subbing, which can help. He can take some of the snaps or Oren Burks (giving the Bengals more speed against big personnel groupings) or the slot corner (giving the Bengals a bigger look against bigger personnel groupings).

This is still very much a buy-low signing. Dugger isn’t a proven starter right now, especially for a team that already has two starting safeties. He played just about every snap with the Steelers during the second half of last season, but he was only able to do that because Pittsburgh was able to shift Jalen Ramsey into the slot. The Bengals are lacking a safety with any ability to play the slot, which will prevent them from using Dugger in quite the same way that the Steelers did.

Still, Dugger is a defensive back who can give you solid snaps and play winning football. He also can be the immediate backup for Cook and Jordan Battle, giving the Bengals actual depth that they haven’t had at safety since 2022 when Dax Hill was a rookie at that position. At this stage of his career, maybe Dugger can even step up and lean further into a linebacker role. He has over 500 regular season snaps at linebacker over the last three years. Maybe Dugger ends up working out as the combo linebacker that the coaching staff discussed at the combine — just a different “combo” as a linebacker/safety instead of a defensive end/linebacker.

Signing depth like Dugger should always be appreciated for a Bengals’ team that still has bad depth at outside corner, linebacker, defensive end and offensive tackle as well as subpar depth at receiver, tight end, guard, center, defensive tackle and slot corner. Also, the play of Knight and Carter is going to be a defining aspect of the season.

What they’re going to do full-time at slot corner remains to be seen, but Dugger gives the Bengals the ability to run some different stuff than Al Golden was able to last season.

The annual crop of spring/early-season extensions is still ongoing, and while the Reds and young slugger Sal Stewart haven’t yet had any substantial talks about a deal, Stewart tells Gordon Wittenmyer of the Cincinnati Enquirer that he’s open to discussing a long-term pact. President of baseball operations Nick Krall voiced mutual interest when asked by Wittenmyer, though he gave standard caveats about asking price and finding a middle ground that works for all parties. To this point, there have not yet been substantial talks between the two sides.

“I’m definitely open to it,” said Stewart, noting how well the organization has treated him to this point in his career. “…I’m open to it because they took a chance on me when I was young, and I want to do it for this city. This city means a lot to me, and they’ve become my family.”

Since being called to the majors as a 21-year-old late last season, the now-22-year-old Stewart has done nothing but hit. He’s taken 84 plate appearances, ripped seven homers and four doubles, and mashed to an overall .311/.393/.649 batting line. He’s walked more than he’s struck out this season and has an overall 11.9% walk rate to a 21.4% strikeout rate. Stewart has posted sensational batted-ball metrics in his young career, averaging a comical 95.5 mph off the bat with a 19.6% barrel rate and a 55.4% hard-hit rate. He shouldn’t be expected to sustain those Aaron Judge/Kyle Schwarber-esque levels, but plenty of big league hitters aren’t physically capable of even fluking their way into that type of batted-ball quality over a stretch of 24 games.

Suffice it to say, Stewart looks the part of a middle-of-the-order slugger — precisely the type of hitter Cincinnati has struggled to develop in recent years. The former third baseman is being given every opportunity to run with the Reds’ primary first base job, and so far, the results speak for themselves. Stewart has already positioned himself for a quality payday, based on recent precedent for early-career extensions. Would the Reds pony up a competitive offer? That much remains unclear.

“It always depends on where each side is and what each side is looking for,” Krall said on the possibility. “…You have to find the right number for the club and the player to have it make sense.”

As MLBTR’s Contract Tracker shows, the Reds haven’t given been especially active on the extension front in recent seasons. They signed backup catcher Jose Trevino to a two-year deal guaranteeing him $11.5MM when he was on the doorstep of free agency, but that’s quite a different situation than the one in which Stewart finds himself. The only time in the past decade that Cincinnati has come to terms on a long-term deal extending club control over a pre-arbitration player is Hunter Greene‘s six-year, $53MM deal signed about three years ago. They’ve made other overtures, including a club-record offer to shortstop Elly De La Cruz last spring that didn’t come to fruition. Joey Votto‘s 10-year, $225MM deal is the largest in franchise history.

[Related: Largest contract in franchise history for every MLB team]

Stewart, coincidentally, is represented by the same agency as Votto. He and his team at MVP Sports Group won’t be seeking an arrangement of that magnitude, but recent precedent can provide some context on what Stewart might reasonably command.

Again using MLBTR’s Contract Tracker, there have only been eight extensions over the past decade for position players with between one day and 171 days (one day shy of a year) of major league service time. Those deals range from Ceddanne Rafaela (another MVP client) signing at eight years and $50MM to Julio Rodríguez landing a 12-year, $210MM contract in Seattle. Four additional extensions for players with zero big league service include Detroit’s Colt Keith (six years, $28.6MM plus three options), Milwaukee’s Cooper Pratt (eight years, $50.75MM plus two options), Milwaukee’s Jackson Chourio (eight years, $82MM plus two options) and Seattle’s Colt Emerson (eight years, $95MM plus one option).

Stewart’s offensive upside is considerably greater than that of Rafaela, meaning he could reasonably expect larger arbitration paydays and thus a larger guarantee on the contract. Conversely, Rodriguez had close to a year in the majors by the time he signed his deal. He’d already made the 2022 All-Star team and was the clear frontrunner in an AL Rookie of the Year race he’d eventually win with 29 of 30 first-place votes.

Landing between those two extremes would make sense. The Orioles got catcher/first baseman Samuel Basallo to sign for eight years and $67MM near the end of the 2025 season, just days after he’d first been summoned to the majors. Corbin Carroll had roughly the same number of games and plate appearances as Stewart when he signed for eight years and $111MM, though he was a more well-rounded prospect who offered huge baserunning/defense value on top of his bat. Stewart is more of a bat-first prospect, but the early returns on that bat are hard to ignore.

Aside from the previously mentioned six-year deal for Greene, the Reds don’t have much on the long-term books. Greene is signed through 2028 with a club option for 2029. He’s guaranteed a total of $41MM from 2026-28, or $60MM through 2029 if the option is exercised. Ke’Bryan Hayes is signed through 2029 but for a more modest total of $36MM (including the buyout on a 2030 option). No one else is is signed beyond the 2027 season. Closer Emilio Pagán and the aforementioned Trevino are the only players even guaranteed anything for 2027 — and Pagán could opt out following the current season.

That leaves the Reds on the hook for a total no greater than $42MM in any of the next four seasons. Obviously, there are arbitration salaries that’ll factor in to increase that number, and future trades and free agent acquisitions will also alter that bottom line. For the time being, however, there’s no financial roadblocks in place for a Stewart deal, especially considering that the early seasons of an extension would probably come with minimal salaries. Since contract extensions typically (albeit not always) mimic a player’s would-be earning progressions throughout arbitration, Stewart’s salary probably wouldn’t begin to really climb until after the very end of the club’s control windows over Greene and Hayes.

Major League Baseball has announced the 2026 Draft Bonus Pools. The Cincinnati Reds draft bonus pool will be made up from their picks in the top 10 rounds, which this year leaves the team with 11 picks. Picks after the 10th round do not count towards the bonus pool unless the player is signed for over $150,000 and then only the amount over that $150,000 counts towards the overall bonus pool.

The Reds had an 83-79 record last season and made the playoffs. That put them in the back half of the draft for 2026 and they’ll be selecting 18th overall in the 1st round. The slot value for that pick is $4,695,500. Cincinnati’s overall bonus pool is $10,758,500. That ranks 18th in baseball. Pittsburgh has the largest pool, with the Pirates having the ability to spend $19,130,700. Down at the bottom of the list is the Los Angeles Dodgers who can only spend $3,951,900.

Here’s how the Reds pool is broken down by round:

Cincinnati gets a 2nd round competitive balance pick this year as a small market team. That pick will alternate between the 1st and 2nd round every year for clubs that qualify. Last year they didn’t have one during the draft because they traded it in the Gavin Lux deal with the Dodgers. The competitive balance picks are the only ones that teams can trade.

Teams can spend their pool money however they would like. In theory they could give one player nearly all of it as long as they also still signed a player with the other picks – you lose the slot value of a pick if you do not sign someone in that spot. It hasn’t happened as often in the last few years, but this is why you will see teams sign seniors in college and get them to sign for $10,000 in the top 10 rounds. That allows the team to use the rest of whatever slot value money to pay out to someone else who wants over slot money to sign.

Teams can go over their bonus pool, but they face penalties for doing so. A team that goes over their bonus pool will pay a 75% tax on any overage if that overage is 0-5%. No team has ever gone over by 5% because at that point a team will forfeit their 1st and 2nd round draft pick the following year, as well as face larger tax penalties.

The post The Cincinnati Reds 2026 MLB Draft Bonus Pool Unveiled appeared first on redsminorleagues.com.

Louisville spent the final day of the season as the lone minor league club on the field this afternoon. And they picked up their first loss of the season in the process as two big innings from Iowa did all the work that the Cubs needed to push the Bats to 4-1 on the year.

Through Friday the 10th I will be including the Top 25 Prospect Rundown here on the site and game notes, but after that if you would like to get that each and every day, you can get it emailed to you every morning during the season by signing up at Patreon and helping support the site.

The Louisville Bats lost 12-7. Box Score

• Blake Dunn went 1-3 with 2 walks, a run, and an RBI.
• Edwin Arroyo went 3-5 with a steal and a run.
• Rece Hinds went 2-4 with a walk, 2 home runs (3), 3 runs scored, and 5 RBI.
• JJ Bleday went 1-4 with a walk.
• Michael Toglia went 1-4 with a walk.
• Garrett Hampson went 2-4 with a double.
• Anthony Misiewicz threw 2.0 shutout innings with 2 strikeouts.
• Lyon Richardson threw 2.0 shutout innings with a walk and 2 strikeouts.
• Kyle Nicolas threw a shutout inning with 3 strikeouts.

Game Notes

It was a tough day for Chase Petty. He threw a perfect 1st inning, getting three groundouts in the process. He then got the first batter of the next inning on a strikeout. But things fell apart after that. Seven of the next eight batters reached safely and he gave up two home runs in the process – including a grand slam. He would be charged with seven earned run in 1.2 innings.

Rece Hinds is on fire. In a span of about 17 hours he hit three home runs. After last night’s walk-off home run he hit a grand slam in the 1st inning of Wednesday’s game and then added a solo home run in the 7th. He’s hitting a cool .526/.600/1.105 with 12 RBI, five walks, and five strikeouts in five games.

Edwin Arroyo entered the game with three hits on the season. He doubled his season total with three hits on the day. In 2025 he had five 3-hit games with Chattanooga. Two were in April, two were in July, and the final one came on September 9th.

Blake Dunn is not quite as hot as Hinds is, but he’s out to a great start for the Bats as well. He’s hitting .400, has four walks, two steals, he’s been hit by two pitches, and he’s scored eight runs through the first five games.

For the 4th time in five games the Bats pitching staff racked up double-digit strikeouts.

The loss dropped Louisville to 4-1. The last time they began a season 5-0 was 1998.

Top Pitch Velocity: Luis Mey – 100.3 MPH (ball)

Top Exit Velocity: Michael Toglia – 105.6 MPH (single)

Furthest Hit Baseball: Rece Hinds – 390 feet (home run)

Top 25 Prospects Rundown

Today is the last day in which Louisville will be the only team playing on the farm until possibly the last week of the season. Dayton and Daytona both start their season on Thursday. Chattanooga gets started on Friday.

4/2 Game Preview

The post Cincinnati Reds Minor League Game Review: April 1, 2026 appeared first on redsminorleagues.com.

While Cincinnati Reds closer Emilio Pagán allowed four runs in the ninth inning on Wednesday and while two of the three hits that he allowed were on his fastball, Pagán said that the real difference in the inning was with his splitter.

The pitch that changed the entire inning was a splitter that bounced in the dirt. Shortly after that, Pagán had another bad miss with his slider against Pirates infielder Nick Gonzales, overcorrected and left a slider right over the heart of the plate that turned into a two-run single.

A 4-3 Pirates lead turned into an 8-3 Pirates lead in the ninth inning with Pagán on the mound, and that score held as the Pirates claimed the series victory over the Reds.

“My splitter, I just wasn’t executing it enough,” Pagán said. “The hitters were able to gear up for the fastball. If I get my splitter to the bottom of the zone, I like my chances against anyone. I just wasn’t executing it very well.”

Terry Francona has said that he expects Pagán’s fastball velocity to climb all the way back up to where it was last year as he gets going in the season. The Reds limited Pagán’s usage in spring training to set him up better for the entire regular season, and Francona said that approach will lead to Pagán’s velocity climbing during the year.

The issue on Wednesday wasn’t the fact that Pagán’s fastball was 95 mph.

“The wild pitch was huge for us,” Francona said.

In an 0-2 count, Pagán spiked a splitter into the dirt with runners on first and second. Those hitters were able to advance to second and third on the wild pitch. As a result, the Reds played their infield in to set up the contact play at the plate. Gonzales, the next batter, snuck a sinking liner past the glove of Ke’Bryan Hayes that scored two runs.

“You don’t know how it’s going to play out, but if he takes that same swing it’s probably a double play if we’re back,” Francona said. “You can’t play back in that situation.”

The other costly inning for the Reds’ bullpen on Wednesday was the sixth. Connor Phillips followed Andrew Abbott and entered the game with two outs and two runners on. Phillips walked the first two batters he faced on nine total pitches, and the second walk scored a run for the Pirates.

“It’s been a couple of times now where he has come in and not found the strike zone right away,” Francona said. “As he gets better at that, you’ll see him having more success and pitching (later in) the game because his stuff is really good.”

Phillips may have the best raw stuff in the entire bullpen. Pagán says that Phillips’ upside is whatever he wants it to be, and Pierce Johnson described Phillips as a potential ninth inning reliever.

Especially with Pagán and Tony Santillan still “pitching into their velocity,” according to Francona, the Reds’ bullpen needs some more overall upside and swing and miss ability. If Phillips clicks — like he did last September, and like he did in his season debut — he can be exactly what the Reds are looking for and grow into a premium high-leverage option in this bullpen.

But to get there, he simply has to throw strikes and trust his stuff.

The silver lining in the bullpen on Wednesday was Graham Ashcraft, who threw a shutout inning with two strikeouts. He looks like a better pitcher than he was in 2025, which was his first full season in the bullpen.

“Stuff is starting to click,” Ashcraft said. “Things are lining up with my release. It’s causing things to jump. I’d never have guessed I’d be throwing the slider like I have been this consistently. I know I’ve done it in the past, but it’s a glimpse of it here and there. I’m in a really good spot right now mechanically.”

Last year, his slider averaged 89.8 mph. This year, his slider is over 3 mph faster. The only pitcher in all of baseball who’s throwing a harder slider than Ashcraft this year is Brewers All-Star Jacob Misiorowski.

Graham Ashcraft has thrown six 94+ mph sliders this year, and his max is 94.7. Only three other pitchers in MLB have even hit 94 mph on a slider this year, and the only pitcher who has toped 94.7 mph is Misiorowski.

There’s also a key difference between Ashcraft and Misiorowski. While most of Misiorowski’s sharp sliders (just 3 out of 14 have ended up with a positive result on the pitch are getting fouled off or taken for a ball, Ashcraft is getting results when he throws sliders above 93 mph (six out of 13 ended up with a positive result on the pitch).

On Wednesday, Ashcraft struck out Pirates outfielder Jake Magnum on a filthy 94 mph slider.

“Even though it’s has the velocity add to it, it has the profile that it’s had,” Ashcraft said. “The slider has always been my go-to swing and miss pitch. If you’d say that it’s going to keep the same movement but tick up three mph in velo, it makes it that much harder to pick up.”

On top of that, last year, Ashcraft threw 20 total cutters that were 99 mph+. This year, he has already thrown 16 cutters that were 99 mph+. He also threw the hardest pitch of his entire big league career (101.5 mph) on Opening Day.

“I just need to keep building on it and carry it over,” Ashcraft said.

Pagán, Tony Santillan (whose fastball velocity isn’t there yet but is very effectively leaning on his slider to a higher degree) and Pierce Johnson have received most of the late-game high-leverage chances so far. Ashcraft looks ready for more. The Reds could also use another upside, swing and miss option like Phillips, but he has to throw more strikes. Sam Moll has been the situational lefty, and Brock Burke has been “eating up outs” in lower leverage situations.

The bullpen isn’t firing on all cylinders yet, and the unit allowed five runs in a five-run loss on Wednesday.

Oneil Cruz had a three-run homer, his third in two games, Paul Skenes allowed one run in five innings and the Pittsburgh Pirates defeated the Cincinnati Reds 8-3 on Wednesday to take the three-game series.

Bryan Reynolds had a two-run shot, and Nick Gonzales added a two-run double during the ninth inning.

Eugenio Surez had a pinch-hit, two-run homer in the sixth inning for the Reds.

Cruz went 5 for 13 with three home runs and six RBIs in the series. The power-hitting outfielder has gone deep nine times in the 19 games he has played in Cincinnati.

Reds starter Andrew Abbott (0-1) retired the first two Pirates hitters before Bryan Reynolds singled to right and Marcell Ozuna drew a walk. Cruz then connected on a 2-1 curveball that was over the bottom part of the plate and drove it 407 feet over the wall in right field.

Skenes (1-1) returned to his All-Star form after giving up five runs in two-thirds of an inning last Thursday in the season opener against the New York Mets. The reigning NL Cy Young winner allowed three hits, walked two and struck out five.

The right-hander gave up two walks in the first three innings before Elly De La Cruz led off the fourth with a base hit to right. Two batters later, Nathaniel Lowe had an RBI double to right-center, snapping the Reds 31-inning scoreless streak against Skenes.

Pittsburgh took a 4-1 lead in the sixth when Cruz scored after Spencer Horwitz was walked by Connor Phillips with the bases loaded.

Surez got the Reds within a run in the bottom of the sixth with a two-run homer to left, his second of the season.

Pirates: Have their home opener on Friday against Baltimore. RHP Mitch Keller (0-0, 0.00 ERA) gets the start.

Reds: Open a seven-game road trip on Friday against Texas. RHP Brady Singer (0-0, 6.75 ERA) makes his second start.

Welcome to SB Nation Reacts, a survey of fans across MLB. Throughout the year we ask questions of the most plugged-in Reds fans and fans across the country. Sign up here to participate in the weekly emailed surveys.

At the time of writing this, we’re watching Emilio Pagán allow a pair of runs in the Top of the 9th inning of a game between the Cincinnati Reds and Pittsburgh Pirates. While writing that first sentence, he yielded another pair of runs on a mammoth 2-run dinger hit by Bryan Reynolds.

It wasn’t a save situation, as Pagán came on with the Reds already trailing 4-3, but it was already a second outing this season where the 2025 Reds closer looked as shaky as could be. For now, he still has a pretty firm grasp on the closer’s role – his track record and salary are going to get him a pretty long leash – but we’ve already seen Connor Phillips flash some pretty elite stuff in picking up a save this season, too.

It’s easy to forget that Pagán wasn’t the Reds closer at the start of the 2025 season, and he only jumped into that role when Alexis Diaz completely fell off the face of the earth. So, it’s not at all outlandish to suggest that maybe, just maybe, someone else will pitch their way past him and into the role – especially if it’s a guy who’s got a ton of team control and looks like they’ll be around for awhile.

Coincidentally, I submitted to the SB Nation powers that be the below question regarding who leads the 2026 Reds in saves two days before Pagán blew up in this series finale loss to the Pirates. However, it’s pretty timely to ask it, I suppose.

Who do you think ends up leading this club in saves this season?

Let us know in the survey below!

The Cincinnati Reds play host to the Pittsburgh Pirates in the series finale on Wednesday afternoon in Great American Ball Park, and they do so with reigning National League Cy Young Award winner Paul Skenes as their competition for the day.

Andrew Abbott will get the start for the Reds with hopes he can replicate his excellent start from Opening Day.

First pitch is slated for 12:40 PM ET. Lineups are listed below.

Go Reds!

If you just look at the box score for this game, it won’t tell you much beyond the Cincinnati Reds getting handed a loss by 5 runs from their division rivals from upriver in Pittsburgh. However, there was a level of nuance to how this one shook out that wasn’t quite so objective, and that’s what I’ll try to spell out for you here.

Yes, Brandon Williamson’s first start since September of 2024 could have gone a whole lot better. He gave up back to back longballs at one point, one of the backbreaking 3-run variety in a 5-run Top of the 2nd by the Pirates. However rusty he was, though, is hidden a bit by the fact that he actually stuck around to throw 94 pitches and almost get through 5 IP (4.2) which helped buy manager Terry Francona a bit more time out of his bullpen after it’s been worked hard through the first few games of the year.

The Reds were also technically no-hit through the first four frames by top Pittsburgh prospect Bubba Chandler, who did look excellent for a lot of his outing. However, they had an initial hit by Ke’Bryan Hayes later (correctly) ruled an error, and Chandler did walk 6 (six!) batters in his 4.1 IP, which meant time and time again the Reds came to the plate with ample runners on base and simply couldn’t cash them in early.

Things remained squirrely late, too. After Chandler was chased, Cincinnati put some thunder in their bats for the Pittsburgh bullpen, and both Elly De La Cruz and the inimitable Sal Stewart even went yard back to back to get this game much, much more interesting in the Bottom of the 8th. Eugenio Suarez then singled in what was then a 6-3 game, Bucs manager Don Kelly got tossed for arguing Geno should’ve been called out on strikes on a check-swing, Dane Myers singled to bring the would-be tying run to the plate in Nate Lowe, and Lowe then hit a liner in between 1B and 2B that nearly cleared the infield…only for it to be caught on a dive and turned into an inning-ending double play.

Before I could get my surrender cobra off my head, Pierce Johnson had served up a 2-run homer to Oneil Cruz, and the game was suddenly 8-3. You’d think that’s where the drama had ended, but the Reds still managed to coax the bases loaded in the Bottom of the 9th with Geno at the plate…only for him to strike out to end a game that was seemingly one big swing away from being a whole lot more fun in retrospect.

The Reds will wrap this series on Wednesday with Opening Day starters Andrew Abbott and Paul Skenes on the mound, with first pitch set for 12:40 PM ET. Given how frustrating the first start of the year was for Skenes, methinks the Reds are going to seriously lament that they didn’t find the big hit tonight to clinch this series since that’s a hammer they simply cannot match.

The Louisville Bats came out on top in a wild series opener against the Iowa Cubs on Tuesday night at Louisville Slugger Field. They would get multiple 9th inning home runs to complete a come-from-behind win that moved them to 4-0 to begin their season.

Through Friday the 10th I will be including the Top 25 Prospect Rundown here on the site and game notes, but after that if you would like to get that each and every day, you can get it emailed to you every morning during the season by signing up at Patreon and helping support the site.

The Louisville Bats won 8-7. Box Score

• Blake Dunn went 2-4 with 2 doubles and 2 runs scored.
• Edwin Arroyo went 1-4 with a walk, home run (1), and 2 RBI.
• Rece Hinds went 2-4 with a walk, triple, home run (1), 2 runs, and 3 RBI.
• JJ Bleday went 1-3 with a walk and a home run (1).
• Christian Encarnacion-Strand went 1-4 with a double.
• Michael Toglia went 1-3 with a walk and a home run (1).
• Sam Benschoter threw 1.2 hitless innings of relief with a walk and 2 strikeouts.
• Trevor Kuncl threw a shutout inning with a strikeout.

Game Notes

This was a back-and-forth game that saw it tied up at 5-5 heading to the 9th. Iowa got a 2-run home run to take a 7-5 lead. In the bottom half of the inning Blake Dunn led off with a double to the wall in center. Three pitches later Edwin Arroyo uncorked a 437-foot home run to tie the game up. Two batters later the game came to an end when Rece Hinds hit a liner into the seats down the left field line for a walk-off home run.

Rece Hinds is on fire to begin the season. This was his second walk-off hit of the season. He’s now hitting .533/.600/.867 with four walks and four strikeouts.

Blake Dunn is out to a hot start, too. He’s gone 7-17 (.412) with three doubles, two walks, and he’s been hit by two pitches – leading to a .524 on-base percentage and a .588 slugging percentage.

Edwin Arroyo only hit three home runs last season as he was coming off of shoulder surgery. He connected for his first one four games into the 2026 season after needing 44 games to get his first in 2025. The 437-foot distance is the furthest one he’s hit that I’ve got data on since he joined the Reds, with the previous long being 425 feet from August 31st of 2023 when he was with Dayton.

Trevor Kuncl continues to just get guys out. After not playing affiliated baseball before 2025 when he was already 26-years-old he’s now thrown 52.1 innings with a 2.24 ERA since signing with the Reds and pitching in Double-A last season and Triple-A to begin this one.

After striking out 14, 15, and 17 batters in the first three games of the year, the Bats pitching staff had just eight strikeouts on Tuesday against Iowa.

Louisville is now 4-0. This is the first time in 25 seasons that they’ve been 4-0 to start the year with the last time being 2001.

Top Pitch Velocity: Zach Maxwell – 100.7 MPH (single)

Top Exit Velocity: Michael Toglia – 112.6 MPH (home run)

Furthest Hit Baseball: Edwin Arroyo – 437 feet (home run)

Top 25 Prospects Rundown

With just Cincinnati and Louisville playing the rundown is going to be a bit empty with information for the next few days until other teams begin to play.

4/1 Game Preview

The post Cincinnati Reds Minor League Game Review: March 31, 2026 appeared first on redsminorleagues.com.

Oneil Cruz homered twice and Ryan OHearn hit a three-run shot as the Pittsburgh Pirates beat the Cincinnati Reds 8-3 on Tuesday night.

OHearn and Bryan Reynolds went back-to-back in the second inning. Cruz finished with three hits and three RBIs. He also scored three times.

The Reds were held hitless until Jose Trevino singled off reliever Hunter Barco with one out in the seventh. Pirates rookie starter Bubba Chandler tossed 4 1/3 innings with six strikeouts, but also walked six.

Sal Stewart and Elly De La Cruz hit consecutive homers off Barco to trim the Pirates' lead to 6-3 in the eighth.

Pittsburgh manager Don Kelly was ejected in the eighth for arguing with plate umpire Jordan Baker.

Cruz hit a solo homer in the fourth off left-hander Brandon Williamson, then provided insurance for Pittsburgh with a two-run homer off Pierce Johnson in the ninth.

Williamson made his first major league appearance since Sept. 1, 2024. He missed last season following left elbow surgery.

Williamson (0-1) allowed consecutive homers in the second to O'Hearn and Reynolds that made it 5-0.

It was the 139th career homer for Reynolds, tying Jason Bay for ninth on the franchise list.

Chandler issued three walks in the third but allowed only one run, helped when TJ Friedl popped into a double play attempting to bunt.

The Reds' first run scored when Reynolds and Cruz allowed Ke'Bryan Hayes' flyball to drop between them in left-center. It was initially ruled a single but later changed to an error on Reynolds in left, keeping the no-hit bid intact for a while.

Cincinnati had the bases loaded with one out in the fifth but Yohan Ramrez (1-0) struck out Matt McLain and De La Cruz to end the inning.

Pirates: RHP Paul Skenes (0-1) looks to rebound from a rough opener Wednesday.

Reds: LHP Andrew Abbott (0-0) tossed six shutout innings last Thursday.

In 2025, TJ Friedl was in center field for the Reds over 90% of the time. There were no late-game defensive substitutions at that position. There were barely even days off for Friedl.

In 2026, there’s more depth and more options at that position.

None of this is impacting Friedl’s status as the Reds’ leadoff guy, but he hasn’t looked dynamic in center field to start the season.

Now, for the first time since Friedl became the Reds’ regular center fielder (May of 2023, when he took the job for good from Nick Senzel), he’s spending notable time in left field.

“I actually really like it,” Francona said.

It reminds the manager of Guardians left fielder Steven Kwan, who Francona was with in Cleveland.

“We tried (Kwan) in center when I was there, and we just loved him in left,” Francona said. “I look at TJ out there, and it reminds me so much. It can change the game defensively out there. I don’t want to force it. We did it in spring training because we didn’t want to just throw him over there in the season. I had a feeling the way things were breaking that he’d work his way over there.”

Friedl has come up short on a few plays so far this season in center field. His ability to find some more range is going to be important going forward. He has looked very good in left field.

Dane Myers profiles as a playmaking center fielder. He has standout sprint speed and an elite arm. As a result, when the Reds have had the lead this year in the final innings, Francona has put Myers in the game as a defensive replacement and moved Friedl to left field. On Tuesday, while the Reds were trailing, Myers entered the game against a left-handed reliever as a pinch-hitter for the left-handed Will Benson, and Myers moved to center as Friedl headed to left.

Myers has to prove that he can impact the game offensively vs. RHP, but he’s a starting caliber center fielder vs. LHP. Will Benson is an option in center field, but on Tuesday the Reds stuck with Friedl in center and Benson in left in the starting lineup. Noelvi Marte has to become more consistent defensively, but he continues to take reps in center. And then in Triple-A, Rece Hinds interestingly is playing center field every day. Following a terrific spring training, Hinds has had a fantastic start to the season with a 1.467 OPS and a walk off homer on Tuesday.

Overall, Francona has been aggressive with late-game defensive substitutions this year when the Reds have the lead. Myers is playing center, Friedl moves to left and Spencer Steer goes to first base.

The Reds are a deeper team this year. Myers upgrades the defensive upside on the Reds’ bench, and Nathaniel Lowe gives the Reds a true power bench bat who can get you a homer. I liked how Francona used Lowe on Tuesday, bringing him in in the eighth inning for a pinch-hit at-bat where Lowe represented the game-tying run (Lowe got unlucky on a lineout to Brandon Lowe at second base that ended the inning).

Steer and Sal Stewart give Francona the ability to shuffle pieces around late in a game. Steer can play first, second, third, left and right. Stewart can play first, second and third. While Francona didn’t pinch hit Lowe for Ke’Bryan Hayes on Opening Day, Francona said that was a result of Hayes having taken good at-bats in that game. Stewart and Steer are both able to shift to third if the Reds need to hit for Hayes.

***

The Reds have a good problem to have with four outfielders who belong in the lineup vs. RHP (Marte, Friedl, Benson and Steer) and four who belong in the lineup vs. LHP (Friedl, Steer, Myers and Marte — Marte still needs to improve vs. LHP, but that is an important skill for him to get the reps to develop).

While it’s kind of played out as a Marte/Benson platoon early in the season, it doesn’t look like it’s going to be a true platoon in the long run.

There are multiple ways to play the matchups.

Tuesday was a notable example as the Reds faced Pirates right-handed flamethrower Bubba Chandler. Spencer Steer has struggled more against elite velocity, so he was the odd man out and Benson, Friedl and Marte started the game in the outfield.

“Will is very reliable, and we’re never going to get shorted on effort,” Francona said. “That’s a good feeling. He’s probably not going to play every day. You try to find ways for him to play because you know you’re going to get an honest effort.”

Francona said that he’s taking into account a lot of things as he builds the starting lineup in the outfield for a given day, including how Benson and the other outfielders profile against specific types of pitchers, and when guys need rest.

“It’s a lot of things,” Francona said.

My projection is that Friedl, Steer and Marte get the most time in the outfield. The Reds can also get extra at-bats for an outfielder like Benson vs. RHP by starting Suárez at third base for the day, moving Stewart to DH and having Steer play first.

“I don’t know if there’s a target (number for starts by Suárez at third base),” Francona said. “I thought it’d be good for him to not DH and try to keep some of the playing time and keep guys sharp. I’m always thinking about how we’re going to catch the ball. We’re trying to keep things even.”

There will also be off days in April for Matt McLain and Elly De La Cruz, which will open up the opportunity for spot starts.

***
Steer has two roles on this Reds’ team.

There’s the role that he filled between 2023 and 2025 as a middle of the order power threat with an old school approach. He’s also effectively replacing Santiago Espinal as the super utility guy.

It’s another reminder of his value. His versatility means a lot to Francona.

***
The velocity of Emilio Pagán and especially Tony Santillan has been down. Francona isn’t too concerned.

“You’ll see them pitch into their velocity,” Francona said. “They did last year. They had more outings in spring training than they did this year. You’ll see it climb. What I don’t want guys to do is reach back for velocity and not pitch.”

Francona said that Santillan’s slider looks as good as he has seen it, which has helped the Reds’ eighth inning reliever.

***

The pecking order has started to develop in the bullpen. Pierce Johnson, Tony Santillan and Emilio Pagán have mostly been the three end-of-game guys when available.

Graham Ashcraft looks really good, and he’ll get plenty of chances in important spots out of the bullpen.

“His first three outings have been unbelievable,” Francona said. “It’s funny. In spring, he didn’t command very well. I remember a couple of you guys saying, ‘Are you worried about Ashcraft?’ Sometimes, when the bell rings or the lights come up, guys dial it in. I know you can’t quantify it, but confidence plays a huge role.”

Francona said that Ashcraft should feel confident because he’s throwing the ball really well.

The other big storyline in the bullpen is the tantalizing upside of Phillips. He has to throw strikes more consistently. But the stuff — big time velocity and a wicked sweeper — indicates his potential. He also earned his first career save on Monday, working around two walks to finish the game.

“Whoever says the ninth inning is easy to pitch has never pitched the ninth inning,” Derek Johnson said. “It was a different feel for him. He got through it. You get the save, and hopefully he gets another opportunity down the line and will pitch better as a result. He’s close. He has such good stuff.”

Sam Moll has been pitching in some very important spots as the situational lefty. Brock Burke has been pitching in some lower-leverage situations.

The lack of a veteran longman, or really any length outside of rookie Jose Franco (a starting pitching prospect), has put the bullpen in a few less than ideal spots during the first week of the season. You can see why the Reds were initially going to go with the condensed six-man rotation. The pitching staff will need to get through this stretch as starters are still getting built all the way up. Tuesday was another example of that as Brandon Williamson went as long as he could go (4 ⅔ innings, 94 pitches) on a night where he allowed six runs.

After getting the rosters for both the High-A Dayton Dragons and Double-A Chattanooga Lookouts in the early part of the day, the Cincinnati Reds and Single-A Daytona Tortugas released the Opening Day roster for Daytona on Tuesday evening. This roster is headlined by the Reds #4 prospect Tyson Lewis, who is returning to Florida after finishing up the 2025 season there. Here’s what the Opening Day roster looks like right now:

The Daytona roster has five of the Cincinnati Reds Top 25 prospects on it. Infielder Tyson Lewis (#4) is at the top on the team, but it also includes pitchers Sheng-En Lin (#17) and Mason Morris (#16), as well as outfielders Arnaldo Lantigua (#20) and Mason Neville (#24). All of those guys saw action with Daytona in the final month-and-a-half of the 2025 season with the Tortugas.

Lewis has arguably the highest upside of any player in the farm system. He’s got speed and power from the left side of the plate and a chance to remain on the infield on the defensive side of things. He played in 46 games with the ACL Reds and 35 with Daytona last season and hit a combined .311/.376/.486 with 16 doubles, six triples, and nine home runs. Lewis also stole 27 bases in his 81 games played.

Arnaldo Lantigua was right there with Lewis on the bus all season. He played in 49 games with the ACL Reds and then 32 at the end of the year with the Tortugas. Between the two stops he hit .265/.334/.490 while hitting 26 doubles, three triples, and 12 home runs.

Pitcher Sheng-En Lin was also with them both on the year. When he was in the ACL with the Reds he pitched and he hit, but he struggled at the plate and late in the summer he moved full time to the mound. He threw 30.1 innings in Arizona and then 16.2 innings in five games with Daytona, posting a 3.06 ERA between the two stops while striking out 61 and walking 15.

Mason Neville (4th round) and Mason Morris (3rd round) were both 2025 draft picks who didn’t spend much time on the field before the season came to an end.

Many of the position players are returning to Daytona and are a part of an offense that was good down the stretch when many of these players joined the team later on in the season.

The pitching staff is returning nine pitchers who saw some action with the Tortugas last season. Ovis Portes has the most experience with Daytona among the group of returnees, firing 61.1 innings for them last season. Mike Villani is next on the list, throwing 25.1 innings for Daytona. Many of the others only saw limited action with the club later in the year.

Daytona will begin the year at home against Jupiter. The two will begin the season on Thursday April 2nd at 6:35pm at Jackie Robinson Ballpark. While construction has been on-going at the park since 2025 it is still in progress to being the 2026 season, too.

The post The Daytona Tortugas 2026 Opening Day Roster appeared first on redsminorleagues.com.

Brandon Williamson and the Cincinnati Reds play host to Bubba Chandler and the Pittsburgh Pirates in Great American Ball Park on Tuesday evening. A win tonight would give the Reds a second consecutive series victory to start 2026, which would be very, very nice.

First pitch is set for 6:40 PM ET. Lineups below.

Go Reds!

Braves catcher Sean Murphy will be with High-A Rome tomorrow, per Mark Bowman of MLB.com. It’s not yet determined if he will begin a rehab assignment or simply take live batting practice. Either way, Bowman suggests that Murphy could be trending towards a return before the month of May. Rehab assignments for position players can last as long as 20 days.

Murphy has been hobbled by injuries the past two years and slashed .197/.293/.384 since the start of 2024. That was a notable drop from the .240/.336/.441 line he had in his career at the end of the 2023 season. Ideally, his return from September hip surgery will get him back on that previous track. Murphy was expected back at some point in May but this latest update suggests he could beat that target.

When he gets back, it could impact other players on the roster. Jonah Heim is currently backing up Drake Baldwin. It’s expected that the club will use the designated hitter spot to give regular at-bats to both Murphy and Baldwin. Perhaps they could cut Heim from the roster or keep him as a third catcher. Dominic Smith is getting time in the DH spot for now and he has performed well, though in a small sample size of two games.

Some more injury notes from around the league…

• Orioles right-hander Andrew Kittredge is set to begin a rehab assignment with Triple-A Norfolk tomorrow, per Jake Rill of MLB.com. He missed most of spring training due to shoulder inflammation and started the season on the IL. He posted a 3.40 earned run average last year with a 30.8% strikeout rate, 5.3% walk rate and 49.2% ground ball rate. Baltimore has Ryan Helsley in the closer’s role. Once Kittredge is off the IL, he’ll jump into a setup role alongside guys like Yennier Cano and Tyler Wells.
• Reds left-hander Nick Lodolo is set to make a rehab start on Thursday, per Charlie Goldsmith of Charlie’s Chalkboard. A blister sent the southpaw to the IL to start the year. Goldsmith suggests Lodolo could rejoin the club for their series in Miami next week, implying Lodolo would only need to make the one rehab start. Cincinnati is also without Hunter Greene to start the year, so it would be great to get Lodolo back sooner rather than later. The rotation is currently manned by Andrew Abbott, Brady Singer, Rhett Lowder, Chase Burns and Brandon Williamson.
• Padres right-hander Griffin Canning tossed three innings in a simulated game yesterday, per Jeff Sanders of the San Diego Union-Tribune, and will begin a rehab assignment on Saturday. Rehab assignments for pitchers can last as long as 30 days, so it seems Canning is trending towards a return in April or perhaps in early May. It was reported a few weeks ago that late April would be possible but that May or June would be more likely. Perhaps Canning is now on a path for the more optimistic end of that window.
• The Cardinals today placed right-hander Matt Pushard on the 15-day injured list, retroactive to March 30th, due to right knee patellar tendinitis. Fellow righty Gordon Graceffo was recalled as the corresponding move. It’s unclear how long Pushard is expected to be out. As a Rule 5 pick, he has to spend at least 90 days on the active roster this year or else the Rule 5 restrictions will carry over into the 2027 season.

Photo courtesy of Dale Zanine, Imagn Images

It’s been since September 17th, 2024 since Brandon Williamson has taken a mound in a professional baseball game at any level, let alone at the big league level. His grind back after having Tommy John surgery on the UCL in his left arm, though, is finally complete.

Williamson will start for the Cincinnati Reds tonight at home in Great American Ball Park with the Pittsburgh Pirates in town, the second game of this three-game set between the NL Central rivals. The Reds took home the first game of the series last night behind an excellent start by Chase Burns and a rock solid effort from some inexperienced arms in their bullpen, and Williamson will hope to lead the charge tonight that gets them a second straight series victory.

The lefty looked good all through Cactus League play, eventually earning his way onto the team’s Opening Day roster despite a positional battle with former 1st rounders like Burns and Rhett Lowder. After Nick Lodolo’s blister issues flared up, though, the team’s ‘six for five’ plan with their starters was reduced down to a five-man rotation that needed Williamson to be a starter from the outset.

That’s what we’re going to see for the first time tonight.

Spencer Steer will be the odd-man out of the starting lineup for this one after having started each of the team’s first four games of the year, the team’s utility-man extraordinaire sure to make an appearance at some point later in the game. Will Benson will slide over and start in LF with RHP Bubba Chandler on the mound for the Pirates, while Noelvi Marte is back in the starting lineup in RF after getting last night off.

Here’s how the Reds have stacked their lineup for the evening:

First pitch in this one is once again set for 6:40 PM ET, and you’ll be able to view the broadcast via Reds.TV.

While the AAA Louisville Bats got their 2026 regular season underway last week just like the big league Cincinnati Reds, the lower minors affiliates will begin their campaigns later this week. With that on the docket, the rosters for the respective Opening Days for the High-A Dayton Dragons (Thursday evening against the Lansing Lugnuts) and AA Chattanooga Lookouts (Friday against the Columbus Clingstones) have been finalized.

The Lookouts will feature top prospects like Cam Collier, Leo Balcazar, and Carlos Jorge among their position player ranks as well as former 1st round picks like Austin Hendrick and Jay Allen II. The pitching staff will be spearheaded by Jose Acuna (who returns after firing 71.2 IP of 3.64 ERA ball there last year) as well as veteran Kevin Abel, while Jose Montero (3.93 ERA in 103.0 IP with High-A Dayton in 2025) will also make the jump up a level into the rotation.

The Lookouts revealed their entire roster this morning, which you can see below.

Meanwhile, top prospect and catcher of the future Alfredo Duno will headline the roster of the Dayton Dragons, as the Reds pointed out on Twitter earlier in the day.

Dayton’s roster is largely comprised of players who spent considerable time with the club last year, though Duno is clearly the exception to that rule. He destroyed Florida State League pitching as a 19 year old in 2025 (.287/.430/.518 with 18 HR and a 95/91 BB/K ratio) before heading off to the Peoria Javelinas of the Arizona Fall League and showing out there, too.

What’s similarly interesting about Dayton’s roster, though, is who isn’t on it. Top prospect Tyson Lewis will apparently not be making the jump up a level to begin 2026 after he hit .268/.347/.417 there in 144 PA to finish 2025, his strikeout problems (51 in that time) likely something he’ll be asked to work on a bit first. Similarly, former NCAA dinger champ Mason Neville will not begin with Dayton after hitting .247/.333/.442 in 90 PA with Daytona last year, his own K-rate (34.4%) also a pretty glaring issue, while Arnaldo Lantigua will also seemingly stick around Daytona after 129 PA with them in his age-19 season.

The same is apparently true for Sheng-En Lin, who threw 16.2 IP for Daytona last year and is still focusing on pitching only after having been a two-way player prior to 2025.

The Daytona Tortugas have not yet released their roster, so we’ll need to wait for confirmation from them at some point later this week. It’s also worth pointing out that a number of names we otherwise would have seen on these rosters will begin the year on the minor league 60-day IL, with notable pitchers like Luke Holman and Carson Spiers there alongside infielder Ricky Cabrera.

This afternoon the Cincinnati Reds and Chattanooga Lookouts unveiled the 2026 preliminary Opening Day roster for the team’s Double-A affiliate. The roster is headlined by top Cam Collier – the Reds #9 prospect. Like the Dayton Dragons Opening Day roster, the Lookouts roster is a mix of guys returning who were there last season and new players mixed in.

Let’s see how the roster stacks up for now:

Chattanooga’s roster has three of Cincinnati’s Top 25 prospects on it. Cam Collier and Leo Balcazar (#12) on the infield and then outfielder Carlos Jorge (#14). No pitchers on the team are currently in the top 25.

Both Collier and Balcazar spent time with Chattanooga last season. Collier began last year on the injured list and then played with the ACL Reds for 10 games and the Dayton Dragons for 11 games when he was healthy enough to get back on the field before joining the Lookouts for the remainder of the season. With Chattanooga he hit .263/.377/.347 with two home runs in 75 games where it seemed that the thumb surgery had sapped him of the power he had shown in the previous season.

Balcazar began his year in Dayton and hit well, posting a .262/.333/.413 line with Dayton in 75 games while hitting nine home runs. He joined the Lookouts in the second half and hit .263/.349/.328 with just six total extra-base hits in 52 games, but did walk nearly as often as he struck out. Whether it was a conscious decision or not, he seemed to trade power for contact after the promotion.

Carlos Jorge seemed to make some strides in Dayton last year at the plate as he cut down his strikeout rate big time and he walked more often. But like Balcazar that came with reduced power output as he hit .251/.342/.355 with six home runs after hitting 12 of them the previous year in 15 fewer games played. This spring he got into nine big league games and hit .333 with a double and three triples. With his plus speed he’ll get a chance to show it off in the outfield and basepaths at the new ballpark in Chattanooga in a little over two weeks.

Jose Montero was the top starter last season with Dayton. He made 23 starts with a 7-5 record while posting a 3.93 ERA and throwing 103.0 innings. He gave up just five home runs on the year. Joseph Menefee was the Dragons top reliever who remained with the club all year. The lefty pitched in 32 games with a 3.65 ERA while striking out 66 and walking 33 in 49.1 innings pitched.

An interesting note here is that Trey Faltine is listed on the roster, but he’s still on the active Louisville Bats roster. They play a game today and tomorrow before Chattanooga’s season begins on Thursday, so perhaps this is a move that is likely going to happen before the season starts for the Lookouts.

Chattanooga begins the year on the road against Columbus (Georgia) on Friday night at 7:05pm ET. They’ll play on both Saturday and Sunday before the off day on Monday. The Lookouts will open up their new ballpark, Erlanger Park, on April 14th with a series against Montgomery.

The post The Chattanooga Lookouts 2026 Opening Day Roster appeared first on redsminorleagues.com.

This morning the Cincinnati Reds and the Dayton Dragons released the 2026 preliminary Opening Day roster for the team’s High-A affiliate. The roster is headlined by top Reds prospect Alfredo Duno, and has a mix of returning Dragons and new faces. Let’s take a look at how the roster is set for now:

This roster only features two of the Cincinnati Reds Top 25 prospects. There’s the previously mentioned Alfredo Duno behind the plate and then there’s #22 prospect Alfredo Alcantara on the infield.

Duno spent the entire 2025 season in Single-A with the Daytona Tortugas. The catcher won the Florida State League’s Most Valuable Player award after leading the league in nearly every offensive category except batting average – where he finished second – triples, and stolen bases.

It’s a bit more of a jump up to Dayton for Alfredo Alcantara. He played in 44 games with the ACL Reds last year before joining the Tortugas for 38 games down the stretch. He hit will in his 82 games on the year, posting a .295/.442/.457 line between the two levels. Making the jump after just 38 games does show that the club is confident in his ability to step up.

Cincinnati is also sending outfielder Kien Vu to join Dayton’s outfield. Drafted in the 9th round last summer, the former NCAA batting champion (2024 – he hit .413 with Arizona State) played in 23 games with Daytona after the draft and hit .273/.371/.532 with 12 extra-base hits. He even got into six spring training games this month with the Reds, going 1-8.

On the mound there are currently six pitchers listed as starter. J.P Ortiz is coming off of a very strong season in Daytona where he threw 91.1 innings and had a 2.86 ERA. Luke Hayden is returning to Dayton after making 24 starts with a 4.09 ERA for the Dragons last season. He struggled with his control, walking 72 batters in 101.1 innings in 2025, but could really help the rotation if he can lower his walk rate some as his stuff plays well.

Of the 30 players listed on the roster, 18 of them spent time with Dayton in the 2025 season. 11 of the 14 position players are returning players with just Duno, Alcantara, and Vu as the newcomers.

The Dragons season will begin on Thursday evening. They will be in Lansing, Michigan to take on the Lansing Lugnuts at 6:05pm ET. The opening series will be played on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday. Sunday and Monday will be off days before they return home to Dayton to open up against the Lake County Captains on Tuesday the 7th.

The post The Dayton Dragons 2026 Opening Day Roster appeared first on redsminorleagues.com.

Last week there were a slew of players who were placed on either the 60-day injured list in the minor leagues or the full season injured list in the minor leagues. In the last few days a few more players were on the transactions log and wound up on the 60-day injured list. And one player was released.

Let’s start with the release of Joel Valdez. This move is a bit surprising. After being a minor league Rule 5 draft pick in December of 2024 he broke out in Double-A last season where he threw 45.2 innings with a 1.38 ERA for Chattanooga. He struggled a bit in a late season call up to Triple-A, but overall he still pitched well on the year. Following the season he was a free agent, but re-signed with the Reds on a minor league deal and got an invite to big league camp. He never got into a game and was dealing with a shoulder injury that at the start of camp was only supposed to have him shut down for a few weeks.

That seemed to have changed because on March 19th he was placed on the 60-day injured list in the minor leagues. A week later, though, he was released and became a free agent. Tough to make a lot of sense there given that he showed quality stuff last season and the placement on the 60-day injured list implied that the team thought it was possible he could pitch this year.

Two pitchers were placed on the 60-day injured list this past week, too. Righty Shawn Guilliams and lefty Logan Van Treeck were moved there 10 days after the big set of similar moves.

For Guilliams he is still looking to make his professional debut. He was drafted in the 11th round of 2021. He’s spent every day of the regular season on the injured list ever since. Van Treeck was the club’s 9th round pick in 2023. The lefty didn’t pitch in 2023 after the draft and then missed the entire 2024 season. Last season he opened the year with Daytona but pitched in just two games before an injury on April 9th and he missed the rest of the season.

Prospects in the big leagues

Two important things happened on Monday night in Cincinnati for guys who are top 20 prospects in the organization. Let’s first talk about Reds #18 prospect Jose Franco making his big league debut. Franco followed Chase Burns (who picked up his first big league win) and pitched 1.2 shutout innings. He threw 35 pitches and 23 of those were strikes. The righty didn’t walk anyone or strike anyone out.

Franco showed a 3-pitch mix in his outing. He threw his fastball 18 times and 13 of those went for strikes. The pitch topped out at 96.9 MPH on the night. He leaned on the slider a lot, too, throwing 13 of them and eight of those went down for strikes. The change up was thrown four times and two were strikes.

And then there’s #2 prospect Sal Stewart. He won the National League Player of the Week award for his series against the Boston Red Sox when he hit .700 with four extra-base hits. In the series opener against the Pittsburgh Pirates on Monday night he went 1-2 with two more walks. He did pick up his first strikeout of the season in the game, too, but now has five walks against just one strikeout in 17 plate appearances this season.

But what makes his night all the more noteworthy is that he became the youngest player to ever reach base safely three or more times in each of his team’s first four games since at least 1900. Sarah Langs of MLB.com also noted that he did so at 22 years and 113 days old and that no one else has accomplished that one before turning 24. Stewart is also only the 4th Reds player to do that regardless of age (Kal Daniels in 1988, Joe Morgan in 1975, and Ival Goodman in 1937).

The post Reds MiLB Notebook: More injured players and big league firsts appeared first on redsminorleagues.com.

In the summer of 2023, Elly De La Cruz got called up to the big leagues at 21 years old and took the baseball world by storm.

At the time, Alex Peláez was the Reds’ Triple-A hitting coach in Louisville. He said, “When Elly started running a couple of years ago, you saw everybody wanted to run.”

Now, Peláez is one of the Reds’ big league assistant hitting coaches. As he watches this hot start from 22-year-old Sal Stewart, he wonders about the impact that it’s going to have on others.

“Hopefully someone like him helps us develop some of our younger players,” Peláez said. “Hopefully, it’s the same thing with Sal and what he values. He understands what his strengths are. He knows what he can hit and what he can’t hit, which is a big one. Young players think they can hit everything. That’s his biggest thing. He knows himself and isn’t trying to be someone that he’s not.”

Stewart knows exactly who he is.

Since spring training of 2025, before Stewart had even made his Double-A debut, Terry Francona called Stewart one of the most advanced young hitters that he has seen. Last Sunday, speaking about Stewart, Francona effectively dropped the word “young” as he discussed what he’s seeing from Stewart.

Stewart is a part of the defining trend of the young MLB season. Across MLB right now, there are players in their early 20s carrying lineups and making a name for themselves. Stewart is one of them, and he just became the second Major League rookie since 1958 (when rookie rules became official) to reach base three-plus times in each of his team’s first four games of a season

While Stewart has company in this rookie class, there’s a key difference between Stewart and those young peers.

“He has such a refined approach,” first base coach Collin Cowgill said. “He knows the zone. He can shorten up with two strikes. He has an incredible ability to hit (good) stuff. Also, he has the approach. Not everyone can hit the way Sal hits, even the superstar youngsters. His ability to control the zone makes him elite already.”

It’s a new ballgame now around MLB as young players carry the torch for offenses. The list includes Brady House, Carter Jensen, Cole Young, Roman Anthony, Moises Ballesteros, Samuel Basallo, Junior Caminero, Justin Crawford, Kevin McGonigle, Jackson Merrill, Edgar Quero and Carson Williams, who are all 22-or-younger.

The game keeps getting younger and younger. Going back to 1980, there have been two total seasons where players who are 22-or-younger have combined to play more than 2,350 total games. Those are the 2023 and the 2025 seasons. The 2024 season featured the fifth-most games by players 22-or-younger going back to 1980.

Now in 2026, there are 13 big name, franchise pillar position players getting every day playing time who are just 22 years old or younger. If these guys stay healthy, and when standout prospects in Triple-A around the league get called up as expected, this can be another record-setting year for starts by players who are as young as Stewart.

“There are no limits,” Reds veteran Nathaniel Lowe said. “It feels like they draft kids straight out of high school, and in two years they want them to be in the middle of the order. That’s the way the industry is changing. The old guys like myself — it’s weird to say I’m an old guy because I’m only 30 — that’s just the way the game is going now. The younger players are super talented, and they want them while they’re hot.”

These young guys are also getting the chance to play right out of the gate in the season.

Teams are now being incentivized to have their best young players on the Opening Day roster, instead of keeping those players in Triple-A for a few weeks. If a player finishes first or second in Rookie of the Year voting, he gets a full year of service time, regardless of when he was called up. Also, if a player opens the year on the big league roster and goes on to win the Rookie of the Year Award, teams are rewarded with draft picks.

That’s led to more standout young players in the big leagues at the very start of the season, and there has been an uptick in particular this season.

Since 2007, there have been an average of six players per year who are 22 or younger who end up receiving 70+ plate appearances between March and April. Stewart is one of the group of 13 in 2026.

“Some of it is because of what older guys are making,” Francona said. “You’re seeing guys rush, and they hurry them through the Minor Leagues. That’s everywhere. That’s probably the biggest reason.”

The younger guys are ready to be good players right away, which is a reflection of how athletes have evolved and how player development has evolved.

You see across sports how athletes are getting better and better with every generation. The NBA has Victor Wembanyama. The NFL has Ja’Marr Chase. Baseball has its own class of young dynamic athletes, including De La Cruz, who have combinations of skills and traits that used to not exist.

Francona said that young guys are better athletes than they were 20 years ago. “Physically, they’re much better. If you don’t have the reps, I don’t know if you’re going to know the intricacies of fundamental baseball. But that’s why we still teach here.”

The player development process also speeds things up. Reds bench coach Freddie Benavides, who has also been a minor league manager and player development coordinator, cites the fact that one-sport specialization is more common. Young players are in more travel tournaments, getting more reps against the best competition.

It’s easier for more high schoolers to be introduced to more advanced strength programs.

“You go to IMG in Florida,” said Cowgill, who played in the big leagues for five years and has also been a minor league manager. “The eighth grade team is on a big league schedule. They’re weight training and working on things that we’re working on here. The development at younger ages is at such a higher level now then when we were playing. The quality of player is absolutely better.”

The development process in the Minor Leagues has also completely changed. New tools show right away the critical details in the swing of each player. A biomechanical reading can show hitters what pitches they should swing at and what pitches they shouldn’t. This type of information is even more popular for pitchers, which has an impact on player development for hitters.

“At the lower levels, the level of play is way better than it was 10 years ago,” Cowgill said. “There are guys scattered around A-Ball and (Rookie Ball) who are throwing 100 mph. The stuff is very similar to what it is here. It’s just the polish.”

Also, there are fewer minor league teams and fewer players than there were 10 years ago. As a result, the at-bats that top prospects are taking come against higher-quality competition.

As a result, hitting prospects are much more consistently facing big velocity and big spin as they come up through the Minor Leagues.

Then when they’re 22 or 23 years old in the big leagues, the stuff that these young hitters are facing isn’t entirely unfamiliar to them.

“They’re just more advanced,” Peláez said. “There’s more information. Sal learned at a younger age the proper way to do everything. He just has answers that you don’t expect for a rookie.”

Stewart is a part of a really impressive rookie class. In addition to the 21 and 22 year-olds, rookies Chase DeLauter, JJ Wetherholt, Carson Benge and Owen Caissie have a lot of potential and are playing every day.

Out of this entire rookie class, Stewart might have the best combination of strength, physicality, polish, strike zone judgement and awareness. He can hit for plenty of power. His approach is also already a lot like a veteran’s.

“He uses the whole field,” Francona said. “A lot of times, you see guys come up and strike out a ton. He doesn’t. He makes contact, but he hits the ball with authority. That’s why when you play Toronto and the Dodgers, they’re so tough. It’s not only that they don’t strike out a ton, but that they don’t just hit singles. Sal is in that category.”

Typically, rookies swing and miss a lot. Some of Stewart’s biggest strengths are the understanding of what pitches he should swing at and what pitches he shouldn’t swing at. He really knows the strike zone. He has a plan with two strikes and shortens his swing when he needs to. He knows when to take a chance with a pull-side power swing.

He’s a blend of old school and new school.

“He’s just a good hitter,” Francona said.

For years, Stewart has trained with big leaguers. Yonder Alonso and Manny Machado are like family to him. They helped him develop into the well-rounded hitter he is now, and they helped him acquire an uncommon combination of skills for someone his age.

Francona believes so strongly in Stewart that he made Stewart the manager’s first rookie cleanup hitter since Scott Rolen back in 1997.

The future Hall of Fame manager seems about as confident in Stewart as Stewart is in himself.

“He drives the ball, but he also makes some adjustments with two strikes,” Francona said. “He’s strong enough to get rewarded when he hits the ball the other way. (On his homer), I thought the (pitch) was going to hit him in the neck. There was a line drive to center field that he got on top of. You don’t see a lot of guys do that. He’s going to get rewarded for that.”

This was the game to worry about with the Cincinnati Reds’ pitching staff. The team has been getting short starts from pitchers who aren’t completely built up, and Chase Burns’ start on Monday was expected to be the shortest of them all. Behind him in the bullpen, Pierce Johnson, Tony Santillan and Emilio Pagán were all unavailable.

The initial “six-for-five” plan in the rotation would have given the Reds a good way to combat that, but that plan got scratched when Nick Lodolo landed on the IL. Burns had some concerning moments during the spring, and his pitch count was at 80. The only long relief option was Jose Franco, who was set to make his big league debut. The bullpen on Monday was about as taxed as you’ll see for March 30.

“If anyone had a hiccup,” Terry Francona said, “We might have been in trouble.”

And yet, the Reds shut out the Pirates, 2-0.

Burns picked up his first big league win, Franco threw 1 ⅔ innings in his big league debut and Connor Phillips earned his first big league save.

The star of the day was Burns, who allowed one hit and struck out seven in five innings. As he did his postgame interview, Eugenio Suárez cheered Burns on and called the 23-year-old “The Franchise.”

Just two weeks ago, there were some reasons to feel anxious about where Burns was at. He wasn’t locating his fastball during spring training. His range of motion wasn’t 100% on one day, which led to the “deload” situation.

“I think our plan was good this spring,” Francona said. “We wanted to get him in a position where he could go make those starts. It wasn’t a penalty box. We wanted to help get himself ready for every start because we want him to pitch a lot. I know I keep saying his future is bright. The present is going to be ok, too.”

Burns looked like he turned the corner during his final preseason tuneup, a scrimmage in Milwaukee.

“I really noticed in Milwaukee, (pitching coach Derek Johnson) and some of the guys were trying to get him to really take his time between pitches,” catcher Tyler Stephenson said. “He’s fast twitch. He likes to go fast. Sometimes, you have to slow him down, give him a few extra seconds and take a deep breath.”

He was poised and in control during his season debut against the Pirates. He set the tone by burning two sliders for a first inning strike out of Marcell Ozuna, threw some very useful changeups, filled up the zone, was pitch efficient and reached back for overpowering fastballs when he needed them.

‘(He’s) not trying to overthrow,” Stephenson said. “He’s still young. He was drafted two years ago. It’s an unfinished product. It’s going to be scary when he is finished, that’s for sure.”

Burns’ pitch count was 80 because he wasn’t able to build all the way up during spring training, and he was at 78 at the end of the fifth inning. Francona had to turn to the bullpen for the sixth. As he looked at the options available to them, he knew that Franco was going to need to pitch.

Franco is on the roster to be the long guy. He’s one of the Reds top starting pitching prospects, but the team put him in the bullpen this week because there wasn’t a traditional long relief option on the 40-man roster.

Francona said that it’s “very uncommon” for him to put a rookie pitcher, especially a guy who is typically a starter, into a high-leverage situation for his big league debut. But that’s what the Reds did with Franco, who entered for the sixth inning with the Reds up, 2-0.

“He made everything reach,” Francona said. “If he stumbles, I don’t know if we had anywhere to go.”

Francona said that Franco threw strikes and looked like he belonged.

With a powerful fastball that generated first pitch strikes and the ability to generate weak contact, Franco gave the Reds 1 ⅔ shutout innings in his big league debut.

“He’s the ultimate teammate,” said Pierce Johnson, who was cheering on Franco from the bullpen. “He’s a bit quiet, but when you talk to him he’ll talk more. It was a big moment for him. He came up huge for us. The bullpen had been taxed. That was awesome. Hopefully there are a lot more appearances for that guy.”

To make the outing more impressive, it was the first time that Franco had ever pitched to Stephenson.

Graham Ashcraft entered in the seventh inning with two runners on (Ke’Bryan Hayes missed an opportunity for an inning-ending groundout with Franco on the mound). And Ashcraft delivered one of the most impressive relief appearances of his career. His stuff looks better than it did last year.

Ashcraft got outs against the top-third of the Pirates’ lineup and got the Reds to the ninth inning. The available relievers remaining were Phillips and Sam Moll. Francona went with Phillips, who learned that he made the Opening Day roster during the final week of camp.

“Those last three outs are different,” Pierce Johnson said. “He has stuff to be a ninth inning guy at some point in his career. He got the three outs that we needed. Here we are on the other side.”

Based on how Francona has used relievers so far, Phillips is probably fifth or sixth on the bullpen depth chart (behind Pagán, Santillan, Johnson, Ashcraft and Moll specifically vs. left-handed hitters).

Francona uses his closers very aggressively. In 2025, Pagán recorded 32 saves, Santillan had seven and Scott Barlow was the only other pitcher on the team who closed out a game in the ninth inning for a save. Barlow had one save in 2025, which took place in mid-August when the pitching staff was in tough shape. Still, Barlow was a full-time closer earlier in his career and was familiar with the situation.

Asking Phillips to close out a game was an even bigger ask.

He started the inning by walking the first two batters.

“I was teasing with him after that you don’t have to walk those guys,” Francona said. “But any experience is a good experience. He came in the other night and did really well. He got it done tonight. He’ll leave feeling good.”

Following the second walk, Derek Johnson visited Phillips on the mound. The pitching coach told the rookie that Phillips’ stuff is really good, and that he just needed to throw it over the plate.

“I know it’s really good,” Phillips said. “It’s what I got. I know that I have it. It’s just a matter of putting over the plate. I settled down. I stopped really caring and just threw it over the plate.”

Coming out of the mound visit, Phillips threw three straight sweepers and recorded a strikeout on three pitchers. He threw some filthy sweepers to close it out, recording the final three outs of the game on that specific pitch.

“He has good stuff,” Stephenson said. “Beating guys in the zone, he can do that. He’s unhittable. We slowed it down, and he made some pitches after that.”

The pitching staff got the shutout on a night where three very young pitchers carried the team and saved the pitching staff.

In the postgame clubhouse, there was plenty to celebrate. Three pitchers achieved career firsts and showed some real upside in the process.

“It makes it fun,” Francona said. “It makes for a fun night.”

Chase Burns allowed one hit in five innings for his first major league win, leading the Cincinnati Reds to a 2-0 victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates on Monday night.

Burns (1-0) walked three and struck out seven, including Jared Triolo with two on and two outs in the fourth. Jose Franco retired five batters before leaving with two on. Graham Ashcraft struck out Henry Davis to end the seventh and fanned two more in a scoreless eighth. Conner Phillips walked Marcell Ozuna and Ryan O'Hearn before retiring three straight for his first career save.

Elly De La Cruz singled leading off the fourth against Braxton Ashcraft (0-1) for the Reds but was thrown out trying to steal second. Sal Stewart walked, took third on a single by Eugenio Surez and scored on a sacrifice fly by Spencer Steer. Surez scored on a triple by Will Benson to cap the scoring in a third straight win for Cincinnati.

Braxton Ashcraft (0-1) gave up two runs on four hits and four walks over six innings in his ninth career start. Isaac Mattson pitched the seventh and Justin Lawrence struck out the side in the eighth.

Stewart, the reigning NL player of the week, went 1 for 2 and walked twice. He is 8 for 12 at the plate through the first four games.

Burns went 0-3 with a 4.57 ERA in eight starts over 13 appearances for the Reds last season.

Pirates RHP Bubba Chandler will square off with Reds LHP Brandon Williamson on Tuesday in their first starts of the season.

The Cincinnati Reds ran their win streak to three games on Monday with a hotly contested 2-0 shutout victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates in the series opener between the NL Central rivals in Great American Ball Park.

Of note was the manner in which the Reds won, as Chase Burns got his first start of the 2026 season and fired 5.0 IP of scoreless, one-hit ball. He struck out 7, walked 3, and generally looked like his completely dominant best self across 78 pitches, putting largely to bed the worries about the de-load outing he dealt with late in spring camp. On top of that, Jose Franco fired 1.2 IP of mostly impressive ball in his big league debut, Graham Ashcraft was electric in fanning a trio in 1.1 IP, and Connor Phillips flashed some pretty electric breaking stuff to lock down his first career save.

Not to be outdone by his fellow new Reds, Sal Stewart had another brilliant day by going 1 for 2 with a pair of walks and a run scored, and Will Benson chipped in with an RBI triple that plated a rumblin’, bumblin’, stumblin’ Eugenio Suarez all the way from 1B in the process.

Speaking of Sal…

What stood out in this one, I think, is just how much the Reds always felt firmly in command despite the game being close throughout. A quiet confidence, I’d say, which is an odd sight for a team who so obviously leaned on players who are very much still establishing themselves. Stewart entered play today as a 22 year old with 71 career big league PA, Phillips notched his first career save, Franco made his big league debut, and the win for Burns was his first as a big leaguer (and just his 8th at any level as a professional).

Other Notes

• Elly De La Cruz drew a walk and singled on a sharp liner up the middle, but he also was thrown out trying to steal 2B for his first CS of the season.
• Through four games, a Reds club that averaged dang near 200 steals a season across David Bell’s final two seasons has just 1 (one) steal as a team.
• Tyler Stephenson and Ke’Bryan Hayes both went hitless again and neither has managed a base knock yet this year. No pressure!
• Tuesday’s game between these two is also slated for a 6:40 PM ET start, and lefty Brandon Williamson will get the start for Cincinnati. Pittsburgh will send out top prospect Bubba Chandler for his first start of 2025 after he impressed in 7 G at the end of the 2025 season at age-22.

Chase Burns will make his season debut for the Cincinnati Reds in Great American Ball Park on Monday night, and he’ll do so with the Pittsburgh Pirates in town for an NL Central clash.

First pitch is set for 6:40 PM ET, and the lineups are listed below.

Go Reds!

You may recall some of the highlights (and lone true lowlight) of Chase Burns’ rookie campaign in 2025.

He began his year in late June by striking out just about every single New York Yankee that came to the plate against him only to get lit up by a Boston Red Sox club in his second start (once they realized he was tipping his pitches).

That wrinkle was immediately ironed out, and over his final 11 games of the season he thre 38.0 IP of 3.32 ERA ball (with a microscopic 2.16 FIP) buttressed by an absurd 59/14 K/BB. All that came as he juggled a sore forearm and almost a month off, and it came in a hybrid role that featured multiple innings most times out but not as a fully stretched-out starter.

The former #2 overall draft pick is set for his 2026 debut on Monday evening in Great American Ball Park against the Pittsburgh Pirates as the 2-1 Cincinnati Reds play host to their longtime NL Central rivals for the first time this season. Burns, with all the talent in the world, is still a bit of a mystery, as he de-loaded towards the end of spring camp after not responding as well to his ramp-up as he and the Reds had hoped.

In other words, he enters this first start of the season completely healthy, but without the expectation that he’ll throw 100 pitches and try to get through 7 frames. How, exactly, the Reds use him remains to be seen, especially since the rest of the rotation is already dealing with the elbow surgery on Hunter Greene and Nick Lodolo’s IL stint due to blisters.

What we do know is that when he’s on the mound, he’s going to be chucking 100+ mph heaters and his knee-buckling slider, a combo that already has him among the most feared arms in the sport.

The Reds will roll out a lineup featuring most of the usuals up top, though Will Benson will get another start in RF in this one as Pittsburgh sends RHP Braxton Ashcraft to the mound.

It’s a 6:40 PM ET start time for this one in GABP, and you’ll be able to watch the Reds.TV broadcast just about anywhere it’s available.

Sal Stewart hit 5 homers for the Cincinnati Reds once called upon for the stretch run of the 2025 season, and he backed it up with a pair of hits (and 4 RBI) in Cincinnati’s brief postseason play against the Los Angeles Dodgers. People saw him. People became aware of him. The brash rookie in Cincinnati looked ‘ready’ to be a big leaguer, but none of it shot him up to the elite echelon of Top 100 prospect lists, or anything.

After how last season ended, people thought he was a big leaguer.

After the first weekend of the 2026 season, people are beginning to think he may alter the entire franchise’s direction.

Sal eyed up a Boston Red Sox pitching staff that had been revamped with elite arms all winter and mowed right through them with nary an overlooked PA. He went 7 for 10 with 3 doubles, a homer, 3 walks, and not a single strikeout as Cincinnati won 2 of 3 in Great American Ball Park, even putting his stamp on the ball on pitches that should have otherwise tied him up completely.

He mastered lefty ace Garrett Crochet. That clip above is him manhandling precisely the pitch that Sonny Gray – who Reds fans know quite well – wanted him to swing at. Sal, as of this morning, sits atop MLB leaderboards in wOBA, wRC+, rOBA, OPS+, and OBP, among many others.

It’s an impossibly small sample size, yes. If he’d not made his big league debut last fall and this was all we’d ever had to see of him at the big league level, this outbreak would merely be filed next to Jason Vosler and Austin Wynns in the annals of Great Starts to Seasons. But, if we stretch our world view back to when Sal first hit the scene on September 1st of 2025, it’s beginning to look like ‘atop the leaderboards’ is precisely where we should expect to find him.

Among the 297 players who have logged at least 50 PA since 9/1/25, Sal’s .443 wOBA ranks 8th best, right ahead of Houston Astros slugger Yordan Alvarez, ahead of New York Mets star Juan Soto (.419), and just a hair behind a guy in 6th place on that list named Shohei Ohtani (.458). His 1.042 OPS ranks 9th, his .338 ISO 6th.

These aren’t fluky numbers, either, as he’s been hitting the absolute snot out of the ball. His 96.2 EV in that time ranks 3rd (behind only Washington’s James Wood and New York Mets slugger Aaron Judge), while his 56.0% hard-hit % ranks 15th out of that 297 player group. His expected batting average and expected slugging percentage both also track with his actual numbers – meaning it’s not as if he’s lucking into this productions – and the end result is an expected wOBA (xwOBA) of .442 in that time.

That’s 4th best in all of baseball, right ahead of Mike Trout (.426), Ronald Acuña, Jr. (.425), and Juan Soto (.423), while trailing only Judge, Seattle’s Dominic Canzone, and Ohtani. That’s as elite as it gets, isn’t it?

As with any player, there will be ebbs and flows to this kind of production. Believe it or not, Sal did go 0 for 4 with a strikeout in his penultimate start in 2025 against the Pirates, for example. Still, as the sample size begins to grow, it’s looking more and more like that polished, impressive hitter we’ve seen all the way through the minors might actually be that good as a big leaguer, too, or perhaps – he’s still just 22 years old – even better.

He’s certainly making the case right now that he’s not the bat who’s job it should be to ‘protect’ Elly De La Cruz in the lineup. He’s the bat who’s about to need some protecting, since I don’t think we’re going to go too much longer with pitching staffs simply trying to rear back and chuck it by the rookie to see what he’s made of.

Maybe I’m just dating myself, or simply putting the cart impossibly far in front of the horse, but it’s enough to make the brain recall a similar start to a pair of careers in Cincinnati – one featuring a consensus top prospect in the game who had all the tools and a swing that may have ended up being the slightest bit too free and another, slightly overlooked 1B whose mastery of the strike zone ended up propelling him up offensive leaderboards from the moment he stepped to the plate.

Not to shoehorn one, both, or either into those archtypes, but it certainly has made my brain do some comparisons over the last few days. We did get a pair of NL Central titles out of that run, too.

The initial plan for the Cincinnati Reds’ rotation to open the season — the “six-for-five” plan that operated as a condensed six-man rotation — was going to solve a lot of early problems for the Reds. By having six built-up and impactful starting pitchers on the roster, the Reds were going to have the length and the depth to withstand the hiccups that inevitably pop up early in the year.

Then, literally with the snap of a finger as Nick Lodolo got a blister during his final start of the spring, the plan changed. Lodolo opened the year on the IL, and the six-for-five plan was scrapped.

As a result, this is a big week upcoming for the Reds’ starting rotation. There are going to be challenges as the unit works to cover length before pitchers are built up all the way to 100 pitches. The current construction of the bullpen compounds some of those issues.

Andrew Abbott, Brady Singer and Rhett Lowder averaged 81 pitches during their first starts of the season. Chase Burns, whose deload situation prevented him from building all the way up during spring, takes the ball tonight. Brandon Williamson is built up, but he has barely pitched in the big leagues since 2023 and the Reds will have to watch his innings this year.

Burns and Williamson are about to make their season debuts. And then, Terry Francona says, the second start of the year for all of the Reds’ starting pitchers is the one that you have to pay extra attention to.

“It’s not today’s start, it’s the (second) start,” Francona said. “They’re usually all geeked up today, throwing harder than they usually do. It’s the next start that you pay attention to more.”

The Reds are opening the year with Hunter Greene and Nick Lodolo on the IL. Lodolo threw a bullpen on Sunday, is set to pitch a rehab game on Friday (pending weather logistics) and would be eligible to return on April 8. That best-case scenario would only result in two starts missed from Lodolo after beginning the year on the IL. Greene is on track to return in July.

“Obviously, you want us to be in (the rotation),” Lodolo said. “We want to be in it to. We have a solid group top to bottom. Whatever guy we have going out there, we have a chance to win the game. That’s a good feeling. I’ve said all along that it’s going to take everybody. In the first week of the season, it’s taking everybody.”

Greene and Lodolo have a chase as the best two starters on the team. The Abbott-Singer-Lowder-Burns-Williamson rotation still looks good on paper.

“It’s pretty solid, especially for it to be kind of our skeleton crew,” Williamson said. “It’s a pretty impressive skeleton crew. We’ve got to go out and perform. On paper, it’s pretty good.”

The Reds’ current five active starting pitchers have the talent to keep the Reds in the game every night and win the Reds games often.

The question right now is length.

You don’t want to mess up your bullpen in April, especially if you’re a Reds team that doesn’t have many relievers with usable minor league options.

Following shorter starts to open the season, Terry Francona has already had to make bigger asks from the bullpen. In 2025, Tony Santillan (the Reds’ typical eighth inning reliever) pitched in a high-leverage seventh inning six total times. Francona had Santillan pitch in that spot during his first appearance of the season. Then, Francona asked Emilio Pagán to deliver his first four-out save as a Red (Pagán blew the save on Saturday).

The off day on Friday helped a bullpen that had seven of its eight pitchers appear in multiple games during the opening series of the season. On top of that, Francona has said that Burns may end up “an inning short” in his build up, so that bullpen may have to cover notable ground tonight.

The six-for-five plan was supposed to help with all of that. In that ideal world, tonight, Williamson could be following Burns as a multi-inning pitcher who can make an impact in a close game. The Reds don’t have that luxury right now. As you look down as the scorecard during the game and consider the options in the bullpen, you can feel the limitations of a team that doesn’t have a long reliever with any big league experience. There’s no Nick Martinez or Brent Suter in sight. That made Connor Phillips’ very efficient two inning relief appearance on Saturday extra meaningful for the Reds.

The only real length in the bullpen at all right now comes from prospect Jose Franco, a surprise addition to the Opening Day roster who’s on the roster to be a low-leverage long guy (his role feels similar to the Reds’ approach with Chase Petty last June).

“He’s our length guy,” Francona said. “If we use him, we’d revisit it to see what kind of shape our bullpen is in.”

If the Reds continue getting shorter starts, there’s a scenario this week where Franco would be needed to pitch multiple innings of relief in a close game where the Reds have the lead. That wouldn’t be an ideal spot to make your MLB debut. More likely, he’d pitch in a game where the Reds have fallen behind due to a subpar day from the pitching staff. Francona said that they’re not going to treat Franco like a traditional reliever and have him do things like pitch on back-to-back days.

The scarcity of relievers with minor league options (just Franco, Graham Ashcraft and Connor Phillips — the latter two look like leverage relievers right now) makes the math at the back of the roster more difficult. Aside from Franco, the Reds don’t really have the ability to churn through relievers at the back of the roster. And if you option Franco, you lose your length.

The Reds just have to get through the next week or two, which includes an off day on Thursday before a stretch of 10 games in a row. Lodolo could be back in the near future, which would really help and bring back the possibility of six-for-five.

It’s still too early to look at what the Reds could do with their pitching staff when he’s back. Things can change very quickly.

Also, the good news for the Reds is that by the middle of April, the starting pitchers should effectively all be built up to throw around 100 pitches as they’d have a few regular season starts under their belts.

The initial plan coming out of spring training was to end the six-for-five plan around the middle of April. Recognizing the importance of keeping as much starting pitching depth as possible, the Reds were going to go back to a traditional rotation and likely option a starter to Triple-A (if everything had worked out perfectly) because of the importance of keeping every pitcher built up. Having one guy throw four innings and another throw three doesn’t work in late April, when you want your starters consistently throwing around 100 pitches.

To get through this upcoming stressful stretch for Reds’ pitching (on top of all of this, Singer kept looking at the finger where he had a blister recently during his start on Saturday), the Reds will need pitch efficiency from their young guys. Lowder did his part on Sunday with five strong innings, and he’ll be able to go deeper into the game as his pitch count builds up. He did a great job against the Red Sox of using his four-pitches pretty evenly and using his pitch mix to keep hitters off-balanced. He typically had the right answer in his arsenal for the situation he was in.

Right now, the Reds need Lowder, Burns and Williamson to pitch like veterans.

“Burns is so nasty, he’s going to have an easy (learning) curve,” Williamson said. “Lowder is such a good pitcher. He’ll adapt well. I’m pitching as well as I ever have. We just have to go out and see. None of us have a meaningful rep yet. We’ve just got to see.”

Burns will start tonight against the Pirates. He had a very up and down spring. He has truly elite stuff. But there were stretches where his command was shaky. Then, with an inconsistent routine, Burns had a day where his range of motion wasn’t 100% and the deload situation ensued.

The good news for the Reds is he looked as good as he ever has during his final start of the spring, five very efficient innings (68 pitches) against the Brewers last week. He felt much smoother with his delivery, and he also benefited from not necessarily trying to throw 105 mph and strike out the world. He was more of a pitcher.

This is going to be another season where the Reds need very young pitching to develop very quickly.

“The biggest thing is competing and keeping that at the forefront,” Lodolo said. “When you’re competing, it’ll bring the best pitcher out of you. Then, being in the zone. As you go a long, you figure out things about yourself. People can talk to you about it, but you don’t really understand it until you do it yourself.”

In the 2025 season there were some real ups and downs for Cincinnati Reds pitching prospect Chase Petty. On the “up” side of the ledger was that he had a strong first half in Triple-A and he made his big league debut. On the “down” side of things he really struggled in both his time in the big leagues and in the second half of the year with Louisville. Overall it was probably a season he’d like to move past and move forward.

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In his 2026 debut on Opening Night with Louisville he certainly looked like he had moved past and moved forward. Working on a limited pitch count in his first start and in cold weather he was dominant in his 4.2 innings where he didn’t allow a run, walked just one hitter, struck out eight, and he had 18 swings and misses in the game.

Chase Petty has real good stuff. He always has, but over the last few years it has gotten better. He added a cutter two years ago that took his stuff to another level. This year he hasn’t quite added a “new” pitch, but in his debut his change up was an entirely different looking pitch than what it has looked like in the past.

During the game he threw the change up 21 times. The Omaha Storm Chasers chose to swing at 12 of them. They missed eight of them. They took another three of them for called strikes.

Obviously the results were good. But that’s not so much what we’re here to talk about. Petty has had good results in the past. What was different in 2026 was how much the pitched differed from the past when it comes to movement.

The change up tends to look like a fastball and it moves similarly to one, too. At least for a while. They will have more sink/drop to them at the end, and they usually also have a little extra horizontal movement to them, too. Last year Petty threw a 4-seam fastball and a 2-seam fastball to go along with his change up (among other offerings). The 2-seamer had 1.5 more inches of “sink” to it than the 4-seamer did. The change up had 2.3 more inches of “sink” to it than the 2-seamer and 4.9 more inches of sink than the 4-seamer (rounding here adds that extra 0.1).

This season, though, the change up showed a whole lot more additional “sink” than that. The movement on both his 4-seamer and 2-seamer wasn’t changed from his averages from 2025. But the change up this year? It’s got nearly four inches more “sink” than the change up last year. In the opener the change up had a 7.5 inch difference in sink than the 4-seamer and 6.2 inches versus the 2-seamer.

It’s just one start, but it showed us something new and something different. And the results of that new and different change up were outstanding. Baseball Prospectus’ PitchPro grades out the pitch significantly better than his 2025 change up. Last year the pitch graded out at a +0.7 runs per 100 thrown (below 0.0 is above-average, while above 0.0 is below-average – like golf, you want a lower number as a pitcher). The pitch from the opener graded out at -1.0 runs per 100 thrown. It’s worth noting here that these metrics are not determined by what happens to the pitch, but the characteristics of the pitch. Here’s the quick explainer from Baseball Prospectus (if you want all of the gory details, click here):

At a high-level StuffPro and PitchPro are measures of the value of a pitch—scaled to runs per 100 pitches, with negative values favoring the pitcher—based solely on the physical characteristics of the pitch and its release, the handedness of the batter, the count in which it was thrown, and—in the case of PitchPro—the location it crossed the plate. More specifically, the metrics utilize machine learning to predict the probability of any given outcome of a pitch based on the aforementioned factors, and these probabilities are then multiplied by the run value of each potential event and summed to provide the total expected run value of the pitch. On our scales, a value of -2 for StuffPro or PitchPro is considered elite for an individual pitch and a value of -1.25 is considered elite for a pitcher’s arsenal.

Now, there’s obviously a lot more to it all than just that. Being more analytical today helps, but just like when we didn’t have access to all of this data there were guys with “great stuff” who simply couldn’t make it all work together. That’s a story as old as time.

All of that to say that this is just one start. But the results were outstanding. The metrics from that one start on the change up look very promising. And keep an eye on that pitch as we move forward because if it’s anything like it was in game one then it could be a bit of a game changer for the Reds #5 prospect.

The post Reds prospect Chase Petty unveils a new pitch in 2026 debut appeared first on redsminorleagues.com.

It’s impossible to tell which side is enjoying this more.

Eugenio Suárez is back with the Cincinnati Reds in 2026, and the crowd is on its feet before each of his at-bats with everyone at Great American Ball Park anticipating that big swing. On Sunday, Suárez had that moment with a three-run homer that gave the Reds all of their offense for the day in a 3-2 win over the Boston Red Sox.

Every Reds’ player, everyone on the staff and every fan who wears a jersey is thrilled to see him back in Cincinnati.

“(Sunday), that’s a game that last year, we lose a lot of times,” Terry Francona said. “We were kind of frustrated. We had some hits, but we didn’t bunch them together. But all of a sudden, they try to sneak a fastball by him and it completely changes a game. That didn’t happen a lot. That’s why we got Geno.”

Suárez looks like he’s appreciating this reunion just as much.

He smiles as he discusses the familiar local spots that he’s going to again. Suárez had his family at this season-opening series, and his daughters were doings Reds cheers in the car ride to the ballpark before Opening Day. Suárez recorded a video message for his wife on the scoreboard during the game on Saturday to wish her a happy birthday.

This weekend, Dave Concepcion presented Suárez the Luis Aparicio Award, which recognizes great seasons by Venezuelan players in MLB. He also gets to say, “Have a good day, Jim Day,” again.” He’s doing six-seven dances with Elly De La Cruz.

Suárez is back home in Cincinnati, playing for a good team and making a big impact.

“This series was very good for us,” Suárez said. “We played very good baseball. That’s a good series for us to know how good we are. We played together. Winning this first series is big… We’ve got a really good group to do something special this year.”

For most of the day on Sunday, the game was a story that we’ve seen dozens and dozens of times in recent years from the Reds. A left-handed starting pitcher (this time Connelly Early of the Boston Red Sox) was using a lot of pitches, moving them around, throwing strikes and shutting down the Reds’ lineup. Boston took a 2-0 lead into the sixth inning, and setup reliever Greg Weissert took the ball with a runner on base in the inning to face the middle of the Reds’ lineup.

Following a walk from the red-hot Sal Stewart, Suárez stepped up to the plate with two runners on.

Suárez demolished a fastball into the second deck as the Reds took a 3-2 lead.

“I never try for homers,” Suárez said. “I put my best swing on it. I know what I can do with it. I’m not coming to hit homers every time. My swing is right there. I want to put my best swing on it and swing at strikes, and I’ll get the results at some point. Today is one of those days.”

He said that he made an adjustment recently to be more on-time against fastballs and to not let the fastball beat him. Before batting practice on Saturday, hitting coach Chris Valaika was working with Suárez on the stride as he moves his leg forward toward the ball during his swing. Before the game on Sunday, Suárez took some extra swings during optional on-field batting practice.

The adjustments worked, and Suárez provided a moment that sent the dugout and the home crowd into a big celebration.

“It was electric,” Dane Myers said. “That’s the reason we got him, to get big hits like that. He’s a special teammate, a special person and an even better ballplayer.”

Suárez is one of the great game-changers in baseball.

Between 2023 and 2025, Suárez has the eighth most games in all of MLB where he had three+ RBI and his team won. In 2025, he was tied with Kyle Schwarber for delivering the second-biggest number of those games (three+ RBI in a team win).

Between 2023 and 2025, Suárez has the 16th-most games in MLB where he had a homer and his team also won. In 2025, he was tied for eighth in that stat.

When Suárez has a big swing, big things happen and his team wins. It’ll be fun to track how many games his power wins the Reds this year.

“The guy is worth every penny,” said reliever Brock Burke, who officially picked up the win on Sunday. “From a bullpen perspective, it’s a guy you have to worry about at all times. Any time you get to that part of the lineup, you have to worry about having a (plan) for that guy. If you don’t he’s going to make you pay.”

The Reds did a lot of things very well as they took the series-opening series against a good Red Sox team. Andrew Abbott and Rhett Lowder looked great in their starts, and Brady Singer grinded through a finger issue to keep the Reds in Saturday’s game. Since the Reds weren’t getting long starts, the bullpen stepped up, covered more innings than is usual and kept runs off the board.

The defense was crisp. The base running was mostly sharp. The ABS challenge strategy was strong. Stewart looks superhuman, and Francona said about the rookie cleanup hitter, “I know that I’ve been saying for a while that he’s an advanced young hitter. What he is is an advanced hitter.” McLain looks rejuvenated.

Despite all of that though, the biggest difference between the 2025 Reds and the 2026 Reds is that the team has Suárez’s power presence this year.

“He’s happy to be here,” Francona said. “We’re thrilled to have him. He lifts everyone up. We already had a great group. But he adds a lot.”

Eugenio Suarez hit a three-run home run and the Cincinnati Reds beat the Boston Red Sox 3-2 on Sunday to win their season-opening series.

Suarezs homer, his first since rejoining the Reds this offseason, came on an 0-2 pitch from Greg Weissert with two runners aboard in the sixth to put Cincinnati ahead 3-2.

It was his 190th homer in a Reds uniform, one shy of Brandon Phillips for 12th on the franchises all-time list.

Wilyer Abreu went 6 for 13 for Boston in the three-game series with two home runs, two doubles and four RBIs.

Connelly Early, 23, was the youngest pitcher to start one of the Red Sox first three games in a season since Jeff Sellers in 1987 and the youngest left-hander to do so since Billy Rohr in 1967.

Early pitched 5 1/3 innings, allowing one earned run on five hits with two walks and five strikeouts over 96 pitches.

Reds rookie Rhett Lowder made his first appearance since Sept. 28, 2024, after missing the entire 2025 season with both a right forearm strain and left oblique strain.

Abreu, who tied the score in the ninth on Saturday with a two-out solo homer, hit a two-run homer off Lowder in the fourth to put Boston ahead 2-0.

Lowder allowed two runs on three hits with two walks and five strikeouts on 86 pitches through five innings.

The Red Sox had runners on first and third in the eighth, but Tony Santillan struck out Caleb Durbin to end the inning.

They had the tying and go-ahead runners aboard in the ninth, but Emilio Pagan got Trevor Story to fly out to center for the final out.

Reds designated hitter Sal Stewart, who went 7 for 10 in the series, went 2 for 2 with a double and two walks.

Red Sox: Left-hander Ranger Suarez is scheduled to start Monday's series opener in Houston.

Reds: Right-hander Chase Burns is scheduled to start Monday's series opener in Pittsburgh.

The Louisville Bats wasted no time on Sunday, scoring six runs in the 1st inning and never looking back. The pitchers racked up a ton of strikeouts once again in the 10-4 win that saw the Bats sweep the opening series and move to 3-0 on the year.

Through Friday the 10th I will be including the Top 25 Prospect Rundown here on the site and game notes, but after that if you would like to get that each and every day, you can get it emailed to you every morning during the season by signing up at Patreon and helping support the site.

The Louisville Bats won 10-4. Box Score

• Blake Dunn went 2-4 with two steals, two runs, a walk, and an RBI.
• Rece Hinds went 2-2 with two walks, a run, and an RBI.
• JJ Bleday went 1-2 with two walks and a run.
• Christian Encarnacion-Strand went 2-4 with two RBI.
• Michael Chavis went 1-4 with a walk, double, two runs, and two RBI.
• Will Banfield went 1-4 with a walk, home run (1), two runs, and two RBI.
• Davis Daniel allowed two runs in 4.0 innings with a walk and six strikeouts.
• Darren McCaughan allowed a run in 3.0 innings with six strikeouts.
• Julian Garcia allowed a run in 2.0 innings with two walks and three strikeouts.

Game Notes

The Bats scored six runs in the bottom of the 1st inning and did so in a lot of ways. There were two walks and a hit batter that led to baserunners. Two sacrifice flies produced runs. And there was both an RBI double and a 2-run home run in the inning.

Blake Dunn got on base four times in the game and got on base eight times in the series (good for a .500 on-base percentage).

Rece Hinds did even better. He also got on base four times in this game and in the series he got on base nine times. He’s hitting .545 with three walks and three strikeouts in the three games this year. As I type this, which is 4:10pm ET on Sunday, Rece Hinds has the hardest hit baseball this year at 115 MPH in all of professional baseball (MLB and AAA) during the regular season. He also has the 5th hardest hit baseball at 114.1 MPH.

Louisville hitters had nine walks on the day and just eight strikeouts. The team is hitting .301/.413/427 through the first three games of the season.

The Bats pitchers combined for 15 strikeouts. They had 17 on Saturday and 14 in the season opener.

Top Pitch Velocity: Julian Garcia – 95.4 MPH (strikeout)

Top Exit Velocity: Rece Hinds – 114.1 MPH (single)

Furthest Hit Baseball: Will Banfield – 431 feet (home run)

Top 25 Prospects Rundown

With just Cincinnati and Louisville playing the rundown is going to be a bit empty with information for the next few days until other teams begin to play.

3/30 Game Preview

The post Cincinnati Reds Minor League Game Review: March 29, 2026 appeared first on redsminorleagues.com.

During the final week of spring training, Terry Francona was looking for Dane Myers.

Myers had a day off from Cactus League action that day, but he still was grinding through drills at the team complex in Goodyear, Arizona. By the time that Myers was done with his workout, Francona had already started his drive to where the Reds were playing their road spring training game that day.

Francona linked up with Myers over the phone.

“I was nervous making the call, whether he had good or bad news for me,” Myers said. “It was good news.”

Francona told Myers that he had made the Reds’ Opening Day roster.

The Reds traded for Myers for a reason back in December. Then in spring training, he looked like a better player than he had previously been in the big leagues. Myers needed a change of scenery. Even though he’s a bench guy on the Reds this year, he’s better center field depth than the Reds have had in a while.

On Saturday, Myers showed his first glimpse of the impact that he can make in Cincinnati as he delivered the walk-off single in a 6-5 win over the Red Sox in 11 innings.

“I feel like I have the full confidence from the team, staff and players,” Myers said. “It’s easy to go up there and feel confident in myself.”

The conversations with Francona, hitting coach Chris Valaika and his new teammates and coaches have gone along way.

Let’s go back to that phone call between Myers and Francona from late in the spring.

“He laid it out, what he expected of me and how proud he was of how I went about my work in spring training,” Myers said.

Myers told his manager, “I take pride in trying to play the game th right way. We have a deep team, so I know I won’t be playing every day. I want to come in and help the team win. That’s fun for me to do.”

Myers made it clear during spring training that he does the little things very well. He’s a playmaker in center field, and Myers was in the game on Saturday because of his defense (he was a ninth inning defensive replacement who entered the game when the Reds had the lead, and stayed in following the blown save). Francona has raved about Myers’ reads on the bases.

Myers is also known for his ability to hit lefties. On his career, he has a .295 average vs. LHP. Ironically, his first plate appearance as a Red — the walk-off single — was against a right-handed reliever, Justin Slaten of the Red Sox. Francona said postgame, “We got him here to face some left-handers, and he gets thrust into that. We’ll take it.”

Myers’ mindset during the at-bat was to make contact, put the ball in play and make something happen. He got the hit against the righty.

“He’s a good baseball player,” Spencer Steer said. “He’s taking really good at-bats. There’s not really bad at-bats with him. He was calm, cool and collected. The moment wasn’t too big for him. That’s massive.”

Myers’ confidence showed in that moment, and he has built up that confidence over the last four months.

Myers, who was drafted out of college as a pitcher and started hitting full-time in 2021, made his big league debut with the Marlins in 2023. He was solid in 2024, but his season effectively ended in July due to an ankle injury. In 2025, Myers hit .225 with a .617 OPS and posted a -.1 WAR with the Marlins.

With the Reds, Myers says that he has been able to hit the reset button.

The biggest lesson he learned over the last year, he says, is how tough this league can be. He felt like he needed a “clearer conscious” at the plate. One of his goals for 2026 is to not get too high or too low. He says that being in a good spot — both physically and mentally — is the most important thing for him this year. With the Reds, he says, “I feel I am.”

Myers’ initial conversations with the Reds following the trade that was finalized last December made him feel wanted. The Reds made it clear that they valued his defense and his ability to hit lefties.

Then early in spring training, Myers had important conversations with Francona and Valaika.

“They told me they want me to be myself and play my game,” Myers said. “Hearing that from the jump felt good. That’s pretty powerful. What led to my struggles last year was trying to become someone I wasn’t. Hearing that the staff was confident in me, and them going out and getting me in the offseason, it meant a lot.”

Valaika had some specific ideas to help Myers’ offensively.

“We know he smashes lefties,” Valaika said. “We’re seeing some of the change where he has gotten the ball off the ground to the pull side. When we got him from Miami, we saw the ground ball rate was high. There were mechanical things we’ve thrown at him since he has gotten here. He came in prepared and ready to win a job. He has carried himself well and handled his business.”

Myers’ walk-off single on Saturday was exactly what he had been working on. He pulled the ball in the air to left field.

After TJ Friedl slid in safe as the game winning run, Myers’ new teammates sprinted onto the field to celebrate with him. Myers reached out his arms like airplane wings, and then he chest bumped Connor Phillips and Elly De La Cruz.

“It’s been fun for me,” Myers said. “I joined a good group of guys. I’m trying to fit into the clubhouse. It’s been a smooth transition coming over to a team that expects to win and play meaningful baseball. It’s fun for me. It’s what you dream of. I’m taking whatever role I’m given, and I’m taking it and running with it.”

The Louisville Bats picked up a walk-off win on Saturday to move to 2-0 on the season. They needed extra innings to get the job done, but Rece Hinds provided the game-winning hit in the bottom of the 10th inning to seal the win.

Through Friday the 10th I will be including the Top 25 Prospect Rundown here on the site and game notes, but after that if you would like to get that each and every day, you can get it emailed to you every morning during the season by signing up at Patreon and helping support the site.

The Louisville Bats won 6-5 in 10 innings. Box Score

• Blake Dunn went 1-5 with a walk, double, and 2 runs.
• Edwin Arroyo went 1-3 with a walk.
• Hector Rodriguez went 2-5 with a walk, double, and a run.
• Rece Hinds went 2-5 with a walk and 2 RBI.
• Michael Chavis went 1-5 with a run.
• Christian Encarnacion-Strand went 2-5 with a home run (1), 2 runs, and 2 RBI.
• Michael Toglia went 2-5 with a double and an RBI.
• P.J. Higgins went 0-1 with 3 walks.
• Julian Aguiar threw 3.2 shutout innings with two walks and five strikeouts.
• Lyon Richardson threw 1.2 perfect innings of relief with two strikeouts.
• Andrew Chafin threw a hitless inning with three strikeouts.
• Yunior Marte threw a perfect inning with two strikeouts.
• Tejay Antone threw 1.1 perfect innings with 2 strikeouts.

Game Notes

Louisville never trailed in the game until the top of the 9th. Omaha scored three runs off of Luis Mey to grab a 5-3 lead. In the bottom of the 9th Michael Chavis picked up a 1-out single and three pitches later Christian Encarnacion-Strand homered to center to tie the game up. After Tejay Antone threw a perfect 10th inning to strand the “free runner”, the Bats went to work in their half. Edwin Arroyo laid down a sacrifice bunt to move Blake Dunn up to third and then Rece Hinds pulled a ball past a diving third baseman for a walk-off single.

Hector Rodriguez picked up a bunt single in the 1st inning. Going back to the start of 2025 season he’s put down eight bunts and seven of them have turned into hits. He was intentionally walked in the 10th inning. Rodriguez has two hits in each of the first two games of the season.

On top of picking up the walk-off single, Rece Hinds also had a second single earlier in the game. He’s also had two hits in each of the first two games for the Bats.

Louisville’s pitching staff have 17 strikeouts on the day. They had 14 of them in the first game.

The win was the 3000th in Louisville’s history, which goes back to 1982 when they were then known as the Redbirds. This is the third year in a row that the Bats have won the first two games of the season.

Top Pitch Velocity: Luis Mey – 99.5 MPH (single)

Top Exit Velocity: Michael Toglia – 109.7 MPH (double)

Furthest Hit Baseball: Christian Encarnacion-Strand – 406 feet (home run)

Top 25 Prospects Rundown

With just Cincinnati and Louisville playing the rundown is going to be a bit empty with information for the next few days until other teams begin to play.

3/29 Game Preview

The post Cincinnati Reds Minor League Game Review: March 28, 2026 appeared first on redsminorleagues.com.

Matt McLain had been waiting for this. For all the talk of a fresh start and the message that “it’s time” for the Cincinnati Reds to take the next step, at some point you have to become the team you say you want to be.

On Saturday, the Reds beat the Red Sox, 6-5, in 11 innings on a walkoff single by new Reds outfielder Dane Myers. Baseball is back. The Reds won’t play many games more exciting than this all season. They were facing a good team in front of a big crowd, experiencing the thrill of high-leverage moments and getting a chance to see if the adjustments that players had been working on all spring can actually pay off.

“Under the circumstances, everybody is pretty jazzed up,” Terry Francona said. “There are a lot of people. It’s an exciting game.”

This team has been waiting for these types of games.

“You wait all offseason,” McLain said. “Losing in the playoffs last year, you wait for games like that to feel that rush. To get a good win like that and have Dane walk it off, it was wild.”

The way that it played out might have revealed a lot about the 2026 Reds.

The ABS challenge system swung the game, and McLain called it a “huge weapon” for the Reds. The Red Sox wasted two challenges early and then spent most of the game helpless against home plate umpire CB Bucknor’s bad calls. After the game, Francona didn’t highlight any of the five successful challenges that the Reds used. The manager highlighted a few challenges that Jose Trevino didn’t call for during at-bats from the backup catcher.

Trevino didn’t want to risk it. Not challenging a pitch cost himself a strikeout, but he was thinking about the team over himself. He knew that another Reds’ hitter could use the challenges in a more impactful way.

“That to me is a guy who understands the importance,” Francona said. “It’s not for me, it’s for us.”

Spencer Steer showed the same mentality. As Francona moved a lot of levers late in the game, he ended up needing Steer to play third base. Steer hasn’t taken a grounder at third all year, and he hasn’t played the position since 2023.

Francona checked with Steer, asking if he could play third base. Steer said he’d be fine. Freddie Benavides then looked at Francona and said, “(Steer) is a baseball player.”

Francona said, “To me, even before the game was over, (I knew) we’re alright.”

It was another example of the Reds playing with a winning mindset.

“I like being the guy they can trust to bounce around so they can play the matchups,” Steer said. “It shows the trust in me. It’s not like (third base) is a foreign position. I came up playing third base. I’ve played a ton of innings there. It means a lot that they trust me to do that.”

McLain and Sal Stewart certainly have that mentality, and they carried the Reds’ offense early in the game.

McLain had three hits and two walks. One of his hits was against the pitch that gave him an immensely tough time in 2025: the low and away slider. He was one of the worst hitters in baseball against that pitch last season. McLain worked at it all offseason and all spring, even using a slightly longer bat to help.

McLain saw a low and away slider from Sonny Gray in the second inning on Saturday. McLain crushed it — it literally was the hardest hit ball of his entire MLB career — and delivered an RBI double.

“I’m seeing some of the adjustments pay off. I’m grinding out approaches,” McLain said. “What do I need to beat this guy right now? I’m dialing that in along with some of the swing (adjustments). Then, I’m going out there and competing and being me.”

It’s only Game 2 of the season, but what else is there to say about Stewart? He had two hits, two RBI and a walk and continued his torrid start to the season.

McLain and Stewart also did big things that won’t show up in the statsheet. McLain juked around Sonny Gray to escape a rundown and score a run. Stewart is literally using the entire field, and his opposite field approach shows maturity beyond his years.

The biggest difference between the 2025 Reds and the 2026 Reds might be the presences of McLain and Stewart hitting second and fourth.

Another huge difference is their depth. The Reds used 19 players on Saturday. Each of those players belonged where they were.

“We’ve got a bench that we can really use,” Steer said.

Even bullpen guys who didn’t look as sharp went above and beyond what’s normally asked of them. Tony Santillan’s velocity was down, but he still pitched in an unfamiliar situation (in the seventh inning instead of the eighth inning) and got the job done. Emilio Pagán blew the save, but still he was being asked to get his first four-out save since 2019.

“That’s a lot of innings to cover for our bullpen,” Francona said after a game where starting pitcher Brady Singer only threw four innings. “The guys picked each other up.”

In extra innings, rookie reliever Connor Phillips put the team on his back.

Phillips is one of the best stories on the team. The former top prospect had the worst 2024 season that you could possibly imagine. At this point a year ago, he was dealing with a Thoracic Outlet Syndrome scare, and that injury situation is what led to the Reds moving him to the bullpen.

Last September, Phillips showed what he’s capable of. The Reds wouldn’t have made the playoffs without him last year.

His two shutout innings in extra innings on Saturday were better than anything Phillips did in 2025.

“When he’s in the zone like that, he’s going to be tough for anyone out there,” Pagán said. “(His upside) is however high he wants it to be. He has an elite carry fastball and two really good breaking balls. When he’s able to be in the zone with that kind of stuff, he can be as good as he wants to be.

“That was unbelievable,” Steer said of Phillips. “He gave us a chance to win twice. He pounded the zone. His stuff is so good. When he’s around the zone throwing strikes, he’s hard to hit.”

The Reds have a good mix of veteran presences in their bullpen. The group needs more upside. It needs another late game weapon who can get any hitter out.

Phillips fooled some guys on Saturday. Embracing the moment, he showed more emotion than I’ve ever seen from him. He wrapped up the 10th inning with a flyout, and his huge celebration began even before the ball was caught.

“There’s a lot of energy going on,” Phillips said. “I just felt good today. It’s team ball. It’s everybody coming together and having each other’s backs. That’s what happened today.”

Myers delivered the final blow, singling to left field in the 11th inning to win it. While Myers is the fifth outfielder, he’s more intriguing than several regulars that the Reds have had in recent seasons. He hits the ball hard, runs very well, has good strike zone judgement and plays great defense. He’s a classic change of scenery guy, and the Reds are a good fit for him.

Phillips and Myers ended up being the heroes, which is a testament to depth that the Reds haven’t had in years.

It’s still only Game 2, and the Reds haven’t accomplished anything yet this year. All of their work is still in front of them, which came up in most of the postgame interviews on Saturday.

“There’s a lot of baseball left,” McLain said. “We’ve got to continue to grind it out, and I’m looking forward to it.”

That shouldn’t take away from the excitement of watching a young Reds team play winning baseball at a high level. The little things — challenges, depth, poise, competitiveness — won them a game against a quality team on Saturday.

If the Reds end up having a great season, this is where it started.

“It was awesome,” Steer said. “Games like that are a ton of fun. It’s fun to play meaningful baseball.”

The Reds are in agreement with veteran reliever Andrew Chafin on a minor league contract, as first reflected on the MLB.com transaction log. He has been assigned to Triple-A Louisville. Dusty Baker of Louisville’s NBC affiliate reports that Chafin has already reported to the team and will be active for the Bats’ season opener tonight.

Chafin was granted his release from a minor league deal with the Twins last week. The 35-year-old southpaw had spent Spring Training with Minnesota. He tossed six innings of two-run ball, striking out five while issuing three walks. Chafin’s four-seam fastball and sinker each averaged 85.7 mph this spring.

Power has never really been Chafin’s game. His fastball was once in the 93-94 mph range but has hovered in the low-90s over the past few seasons. He averaged a career-low 89.7 mph a year ago. Dropping four ticks from that already modest level is an obvious concern. The Reds will hope that Chafin regains some zip as he builds into regular season game shape.

Chafin has pitched parts of 12 seasons in the big leagues. Despite lacking huge velocity, he has never had issues missing bats with his slider. Chafin struck out a quarter of opponents while turning in a 2.41 earned run average over 33 2/3 MLB innings between the Angels and Nationals last year. Chafin’s 13.3% walk rate was alarming, though, and he was unable to win a spot in a wide open Minnesota bullpen out of camp.

The Reds have two left-handers in their Opening Day bullpen. Trade pickup Brock Burke, a teammate of Chafin’s last year with the Angels, is their top southpaw. Sam Moll is out of options and struggled last season, but he threw well this spring and is in middle relief. Caleb Ferguson will be there once healthy but began the year on the injured list with an oblique strain.

There was no big conversation where Sal Stewart was informed that he was in a position to make history on Opening Day. He learned that he was going to be in the cleanup spot by looking at the lineup and seeing that his name was behind De La Cruz’s.

“I know what that (means),” Stewart said. “(Terry Francona) doesn’t have to come tell me. I know the expectations he has for me. I know what that comes with. I’m ready. I really, really am ready. I’m confident in what I’m going to be able to do. Now, I’ve got to go out there and prove to myself what I think I am.”

When Francona finalized the lineup for the season opener, Stewart became the first rookie to ever hit cleanup for Terry Francona on Opening Day throughout the manager’s 25-year career. Stewart is set up to become the first rookie to be a regular cleanup hitter for Francona since Scott Rolen in 1997, and Stewart was also the first Reds rookie to hit cleanup on Opening Day since Clyde Vollmer in 1947.

Then in the season opener against the Red Sox, a 3-0 loss for the Reds, Stewart recorded three of the Reds’ four hits and became the first Reds’ rookie since 1958 (when rookie rules were established) to record three-plus hits on Opening Day.

“He’s a very good hitter,” Francona said.

Moving Stewart up to the cleanup spot, ahead of Eugenio Suárez, served a few purposes. It broke up in the order two strikeout-prone players in Elly De La Cruz and Suárez. Stewart has really impressed with his speed, which will give Suárez chances to drive in more runs.

Stewart earned it. He’s 22 years old, but he looks the part of a cleanup hitter.

“It feels really good to know that Tito has that faith in me,” Stewart said. “That’s a really big compliment. I know that. I definitely don’t take it lightly. I trust Tito. I really do. He is who he is because he knows what he’s doing. Wherever he put me, I would have been happy.”

Everyone in the clubhouse knows what the Reds have in Stewart. Spencer Steer says he’d be shocked if Stewart wasn’t the NL Rookie of the Year this year. Stewart’s nickname, “Salbert,” is a reference to Albert Pujols. Suárez praises Stewart’s “strike zone nose.”

Stewart is young, but he brings a different element to the Reds’ lineup. He’s already one of their most well-rounded, balanced and confident hitters.

“I see how good he is,” Suárez said. “He has that talent. Hitting behind him is going to help him and help me, too. I told him you don’t have to put pressure on yourself. Be you.”

Stewart says that’s the best advice he received leading up to the start of the season.

“There will be ups and downs,” Stewart said. “I understand that. The more I can minimize those, the better I’ll be. I’m excited.”

On Opening Day, Stewart was unabashedly himself.

He pounded his chest six times after a double, and then when play stopped he kept chirping back at the Reds’ dugout as he took off the protective gear that he was wearing for his at-bats. As he took his lead off of second base, he bounced around the base line and fought for every inch.

Stewart appreciated the opportunity he had on Thursday. For a second, it looked like his day would end in devastating fashion.

In something that you rarely see, during the fifth inning, Stewart was hit right in the left wrist by a rocket line drive off the bat of Roman Anthony.

“At first, I think he thought it was broken,” Francona said. “You could tell by the way he acted.”

Once the shock wore off, Stewart made it clear that he was staying in the game. Once Stewart learned that his wrist wasn’t broken, he wasn’t going anywhere.

Stewart was checked during the game, and he’ll be evaluated again before Game 2 of the season.

“He’s going to be sore,” Francona said. “That was a bullet. But I think we dodged a big bullet.”

The injury scare became an early piece of the rollercoaster that Stewart is expecting this year.

He’s still just 22 years old. The Reds drafted him out of high school in 2022, and he could still be in college right now. Between 2022 and 2025, the Reds rushed Stewart up through the farm system because he kept on hitting.

This year will include some different tests as Stewart faces the rigors of having big league pitchers game planning specificlaly for him.

“He carries himself years above his age,” hitting coach Chris Valaika said. “I’ve been really pleased with that. With any young player, there will be some ups and downs. Hopefully, more ups than downs with him. The head on his shoulders he has, he’s smart enough to fight through and get over those lulls that happen to every player. I’m excited to see what he can do in a full season in the big leagues. What he showed us last year, being on the playoff roster, having big hits in the postseason, I’m really excited to see what that looks like for 162.”

The Reds have shown a lot of confidence in Stewart’s ability to handle what’s thrown at him. Last year, he was called up for his big league debut to play first base, which was a position that he had barely played in his life. This year, he’s the Reds’ cleanup guy.

In 2025, the Reds never had a set No. 4 hitter behind De La Cruz. Francona’s approach became shuffling the lineup around to get whoever the team’s hottest hitter was at the time into the cleanup spot. But then, whenever a hitter got moved up, they’d struggle, hang their head and then be moved back down in the lineup.

Francona says that he knows that he doesn’t have to worry about Stewart’s confidence.

“Look at where we’re at right now,” Stewart said. “I’m 22, and I’m playing on Opening Day. How grateful am I? How blessed am I?”

MLB has put in place a lot of rule changes over the last six years.

There’s the automatic runner in extra innings, but only a small percentage of games go into extra innings. The pitch clock changed the way that batters and pitchers operate, but there’s no strategy involved and the league has adjusted. The impact of the bigger bases has been minimal. The replay review system on plays in the field mostly cleans up obvious mistakes from umpires. It’s easy to forget that teams are using PitchCom to call pitches now.

The new automated-ball-strike (ABS) challenge system feels much different. This rule change is really changing the game, and teams that figure out ideal strategies to use it are going to have a tangible edge. This is a rule change that we’ll be thinking about every night.

The Red Sox didn’t beat the Reds on Opening Day because Boston had a better overall ABS strategy. But still, Boston’s usage of the ABS system ended up swinging the game.

“This is all new,” Tyler Stephenson said. “By the end of the season and moving forward, it’ll be second nature. We’re still getting a feel for it… You want to save them late, but if you’re in a situation in the middle of a game where you can use one for a big situation, it for sure needs to be used.”

You could feel the impact of three key challenges on Thursday.

-In the bottom of the fourth inning, Eugenio Suárez was in a 2-2 count. The ensuing pitch was called ball three, but a challenge overturned it to strike three. Without the challenge system, Suárez would have been in a full count. In 2025, he posted a very strong .845 OPS with the count full. But instead of having the chance to hit in that count, because of a successful Boston challenge, Suárez was out.

-One of the Reds’ best chances on Thursday was in the seventh inning. For nearly the entire game, the Reds were facing elite Boston pitching. The exception was the seventh inning as the Reds faced a middling reliever from Boston, righty Justin Slaten. In a 2-1 count, Stephenson took a strike, challenged it and was rewarded with a 3-1 count. The plate appearance ended with a walk.

While the Reds didn’t cash in that scoring opportunity with no outs, Stephenson’s challenge gave the Reds life. The crowd went wild when he won his challenge.

“Going into the season, I thought I wouldn’t challenge that much offensively because I think there will be more value for me specifically, unless it’s something egregious,” Stephenson said. “It was a reaction.”

Stephenson’s reaction being right created what could have been a scoring opportunity.

-The final challenge of the game was the most impactful. In a full count with two outs in the ninth inning, Connor Phillips thought that he had recorded an inning-ending strikeout. Instead, a successful challenge by Boston gave Roman Anthony a walk in a full count. The next batter, Trevor Story, hit an RBI single, and the Red Sox tacked on another run in the inning to take a 3-0 lead.

“Our pitchers are going to have to get used to thinking the inning is over, and it’s not,” Terry Francona said.

Catchers, pitchers, hitters and managers are all adjusting. They’re all figuring out when and when not to challenge, and how to adjust when a challenge doesn’t go your way.

“It can definitely sway the turn of a game,” Graham Ashcraft said. “There can be calls that get overturned that go from a guy getting put on base getting the heart of the lineup up to a guy gets called on ball four and all of a sudden the inning is over and you’ve killed the momentum.”

During spring training, Francona spoke about the importance of saving challenges for late in game. If the Red Sox had burned both of their challenges before the ninth inning, Anthony would have been helpless on the missed call in the ninth inning against Phillips.

But on the other hand, the Reds never got a good chance to use their remaining challenges with the game on the line. You can’t take the challenges with you, and you could probably find a few times during the game where the Reds could have used one.

It’s hard to second guess decisions like this with a brand new system, but the teams that develop the best strategies are going to find value in the margins that can lead to wins.

Opening Day is a very, very small sample size. Really, this game was just a reminder of the impact the challenge system can have. In spring training, the Reds showed some very encouraging signs as they posted the fourth-best challenge success rate in MLB.

During February and March, Reds’ coaches outlined the team’s approach toward challenges.

“We want to stay away from emotional challenges,” hitting coach Chris Valaika said. “Staying away from some two-strike stuff. If everyone in the ballpark knows it’s a ball, go ahead. But you want to stay away from those things. Three ball counts, things where there’s a result tied to it, we’ll try to be more proactive and challenge. Especially 3-0 counts when the zones tend to be the biggest.”

Challenges remind me a lot of fourth-down decisions in the NFL. You can use analytics and identify in advance which counts, which situations and for which hitters challenges can make the biggest impact. Feel also has to be a part of it based on the flow of the game and the style of game that it is.

Right before the start of the season, Francona met with the hitters and the pitchers to go over when and when not to challenge.

“We’ve seen it can alter a game,” Francona said. “We need to remember that.”

Then, Francona saw it alter the Reds’ season opener.

There will be plenty more chances for the Reds this season. Thursday was the first opportunity to get real-time data in meaningful games about ways to use the system. It gave Reds’ players coaches something to think about, and that will be an ongoing process going forward as the Reds figure out the ABS challenge world.

Opening Day in 2026 was Eugenio Suárez’s day.

The pop of the crowd was the loudest when he took the field for pregame introductions. He got another standing ovation when he stepped up to the plate. He had an at-bat with a runner on second, and another with the bases loaded. The crowd at GABP was ready to explode.

Instead, the crowd had to wait. Suárez struck out with the bases loaded in the sixth inning, and he went hitless with three strikeouts in the Reds’ 3-0 loss to the Red Sox.

“It’s a really good pitcher out there,” Sal Stewart said. “Ten out of ten times, I want No. 28 (Eugenio Suárez) in the box. The situation was there. So what? Who cares? Onto tomorrow. We had many chances. We could have had better at-bats as a whole, including myself.”

There are two stats that tells the story of Suárez’s career.

In games that his team wins, Suárez’s career OPS is better than Bryce Harper’s. In games that Suárez’s team loses, his OPS is well below average. Even though he’s participated in more losses (840 games) than wins (790 games) in his MLB career, Suárez has 620 RBI in wins and just 329 RBI in losses.

When he gets the big hit, lots of guys typically score and good things typically happen. But he’s not a guy with the highest batting average.

The math will skew in the Reds’ favor on plenty of nights in 2026. A part of the internal plan for the Reds to be better in 2026 is the fact that Suárez can change the game with a single swing. The 2025 Reds struggled with comebacks, in extra innings and with elite pitching. Suárez will have his signature moments this year where a beautiful power swing carries the team to victory.

But the stats that tell the story of his career are reminders that he’s not going to be the hero every night.

“It’s the first day,” Suárez said. “They pitched well. We did the same. Tomorrow is another day. We’ve got to keep putting pressure on them and see what happens.”

There’s going to be plenty of time to appreciate how important it is for Suárez to be back in Cincinnati. He got to experience some of that already, despite the loss in the season opener.

Suárez took less to return to Cincinnati because of how much he wanted to return to a place he calls home. On Wednesday night, Suárez was preparing for his family flying in to Cincinnati. He went to a familiar Target and a familiar Kroger to get a few things for his kids.

He drove with his kids to GABP on Thursday morning. Suárez didn’t need Google Maps.

“I know all the streets,” Suárez said. “I know my city. I’ve spent eight years here.”

The car ride was a reminder of why he signed with the Reds.

“I see the passion for this game in Cincinnati,” Suárez said “Something that was very special was I drove here and my daughters were in the backseat. They look around. My oldest daughter said let’s go Cincinnati. They booed Boston. That’s very special. They know baseball. They know how big this sport is in Cincinnati.”

There will be plenty of nights that are reminders of why the Reds needed Suárez back so badly. Thursday just wasn’t one of them as the Reds faced eight inning of elite pitching on Thursday.

Crochet, possibly the third-best pitcher in MLB, struck out eight and allowed just three hits in six shutout innings. The Reds tried being aggressive against him, and he just carved them up and stayed very efficient as he only needed six innings.

The only consistent offense from the Reds on Thursday came from Stewart, who became the first Reds’ rookie on record to have three-plus hits on Opening Day. He somehow looked even more energetic, emotional and fiery than he was in 2025.

“He’s Sal being Sal,” Tyler Stephenson said. “Just hitting.”

Stewart pounded his chest six times after a double, and he kept chirping as he took off his protective batting gear at second base. When play resumed, he bounced up and down the base line as he threatened to steal third.

An unforgettable part of this year’s season opener was a moment where there was fear that Stewart had broken his wrist. He took a line drive right to his wrist at third base. As soon as he learned that it wasn’t broken, he decided to simply shake it off.

Against pitchers like Crochet, it’s hard to string together hits and rallies. He had a ridiculous cutter.

“He’s a really good pitcher for a reason,” Stephenson said. “We won’t see many guys better than him this year.”

The Reds’ best chance was with the bases loaded in the sixth.

Their next-best chance was in the seventh, the only inning where the Reds didn’t face a great pitcher.

Crochet, Garrett Whitlock (who posted a 2.25 ERA last year and was a setup guy on Team USA in the WBC) and Aroldis Chapman (one of the best closers in baseball) threw eight of the nine innings. The other went to Justin Slaten, who posted a 4.24 ERA last year and has pitched in 80 career big league games.

Stephenson reached base to open that inning. Then, Will Benson pinch-hit for Noelvi Marte. While Marte has been bad in his career vs. LHP and good vs. RHP, he only faced the left-handed Crochet on Thursday. While Benson pinch-hit for Marte (Benson struck out), No. 9 hitter Ke’Bryan Hayes stayed in the game, faced Slaten and hit a weak fly out. TJ Friedl struck out to end the seventh inning, and then the Reds got nothing going against Whitlock and Chapman in the final two frames.

“We had some good opportunities,” Stephenson said. “Some didn’t go our way. We put some good swings on it. It’s Day 1 We don’t need to overreact or anything. Good pitching day.”

The Cincinnati Reds fell to the Boston Red Sox 3-0 on Opening Day.

Despite a great pitching performance from ace Andrew Abbott, the Reds struggled to get things going offensively. Cincinnati had only one hit until the sixth inning, when back-to-back singles by Elly De La Cruz and Sal Stewart loaded the bases for Eugenio Suarez and Spencer Steer. Both struck out swinging to keep things 0-0.

Reliever Pierce Johnson came in for Abbott in the seventh, immediately giving up a double to Red Sox pinch-hitter Marcelo Mayer. A sacrifice bunt by Carlos Narvaez and line-drive single by Ceddanne Rafaela brought Mayer in for the first run of the game.

Manager Terry Francona pulled Johnson, replacing him with lefty Sam Moll, who finished out the inning.

In the bottom of the seventh, leadoff hitter Tyler Stephenson got a walk with the help of the ABS challenge system. Still, the Reds couldn't move him beyond first base. Again in the eighth, a two-out double by Stewart put the tying run on base. Red Sox pitcher Garrett Whitlock struck out Suarez.

The Reds finished the game 1-for-7 with runners in scoring position.

In the ninth, Trevor Story and Jarren Duran hit back-to-back RBI singles to give the Red Sox two more insurance runs. Those hits came after the ABS challenge system overturned a Roman Anthony strikeout.

Former Red Aroldis Chapman closed things out for Boston, with Steer, Stephenson and pinch-hitter Dane Myers all flying out in the bottom of the ninth.

The two teams will play again Saturday at 4:10 p.m.

The Cincinnati Reds have unveiled 15 new menu items for the 2026 season along with new features at Great American Ball Park.

This news outlet got a preview of the expanded selection of food, beverage and retail offerings Friday less than a week before Opening Day, March 26.

Cincinnati Mayor Aftab Pureval said he hadnt gotten the chance to try all the new offerings, but was looking forward to making the rounds. He said hed definitely be having a coney.

As for Opening Day, Pureval said the day is an official holiday here in Cincinnati.

Were really hoping for a really exciting and safe Opening Day, and a start to a wonderful season, he said, citing the generations of Cincinnatians who visit the city on Opening Day and optimism for the Reds season.

As for food and concession items, Executive Chef Gary Davis has added 15 new menu items, inspired by all of the chefs and managers he works alongside. The menu has been in the works since October 2025.

We talk about what weve seen at other ball parks, what caught peoples eye to try to be in a good spot with social media, said Davis, who has worked as executive chef for GABP since 2018.

Though he said he was trying to decide on a top 3-5 items, the list just goes on.

It is a really big line up, and its really hard to choose for this upcoming season, he said.

The food lineup includes:

Queen City Classic Burger: Double all-beef smash burger topped with American cheese, special sauce, lettuce and tomato on a potato roll with fries. (Fan Zone Food Hub near section 130)

Queen City Crunch Burger: Double all-beef smash burger topped with pimento cheese, crushed Grippo chips and pickles on a potato roll with fries. (Fan Zone Food Hub near section 130)

G.L.T. Goetta, Lettuce and Tomato: Gliers goetta patty with shredded lettuce, sliced tomatoes, pickles, American cheese and Woebers horseradish aioli on slider buns. (Food Bars near sections 129 and 416)

Gliers Goetta Nachos: Gliers goetta crumbles with Funacho cheese sauce, chipotle sour cream and pickled jalapenos over tortilla chips. (Available at the Food Bars sections 129 and 416)

Stadium Burnt Ends: Bar-S southwest-style sausage pieces fried with a sweet BBQ rub and sauce, topped with pickled red onions and a white BBQ sauce. (Scouts Club and Porkopolis near section 412)

The Cincy Heat: Hemplers double-smoked sausage with Italian braised peppers and onions with Woebers whole grain mustard on a hoagie roll. (Food Bar near section 109)

Hemplers Jalapeno Cheddar Cajun Bowl: Hemplers jalapeno cheddar sausage bites with sauted peppers and onions on dirty Cajun rice topped with a Cajun cream sauce. (Food Bar near section 109)

Smoked Brisket Street Corn Bowl: Montgomery Inn smoked brisket with Mexican street corn, pickled red on-ions, jalapenos, Cotija cheese and BBQ sauce. (Mr. Reds Smokehouse near section 138)

White Chicken Chili Fry Box: Grilled chicken, hatch green chili queso, white beans, sour cream, pickled red onions and cilantro on fries. (Frybox near sections 137 and 534)

Frito Chili Fry Box: Vegetarian Frito chili, Funacho cheese sauce, crushed Fritos, pickled jalapenos and ranch sauce on fries. (Frybox near sections 137 and 534)

Tofuego Tacos: Three flour tortillas topped with chipotle shredded street tofu, jalapeno aioli, cilantro, pickled red onions and Cotija cheese (Scouts Club and Los Rojos Taco Cart near section 128)

Wings & Rings Boneless Wings: Boneless chicken wings with your choice of garlic medium or honey barbecue sauce. Ranch and blue cheese available upon request. (Food Hubs near sections 112 and 130)

Baby Ruth Brownie Sundae: Baby Ruth chocolate brownies topped with soft serve ice cream, caramel syrup and whipped cream. (Rosies Ice Cream Stands near sections 132 and 413)

Double Play Donut Parfait: 12 cinnamon sugar donuts with house-made banana pudding, vanilla wafers, Cinnamon Toast Crunch, whipped cream and caramel sauce. (Mr. Reds Smokehouse near section 139)

Fans who make it to the first game of the season will also find a new Fan Zone Food Hub, which has an open-market layout with Skyline Chili, LaRosas Pizza, Wings & Rings, Porkopolis and Rosies Ice Cream. Self-service checkouts will make the process of buying food and getting back to your seats quick.

Two soft-serve Rosies Ice Cream stands have been added near Section 132 and Section 432, and a a new 11-piece brass band, Rockin Redlegs Band, will perform at select games throughout the 2026 season.

With the 2026 season set to begin today, the offseason is now complete for MLB’s 30 teams. Until the playoffs begin, teams will be focused on a smaller goal: winning their division. In the run-up to the start of the season, we will be conducting a series of polls to gauge who MLBTR readers believe is the favorite in each division. The Blue Jays came out on top in the AL East, and the Tigers did the same in our poll on the AL Central, and the Mariners were predicted to win the AL West. Yesterday, MLBTR readers overwhelmingly voted (66%) to predict the Dodgers would win the NL West. Today, we’ll be moving on to the NL Central. All teams are listed in order of their 2025 regular season record:

Milwaukee Brewers (97-65)

The Brewers were the best team in baseball by regular season record last year. While their close NLDS matchup against their division rivals from Chicago and a demoralizing sweep at the hands of the Dodgers in the NLCS did little to answer questions about the club’s viability in October, they’ve won three straight division titles and haven’t finished a 162-game season with fewer than 86 wins since 2016. At some point, it becomes hard not to reward that consistency, and even after a winter where the club traded away Freddy Peralta, Isaac Collins, and Caleb Durbin without making any obviously impactful additions to the roster, it’s easy to imagine Milwaukee’s run of success continuing in 2026. Jackson Chourio is certainly capable of a breakout, and Jacob Misiorowski could make Brewers fans forget Peralta in a hurry if the flamethrowing righty takes a step forward.

Chicago Cubs (92-70)

The Cubs failed to win the division last season, lost to their division rivals in the ALDS, and watched superstar outfielder Kyle Tucker walk in free agency over the offseason. Despite all of that, however, Chicago is viewed by some around the game as the heavy favorite in the NL Central. That’s thanks to a busy offseason where they brought Alex Bregman into the organization and landed right-hander Edward Cabrera in trade. Those external additions, larger contributions from up-and-coming youngsters Moises Ballesteros and Cade Horton, and the healthy return of Justin Steele to the top of the club’s rotation should all help the Cubs make up for the loss of Tucker. The true x-factor for Chicago’s hopes in the division this year, however, will surely be the recently-extended Pete Crow-Armstrong. If he looks anything like he did in the first half of 2025, he should be in the MVP conversation and help lead the Cubs to new heights. If he’s more like his second half, however, the Cubs could find themselves on the outside looking in for what should be a competitive NL Central race this year.

Cincinnati Reds (83-79)

The Reds shocked many fans and analysts when they managed to squeak into the postseason last year, and this offseason saw them bring old friend Eugenio Suarez back into the fold to add some thump to a lineup that was lackluster for most of 2026. It was a strong addition to be sure, but the loss of both Hunter Greene and Nick Lodolo for the start of the 2026 season will put a lot of pressure on young arms like Rhett Lowder, Chase Burns, and Brandon Williamson to carry the team in the early parts of the season. If the team’s youngsters can do that until Greene returns to his spot at the top of the rotation, perhaps Suarez and Elly De La Cruz can create enough offense to get the Reds to the postseason in more convincing fashion this year.

St. Louis Cardinals (78-84)

The Cardinals finally executed their long-teased rebuild this offseason, dealing away Sonny Gray, Willson Contreras, Brendan Donovan, and Nolan Arenado in the span of three months. The resulting team has plenty of reasons for hope in the future, including star prospect JJ Wetherholt, but for the time being, it’s hard to see this club as anything other than the obvious weak link in the NL Central. A banner rookie season from Wetherholt would need to be combined with big steps forward for players like Jordan Walker, Nolan Gorman, and Matthew Liberatore alongside a rebound for Dustin May if there’s going to be any hope of playoff baseball in St. Louis this year. That’s a tall order to say the least, but players like Masyn Winn and Ivan Herrera at least look like solid building blocks for the future.

Pittsburgh Pirates (71-91)

The Pirates may have finished fifth in the NL Central last year, but it would be a shock to see them do so again in 2026. They’re a popular darkhorse pick to even take the division this year, and it’s not hard to see why. Reigning NL Cy Young award winner Paul Skenes might be the best pitcher on the planet, and he’s backed up by a strong rotation that also includes Bubba Chandler and Mitch Keller headed into 2026. Those pitchers will be supported by a completely rebuilt offense this year, as Brandon Lowe, Marcell Ozuna, Ryan O’Hearn, and Jake Mangum are all in place to help boost a lineup that relied on Spencer Horwitz, Oneil Cruz, and Bryan Reynolds as its middle of the order bats last year. A bullpen that lost David Bednar at last year’s trade deadline but added Gregory Soto over the winter comes with some questions, and the team’s defense seems likely to leave something to be desired, but this is easily the most competitive the Pirates have been in a decade.

How do MLBTR readers think the NL Central will shake out this year? Will Milwaukee’s dominance continue despite dealing away Peralta and others? Will the Cubs take that extra step even after losing Kyle Tucker? Have the Pirates or Reds done enough to bridge the gap and push themselves into the conversation? Or will the Cardinals’ expected rebuilding phase end before it even begins? Have your say in the poll below:

The Reds announced Wednesday that they’ve recalled righty Jose Franco, who’d been optioned to Triple-A earlier in the week. Franco wasn’t originally slated for the Opening Day roster, but with southpaw Nick Lodolo hitting the 15-day IL due to a blister issue on his left hand, Franco is now in line to make his major league debut at some point in the near future. Cincinnati also placed lefty Caleb Ferguson on the 15-day IL due to an oblique strain. Fellow lefty Sam Moll, who’s out of minor league options, gets a spot as a second lefty in the Opening Day bullpen.

Franco, 25, looked sharp in limited spring work, holding opponents to a pair of runs on five hits and a walk with eight strikeouts in 4 2/3 innings during Cactus League play. He’s one of the top-ranked arms in the Reds’ system, understandably so on the heels of a 2025 season in which he combined for 110 innings of 3.11 ERA ball between Double-A and Triple-A. Franco set down just over one quarter of his opponents on strikes, though his 11.5% walk rate could stand to come down a couple ticks.

The hard-throwing Franco averaged 95.3 mph on a four-seamer that headlined a three-pitch repertoire last year. He also features curveball that sat 84.4 mph and a more seldom-used changeup that averaged 88.7 mph. Scouting reports at FanGraphs, Baseball America and MLB.com tab him as a potential fourth starter or someone who could fill a role comparable to the swing role held by Nick Martinez in Cincinnati for the past couple seasons.

It’s not yet clear when Franco will get into a game. With Hunter Greene out til midseason following elbow surgery and Lodolo hitting the IL due to his blister troubles, the Reds will open the season with Andrew Abbott, Brady Singer, Rhett Lowder, Chase Burns and Brandon Williamson in the rotation (in that order). Franco could potentially piggyback with Burns, who was slowed by some range-of-motion issues late in camp. Since he’s stretched out for a starter’s role in Triple-A, he’s also a long relief option in the event that any Cincinnati starter has a short outing in his first appearance of the season.

Beyond Franco’s quick recall, there were no other surprises of any real note in today’s announcement of the Opening Day roster. Cincinnati selected Nathaniel Lowe‘s contract a couple days ago and moved Greene to the 60-day IL at the time. They also optioned outfielder JJ Bleday to Triple-A Louisville at the time, effectively setting the bench with a contingent of Lowe, backup catcher Jose Trevino, outfielder Dane Myers and jack-of-all-trades Spencer Steer (who won’t have one set position but will rotate through various spots on the diamond as needed). Will Benson made the roster and will get the lion’s share of playing time as half of a left field platoon. He and Bleday both had huge power displays this spring, and both will probably float between Triple-A and the majors as their performance and injuries up and down the roster dictate.

March isn’t the time to really push pitchers to their limits. You don’t see many starters throwing 100+ pitches or many relievers pitching on high-stress schedules right out of the gate. They’re still getting their sea legs under them. And then if something goes wrong — a rainout, an injury, an unexpected short start because a pitcher has a bad day — that can really put your pitching staff in a tough spot early in the season.

The Reds’ starting rotation plan for the beginning of the 2026 season is wisely cautious.

Nick Lodolo will open the year on the IL, potentially missing two starts instead of stressing to be ready out of the gate. The Reds are filling that open spot on the active roster with starting pitching prospect Jose Franco, who should offer the team some length and versatility.

The rotation for the first week of the season will be Andrew Abbott, Brady Singer, Rhett Lowder, Chase Burns and Brandon Williamson. If my math is correct, Lodolo will be eligible to return on April 7, and he’d miss two starts if he’s only out for the minimum amount of time.

It’s easy to forget that last year, Abbott opened the year on the IL and missed two weeks. His buildup in spring training of 2025 was delayed due to a shoulder injury from the previous season. The Reds decided to play it safe and have Abbott open the year on the IL, instead of pushing to have him on the Opening Day roster and risk taxing your pitching staff right out of the gate if the pitching plan didn’t work out the way it needed to.

Lodolo should still be able to make plenty of starts this season, and the blister issue has the chance to be a minor footnote in his year like Abbott’s time on the injured list was in 2025 for him. Still, the blister issue is something that Lodolo and the Reds need to figure out.

Here’s what I wrote about Lodolo’s blister issue during the spring

Lodolo’s blister history

It’s been one of the defining aspects of his career.

He dealt with it as a prospect in 2021. In 2024, the blister led to the least consistent stretch of his season as it prevented him from spinning his breaking ball as well as he could. He made an adjustment, put more pressure on a different finger and then suffered a season-ending finger injury as a result. In 2025, the blister issue was the reason for a stint on the IL that lasted most of August. Now, he opens the 2026 season on the IL with a blister.

If this issue didn’t exist, he’d be viewed as one of the best young lefties in the game right now.

The blister history is a result of Lodolo’s slider grip and his naturally moist hands.

“I sweat a lot in my hands,” Lodolo said a few weeks ago. “They’re sweaty. I use the rosin bag a ton to try to combat that. But there are other guys who definitely sweat as much as I do. It’s just the way I hold (the pitch). You get humid days and moisture in your hand and combine that with the leather. I put a lot of pressure on my finger throwing the ball. Ripping it, over time, (the blister) builds up.”

He has tried just about everything. There’s a callous on that finger, which he has toughened by filing it. A part of the plan for this year was right light therapy that would stimulate skin growth.

What he can’t do is change his slider grip. That would take away something that’s special.

“That (slider) is what makes me really good,” Lodolo said. “I don’t want to compromise that. I obviously want to make sure I’m on the field. But at the same time, I want to make sure I’m at my best.”

The Reds’ pitching staff moving forward

With Lodolo heading to the IL, the Reds had a few options to fill the roster spot.

They could have gone with a true one-inning reliever on the 40-man roster in Zach Maxwell or Luis Mey. But the Reds’ bullpen needed more length in their bullpen than that.

Lyon Richardson was being stretched out to throw 50+ pitches this spring. But he’s out of minor league options, and so is most of the Reds’ big league bullpen. If he was put on the roster, the Reds would likely have to end up putting a big league reliever on waivers at the point when the unit is back to full strength. The 40-man roster is at 40 right now, so they’d need to DFA someone to make that work. And also, while Richardson can give you length, Terry Francona has spoken about the importance of Richardson developing more consistent command.

What made the most sense for the Reds was sticking with the plan that they already had: six starting pitchers on the Opening Day roster. That sixth starting pitcher will now be Franco.

A part of this calculus is that Chase Burns may be an inning short in his buildup due to the deload situation in spring training. Burns may need a piggyback longman in his first start, and the Reds need to manage the innings of Lowder and Brandon Williamson. Lowder’s longest spring training outing was 3 ⅔ innings, and Williamson has barely pitched since 2023.

The Reds’ bullpen doesn’t have a Brent Suter style long reliever. So as things stood, if someone had a short start, the bullpen would really be stretched thin right out of the gate if the Reds didn’t have length available to them. Without length in the bullpen, the unit could have been put in a very, very tough spot during the first week of the season.

To prevent that scenario, the Reds put an additional starting pitcher onto the roster.

The starting pitching options for this spot were Franco, Chase Petty and Julian Aguiar. Petty has a few things to work on — command and getting swing and miss — and Aguiar is ramping up after missing a year due to Tommy John surgery.

The 25-year-old Franco got the call for his big league debut.

During spring training, Terry Francona said about Franco, “A lot (stood out). One was poise. He has pitched in Double-A and a bit in Triple-A. His pitch mix is really interesting. He has plenty of fastball. He has a really good breaking ball. The changeup looks like it’s coming. We’re going to keep him stretched out as a starter. We told him, ‘You’re at that point now where you’re on the (40-man) roster, you’re knocking on the door. If you start, you can be available for anything.’ That’s the idea of keeping him stretched out.”

I did a player poll during spring training, asking the team which guy had impressed them the most. Jose Trevino voted for Franco and highlighted Franco’s maturity and aggression in the zone.

Franco is a power pitcher with a big fastball and a very bright personality.

If the Reds want, they can still do the six-for-five plan with Franco as their sixth pitcher. One idea is having Franco piggyback Burns. The rotation could go Abbott-Singer-Lowder-Burns/Franco, Williamson. If Franco isn’t needed on Burns’ day because the Reds get a long start from him, then Franco could back up Williamson the following day.

(A subtle, smart move by the Reds was swapping Lowder and Burns’ places in the rotation so that Burns didn’t have to face a Red Sox lineup that crushed him last year).

The bullpen will need that length at some point based on how the spring has gone for their starting pitchers, and Franco will give them that.

Here’s my writeup on Franco from spring training.

Get to know Jose Franco

The 25-year-old was a breakout pitcher in the farm system last year as he posted a 3.11 ERA between Double-A and Triple-A with 118 strikeouts in 110 innings. He showed enough that he became the only starting pitcher in big league camp this year who didn’t already have big league experience.

“It’s a really simple approach for him,” assistant pitching coach Matt Tracy said. “He has a really good four-seam and a good slider. A two-pitch mix as a starter, that can work. He’s working on the changeup. It looks a bit better. I’m excited to see him compete in games and show the staff what he can do. I love being around him.”

Franco missed the entire 2023 season after having Tommy John surgery. That became a turning point for him.

“I concentrated on one thing,” Franco said via interpreter Tomás Vera. “If you work hard, you’re going to get better. It was super hard to do that after the surgery. I thank the rehab department and the staff who helped me. Also, the mental performance people. It was not easy.”

He was solid in 2024, and the big step took place in 2025.

“I felt really good,” Franco said. “Really satisfied with what I was able to do.”

He describes himself as a power pitcher. He describes his fastball as “really fast and really powerful.”

He says that his slider is the pitch that has improved the most over the last year, and he’s working to develop that into an even better strikeout pitch. The changeup will be an important part of his development, like it is for just about every young pitcher who throws hard.

Franco is also a bright presence in the clubhouse.

“He lights up the room with a smile,” Chase Petty said. “He’s genuinely one of my best friends in the game. He’s from Venezuela and I’m from New Jersey. More than anything, he’s just an absolute competitor. He fights his (tail) off. He’s a dog. He has a great future ahead of him.”

The candor, the IQ and the experience that make Joe Flacco so beloved in the building at Paycor Stadium were all on display during his press conference on Wednesday. After re-signing with the Bengals to back up Joe Burrow, Flacco acknowledged the surprise about how his offseason played out.

“Believe me, I wish I was a (starter) somewhere,” Flacco said. “I think teams are dumb for not having me be that guy. But it is what it is. I’m not going to let it get me down.”

Flacco revealed a lot of conversations that he had as he weighed his options in free agency.

He spoke with Zac Taylor, who discussed with Flacco the pros and cons of signing a deal in March versus waiting out the market to see if a starting opportunity popped up.

Flacco talked with his wife about figuring out what they wanted. Flacco described her saying, “ It sounds like (the Bengals) really want you back. It is a pretty good thing.”

This was the first time that Flacco’s kids were old enough to participate in the free agent discussions. They had lots of takes.

Flacco described them saying, “What are you asking for? You should go here. You should get this much. You’re asking for too much, actually. You don’t need that.”

In the end, Flacco returned to Cincinnati. According to ESPN, the deal is for $6 million, but could be worth up to $9 million with incentives.

The quarterback carousel had a lot of movement this spring. Geno Smith is now on the Jets, Daniel Jones returned to the Colts, Kyler Murray is on the Vikings, Tua Tagovailoa is on the Falcons and the Cardinals are having Jacoby Brissett and Gardner Minshew compete for a spot. The Chiefs acquired Justin Fields, who will run the show until Patrick Mahomes is healthy.

There were a few open seats left at the table. The Browns and Steelers need a QB, the Colts may need some help until Jones is healthy again and the Raiders might add a veteran bridge QB to help Fernando Mendoza along.

“I was hoping I’d have multiple options and would have to make a really big decision,” Flacco said. ‘That kind of came up at some point in this offseason. Can I do this or that? There was a piece of me going into the offseason that was willing to go home and sit around. As the offseason went on, I do want to go somewhere and compete and start. But if the situation isn’t exactly how I want it and I don’t truly feel good about that situation, I did start to feel good about the possibilities of coming back here.”

You can’t understate how well-respected Flacco is in the Bengals’ organization. The best way to describe it is the price tag — the $6 million tells you what they think of him. He’s an all-time favorite of several coaches.

There’s a tradeoff for the Bengals investing as much in their backup quarterback as they have in recent memory. Flacco is a lot more accomplished and more expensive than recent backup QBs like Jake Browning, Brandon Allen, Jeff Driskel, AJ McCarron, Jason Campbell, Josh Johnson (in 2013) and Bruce Gradkowski.

Flacco is not a defensive tackle, linebacker or cornerback.

The Bengals still need a starting slot corner, have gone down the road of rolling with Barrett Carter and Demetrius Knight at linebacker and have alarming, concerning depth at offensive tackle, edge rusher, outside corner and safety. And it also wouldn’t hurt to add depth at receiver, tight end, offensive guard and defensive tackle as well as a special teams ace.

Considering Burrow’s injury history, I don’t have a huge issue with the Bengals spending $6 million on Flacco and made him the 12th-highest player on the team (ahead of Ted Karras and Dalton Risner). My question is why the contracts for Bryan Cook and Boye Mafe were structured with big Year 1 cap hits, which seems to limit the Bengals’ flexibility to add more starting-caliber players onto this year’s roster.

The Bengals should be adding more Flaccos — the equivalent style of player at positions of need. More veterans like 2025 Dalton Risner, 2024 Trent Brown or 2022 La’el Collins, all veterans who signed low-risk contracts and helped at position of need (this year, the Bengals would need defensive players who fit that mold). The 2026 Bengals’ depth on defense can’t be as inexperienced as it has been recently.

Flacco got what he’s worth as a top-35 QB (at least, he could definitely be in the 25 range). The money had to have made it clear to Flacco how much the Bengals wanted him back. Even though Flacco will be a backup, the money will make the experience more than worth his time.

The Bengals are paying a premium to avoid the disaster they faced last year when it was Week 5 and the team had no viable option on the roster to play quarterback. They don’t want to have to do the Flacco trade again, so they paid money up front to have that peace of mind.

Flacco is in an interesting position. The 41-year-old is planning to keep playing. But if everything goes right and Burrow stays healthy, Flacco won’t see the field this year.

“I’m not looking at this as the end,” Flacco said. “Maybe it is. I’m not looking at it that way. That makes it a little bit easier to be somewhere where I really feel comfortable and try to help out any way I can.”

Last Saturday, Nick Krall sat down for a Q&A.

Listen to Power Stacks podcast

What was your favorite part of camp this year?

Nick Krall: “Getting to camp, I was optimistic. I thought we had a really good camp overall. Camp was fun. It was a good environment. Guys were here to really work. Camp as a whole was a lot of fun.”

How are you seeing the young core take that next step, making the team their own and emerging as more vocal guys?

“You have a lot of guys taking steps forward. We always forget how young some of these guys are. How young Elly is. How young Matt McLain is. It’s been really good to see them take the leadership role. Not just those two. Spencer Steer. Some of it is through lead by example. Some of it is more vocal than it has been in the past. You’re seeing the young group get a little bit more vocal. We’re here to win. This is what we’re going to do.”

What’s the biggest thing you’ve seen from Matt McLain this spring?

“He’s direct to the ball. He’s hitting line drives everywhere. The line drives are going out of the ballpark. The quality of at-bats, that’s the biggest thing. He’s taking good pitches. He’s driving good pitches. Overall, it’s quality at-bats.”

Look at guys like Sal Stewart, Rhett Lowder and Chase Burns. What have you learned about counting on youth in the past that applies to these guys?

“You’ll see guys that have a lot of talent that are going to be really good at times and have some growing times. That happens with every young player no matter who you are. Look at Sal and where he was last (Friday) as we played the Cubs. He had two plays. One was a pick at first base that was really good. He has been working all spring on that. The second one was a hustle play to get to second base. Those are maturity plays. Watching those guys grow with their talent, skill level and their mindset and what they’re trying to do. You saw it with Burns last year. You’ve seen it with Rhett as well. It will take some time. These guys have a chance to be really good players at the end of the day. You take it one day at a time.”

I think this is the deepest team I’ve covered here. What do you think of the depth?

“You never feel like you’re deep enough no matter what position. You’re always an injury away. You don’t ever feel deep. We have a good group of guys who can play different positions. You can give some guys days off and do some different things.”

What did you like about Nathaniel Lowe in camp?

“He has the ability to hit off the bench. The ability to take a good at-bat against right-handed pitching. You can give Sal, Ke’Bryan or Suárez a day off and put him in a game to start moving the other guys around. At the end of the day, it gave us a bit more flexibility in the infield to do some different things. And it gives us the ability to get a guy who has been a quality big leaguer that can pinch-hit.”

Where is the team most improved from a year ago?

“The offense is improved. The defense is improved. The first half of last year, the defense was one of the worst in baseball. We got much better in August and September last year because of moves we made. Those two areas are improved. It’s exciting to see where guys have gone and the length of our lineup right now.”

What was it like for you to watch Eugenio Suárez in the WBC.

“Obviously, Geno getting the game-winning hit was awesome. Pretty special. To see his emotion come out was a lot of fun. Tomás Vera was their trainer for Venezuela. Rolando Valles, who was here as a coach, was one of their coaches. Sam Nasci, who was our intern a long time ago and is now working with the Astros, he was their video guy. Seeing those guys sing the national anthem at the end of the game, how emotional those guys were, Geno’s interview after was one of the coolest things about the whole experience. Seeing how special it was to him, his family and the people of his country, it was awesome.”

How different is Suárez’s role than it was five years ago? As guys have said, he can be the voice in that room.

“He is the veteran leader on this club. He might not be the every day third baseman like he was five years ago. He can DH. He has a presence in the lineup. He can play third base. He can play first if we need him there. There are a lot of things you can do with him. Just his presence in the lineup and in the clubhouse is very meaningful.”

Taking the spring training numbers with a grain of salt, how do you feel about the bullpen?

“First, Ferguson went down, that’s tough. Sam Moll stepped up, which was great. Seeing those guys pitch and work on things over the course of the spring and watching them improve, the calming presence from the veteran guys will be really good for the young guys. There’s some upside in the bullpen. Some stability. Hopefully they’ll come out and be a strong unit for us this year.”

What did you enjoy seeing in the farm system this spring?

“Everybody that came over (to big league games) had energy and played really hard. From Carlos Jorge hitting triples to Steele Hall to guys running the bases. Are some of those kids 18? Sure, they are. When you watch those kids and the energy they bring to the game and having Tito recognize them after certain wins in spring for how they played, it was a lot of fun to watch. Some of those guys will start in A-ball. They have a chance to be impactful players for us for a long time.”

Why do you feel like it’s worked well here with Terry Francona as manager?

“He’s great. He’s great to work with. We had some disagreements this week about some things. We talk through them. It’s an easy conversation. It might be a tough conversation. But it’s a very respectful back and forth. That’s what’s fun about it. It keeps it loose, but it’s also in a serious way. He’s a fun guy, but he wants you to do the little things on the field well. That’s fun to work with. He can challenge us in the front office as well. He’s very easy to work with.”

Cincinnati Reds left-handed pitcher Nick Lodolo will open the season on the injured list as he recovers from a blister on his left index finger.

Lodolo, 28, had thrown just 10 pitches in his last Cactus League start on Sunday before the blister caused his exit. He also dealt with blister issues on that finger each of the last two seasons.

I think theres a little bit of concern right now with the breaking ball, that he would go rip one off, Cincinnati manager Terry Francona said after the Reds exhibition game with the Milwaukee Brewers on Tuesday. And if we tried to reach for something that we shouldnt and he throws an inning or two, and then we turn it into a month. We dont want him to miss any time, but if he misses a couple of starts, thats a heck of a lot better than a month. So thats what were going to do.

Lodolo acknowledged disappointment about starting on the injured list, but noted that its something that could work in our favor in the long run, given the likelihood it assures he wont risk missing extended time.

Hopefully next week, somewhere in there, be able to throw a sim game or throw like a rehab start and continue to build up and be able to just test it without it being in a game, Lodolo said.

Lodolo went 9-8 with a 3.33 ERA in 29 appearances last year while striking out 156 batters in 156 2/3 innings.

His injury means the Reds will open the season without two members of their preferred starting rotation as they attempt to build on their 83-79 finish from last year that resulted in their first playoff berth since 2020.

Hunter Greene, a 2024 All-Star, underwent elbow surgery two weeks ago and could miss up to the first four months of the season. Greene went 7-4 with a 2.76 ERA and 132 strikeouts in 107 2/3 innings last season.

Andrew Abbott will start the Reds season opener Thursday against the Boston Red Sox. Brady Singer and Rhett Lowder are scheduled to start the final two games of the Red Sox series, with Chase Burns and Brandon Williamson starting the first two games of a series with the Pittsburgh Pirates.

The Reds will place starter Nick Lodolo on the 15-day injured list to begin the year, reports Gordon Wittenmyer of The Cincinnati Enquirer. The southpaw joins Hunter Greene in starting the season on the shelf.

Greene will miss most or all of the first half after undergoing surgery to remove bone chips from his elbow. Lodolo’s issue is far less concerning. He’s dealing with a blister on his index finger, which forced him out of his start on Sunday after 10 pitches. A season-opening IL stint can be backdated by three days, meaning he’ll be eligible to return 13 days into the regular season.

It’ll probably be close to a minimal stint, though it’s nevertheless frustrating for Lodolo to miss at least one or two turns through the rotation. Lodolo has a history of blister issues. This will be the third consecutive season in which one sends him to the injured list. He had a minimal absence in 2024 and missed around three weeks last August.

Andrew Abbott makes his first career Opening Day start opposite Garrett Crochet and the Red Sox on Thursday. Lodolo had been slated to start the second game of the season, followed by Brady Singer in the series finale. They’ll now likely bump Singer up to Saturday and have Rhett Lowder take the ball to close the Boston series. Chase Burns and Brandon Williamson round out the starting five and can open next week’s series against the Pirates.

Manager Terry Francona announced last week that Lowder, Burns and Williamson had all made the team. The Reds weren’t planning a six-man rotation but could have used Burns and Williamson as tandem starters or swing options. They’ll instead work as more traditional starters until Lodolo is healthy, which will open a spot in the bullpen. Kyle Nicolas was their most recent bullpen cut and could be brought back up. Julian Aguiar or Chase Petty are other possibilities for a long relief role.

Just in time for Opening Day, former Reds All-Star and NL MVP Joey Votto is giving back to the team and Cincinnati with a custom-made clock that will sit outside Great American Ball Park.

Votto said the clock is a thank you for his 22 years spent with the Reds organization.

"I am excited about giving the clock to the city, the team and its fans," Votto said. "Being the oldest professional team, I wanted this clock to add to the charm and mystique of the Cincinnati Reds experience."

The large red clock, which matches the team's exact shade of red, was crafted by Cincinnati's The Verdin Company and stands at 16 feet 8 inches tall with four 36-inch dials. Each clock face displays the word "Cincinnati" at the top and "Reds" along the bottom, with the iconic Reds "C" centered on each.

The Verdin Company's CEO, Bob Verdin III, said Votto was involved in planning every detail of the clock.

The clock, which sits in Crosley Terrace, just outside the ballpark's main entrance, isn't just any normal clock, either. Votto's gift features speakers that can play hourly chimes and a variety of songs, such as "Take Me Out to the Ballgame."

"Joey wanted the clock to enhance our shared love of baseball, so we are collaborating with Joey and Verdin for fun ways to integrate it into our games," said Reds President and CEO Phil Castellini.

At the bottom of the clock sits a bronze plaque honoring Votto's contributions to the organization, reading "Thank you, Cincinnati" with Votto's signature underneath.

"We are incredibly grateful and honored to have this beautiful clock adorn the front gates," Castellini said. "Joey made us proud every time he stepped onto the field. And this one-of-a-kind gift from him will continue to inspire and excite everyone who sees it."

Votto said he hopes the clock allows him to still be a part of all the "massive moments" that will continue to happen at the ballpark.

"Joey wanted the clock to enhance our shared love of baseball, so we are collaborating with Joey and Verdin for fun ways to integrate it into our games," Castellini said.

Votto was first drafted by the Reds in 2002 and spent his entire Major League career with Cincinnati until 2023. Throughout his tenure with the team, he earned six All-Star appearances and won the 2010 National League MVP Award, among several other honors.

In January, it was reported that Votto was in talks to be the newest addition to the NBC Sports MLB broadcast team. According to a report from Front Office Sports, the network was finalizing deals to make Votto a part of the team with Clayton Kershaw and Anthony Rizzo.

After going through the Reds’ hitters yesterday, here’s a fun fact on each Reds’ pitcher. (This article also serves as a recap of my spring training coverage if you missed a story).

Attached to every player’s name is a hyperlink to a story I wrote about them this spring. So if you want to read more about that player, click their name.

Also, we have a really fun show today at the Power Stacks podcast. It’s the season preview special extravaganza jamboree spectacular.

Jeff Brantley joins us. Nick Krall sits down for an interview. Hear from Terry Francona, Andrew Abbott and Spencer Steer. Conversation about the rotation, Elly De La Cruz and the Red Sox matchup.

Listen to Power Stacks here

Andrew Abbott

Andrew Abbott, a 26-year-old from Virginia, was five years old when Joe Nuxhall retired full-time from broadcasting in 2004. Reds history and the No. 41 uniform number connects them. Now, Abbott knows all about The Ol’ left-hander.

Abbott does work with the Joe Nuxhall foundation, has asked a lot of questions about Nuxhall as a player, person and broadcaster and even has a Nuxhall baseball card in his collection.

Abbott says, “I couldn’t be more proud to wear (No. 41).”

Nick Lodolo

Nick Lodolo’s biggest gift has a dark side to it — his slider is his best pitch, but the grip has aggravated his blister issue in the past.

Lodolo has tried to make the skin on that left index finger tougher by filing it. He has learned, “The toughness of the skin isn’t a part of it.”

In the words of Derek Johnson, Lodolo’s fingers are “naturally moist.” Lodolo swears a lot in his hands.

That plus Lodolo’s grip isn’t an ideal combination.

Lodolo has tried a few different strategies over the years. A new one, he said recently, is “some laser stuff that might be able to help. A red light type thing that helps skin growth.”

Brady Singer

Between 2023 and 2025, Brady Singer ranks 13th in all of MLB in starts made (93). Last year, Singer delivered 13 starts where he pitched 6+ innings and allowed two-or-fewer runs. If you remove two really bad starts he had (allowing seven runs to the Astros and Nationals), his ERA in his other 30 starts last year was 3.38.

Chase Burns

I’m a Chase Burns guy, and my confidence in his future is well documented. Still, it’s fair to say that he was searching during the second half of spring training. There was the de-load day, the day where Burns’ range of motion wasn’t 100% and a few starts where his fastball command wasn’t up to par.

Separately, one of the storylines I’m most looking forward to this year is how with more experience under Burns’ belt and more experience, how he starts showcasing more of his edge and competitive fire on the mound.

Rhett Lowder

Rhett Lowder’s oblique injury last year was so significant that it took him a few weeks to be comfortable with every day activities.

“It was weeks before I could really sneeze,” Lowder said. “That was my barometer.”

He ended up missing the entire 2025 season. Lowder’s old-school approach allowed him to do something very difficult this spring — hitting the ground running after missing a full season.

“He knows how to pitch,” Terry Francona said. “His future is extremely bright. I know I’ve said it, but he pitches like a veteran. He throws strikes. He changes speeds, follows the glove. Kind of fun to watch.”

Brandon Williamson

Last week, he called his wife and his two kids. Brandon Williamson, who missed just about the entire 2024 season with a shoulder injury and then missed all of 2025 after having Tommy John surgery told his family that he had made the Reds’ Opening Day roster.

“I told them that we did this together,” Williamson said.

Spending the last two years sidelined with injuries allowed Williamson some more time to spend with four-year-old daughter Pollie and two-year-old daughter Pruitt.

“It was awesome to be able to stay with them for two years,” Williamson said. “I’m super glad I got to be able to do that. We’re all ready to be back in the ballpark playing again. We can experience the big leagues together.”

Bullpen

Emilio Pagán

In the afternoon before Game 2 of the playoffs in Los Angeles last year, Emilio Pagán was doing his normal routine and threw off of the mound.

Last season, he only used his splitter 20% of the time. He wants that to be a swing and miss pitch, but he wasn’t getting that whiff at the level he wanted all season. Pagán was able to overpower guys with his fastball and also pitch to contact, but he has felt like he needed more swing and miss.

During that session throwing off of the mound in the afternoon in LA, Pagán felt the splitter click.

“The best it’s felt,” Pagán said.

He could have thrown that pitch really well that night. But because the Reds never got to a save situation in the Dodgers’ two-game sweep, Pagán never entered the game in that series.

During the offseason, Pagán stuck with the grip that clicked that day. The improved splitter is a way for him to be better in 2026.

Tony Santillan

During a spring training game in early March, Tony Santillan admitted something to Jose Trevino during a mound visit.

Santillan told his catcher, “I don’t think I’m going to get another out. This is over. They need to come get me. I can’t throw a strike.”

It was a reminder that it can take time for any pitcher to get into a rhythm in spring. Santillan made some adjustments before his next outing, a small tweak to his posture, and looked like himself in no time.

Graham Ashcraft

Last year, left-handed hitters posted a .230 average and a .608 OPS versus Ashcraft, whose effectively wild cutter allows him to have reverse splits. The right-handed Ashcraft even got some experience as a “left-handed specialist,” and that’s especially useful for a Reds’ team that will be missing Caleb Ferguson (oblique) to open the season.

Brock Burke

Here are the left-handed relievers who threw a pitch of 100 mph+ last season.

-Aroldis Chapman (All-Star)

-Jose Alvarado (makes $9 million, good reliever)

-Mason Montgomery (rookie in 2025, the Pirates just targeted him in a notable trade with the Rays)

-Jose A Ferrer (very good — traded a few months ago for a top-50 prospect in MLB)

-Adrian Morejon (All-Star)

-Gregory Soto (two-time All-Star)

-Brock Burke

With the Rangers in 2022, Burke was one of the best relievers in MLB. He took a step back in 2023 and then was released by the Rangers in 2024. The Angels picked him up, and he has been very consistent since he joined the Angels.

He says that the change of scenery was a turning point.

“I got back to doing what was good for me, what I do well,” Burke said. “I fixed a few bad habits that I had developed and got back to throwing the way I did in 2022 without thinking too much about mechanics. The way my body wants to move naturally is the way that it was going to. It helped a lot.”

Pierce Johnson

Other than Emilio Pagán, since Nick Krall became the front office’s lead decision maker in 2020, Pierce Johnson’s $6.5 million salary was the next-most that Krall has given to a relief pitcher in free agency.

He has been a standout reliever since he joined the Braves at the deadline in 2023.

“When I got to Atlanta, they sat me down and said your curveball is your best pitch,” Johnson said. “You weren’t getting it down in Colorado. We want you to throw it more and bury it when you have two strikes.”

He developed one of the best curveballs in the game.

Sam Moll

Moll had a slow start to spring as he struggled with command. He turned that corner, looked like the pitcher who had a lot of success in 2023 and 2024 and earned a spot on the team.

“It’s that simple,” Moll said. “Sometimes, it hasn’t been simple to throw it through the zone. I know the reality is I’ve got to get through the zone and get hitters in more of a swing mode.”

With Ferguson on the IL, Moll will get plenty of chances vs. LHH.

He has a very specific plan to be more consistent this year, sharing a five-minute answer when asked about that topic.

Connor Phillips (story from last year)

How he responded to the adversity he faced — getting moved to Rookie Ball, and a Thoracic Outlet Syndrome scare — is one of the best stories on the entire team.

Last September, he became one of the Reds’ most important pitchers down the stretch. The stuff is there, and his upside is as high as anyone in the bullpen’s.

March 23rd: The Reds made it official today, announcing that they have selected Lowe’s contract and placed Greene on the 60-day IL.

March 21st: Nathaniel Lowe has earned a spot on the Reds’ roster, reports C. Trent Rosecrans of The Athletic. The veteran first baseman signed a minor league deal with the club in mid-February. He’s set to make $1.75MM with the big-league squad, with an additional $250K available in incentives. Rosecrans notes that Lowe is expected to take the 40-man roster spot of Hunter Greene, who is headed to the 60-day IL after undergoing elbow surgery.

Cincinnati announced outfielders Rece Hinds and J.J. Bleday were optioned to Triple-A. Lowe and Dane Myers will round out the bench, along with backup catcher Jose Trevino and utilityman Spencer Steer. The Reds also sent right-hander Zach Maxwell to Triple-A. Left-hander Sam Moll has secured the final bullpen spot, per Rosecrans.

Lowe was dealt from the Rangers to the Nationals for reliever Robert Garcia last offseason. He hit just .216 in 119 games with Washington and was cut in mid-August. Lowe then latched on with the Red Sox. He recovered some value in Boston, slashing .280/.370/.420 across 119 plate appearances. The final result was still a career-worst 91 wRC+. The 30-year-old received minimal interest this winter, but a strong Spring Training will propel him to a major league gig. Lowe posted a 143 wRC+ in 15 spring games. He racked up seven extra-base hits, including three home runs.

Hinds did all he could to earn a job in the spring. He belted five home runs and drove in 11 across 43 plate appearances. The 25-year-old is known for his big power, but he also hit .410 in the limited Spring Training sample.

The Reds didn’t necessarily need to keep another first baseman, with Steer a capable backup behind Sal Stewart, but the decision came down to getting Hinds regular reps. “I was very careful with how I worded it with him,” manager Terry Francona said about breaking the news to the outfielder. “(Hinds) did enough to make the team, but the role is a bench role, and we want you to play.”

Bleday signed a one-year deal in late December. He made a strong case for a roster spot himself, launching four home runs and getting on base at a .364 clip. Bleday had seemingly emerged as a consistent contributor with the Athletics, slashing .243/.324/.437 with a career-best 20 home runs in 2024. He stumbled to a .656 OPS over the first two months of the 2025 campaign and found himself back in Triple-A. Bleday returned to the big-league club in August, but was designated for assignment at the end of the season. He and Hinds both have a minor league option remaining.

Maxwell, affectionately known as Big Sugar, will head back to the minors as the Reds opt for another lefty in the pen. The 6’6″, 275-pound righty with the triple-digit fastball delivered solid results in his first taste of the majors last year. Maxwell posted a 30.2% strikeout rate with an xFIP and SIERA just above 3.00. He punched out hitters at a 31% clip this spring, though a few shaky outings to begin Cactus League action led to a 5.40 ERA.

Moll is out of options, while Maxwell still has three left. The veteran gives the Reds another left-handed middle reliever while Caleb Ferguson is sidelined. Cincinnati also added Brock Burke in a trade this offseason. Brandon Williamson is in the pen, though he’ll be more of a long relief/piggyback starter option.

Photo courtesy of Frank Bowen IV of The Enquirer via Imagn Images

With Opening Day getting closer, let’s go through a fun fact or two for each Cincinnati Reds’ position player. (This article also serves as a recap of my spring training coverage if you missed a story).

Attached to every player’s name is a hyperlink to a story I wrote about them this spring. So if you want to read more about that player, click their name.

TJ Friedl (CF)

Before last season, Terry Francona told TJ Friedl that he wanted to see Friedl on base twice a game. Last year, three leadoff hitters in MLB reached base two-plus times in a game 77-or-more times: Shohei Ohtani, Fernando Tatis Jr. and TJ Friedl. He’s an elite on-base guy and one of the best leaders on the team.

The big thing this year will be getting back on track defensively. Friedl said that he felt slow last year, and he spent the winter working to develop and reestablish the burst and range that he had in 2023. Friedl is 30 this year. Since 2023, there have only been eight players in all of baseball who are 30-or-older and played 100+ games in a season in center field. Friedl wants to buck that trend and stay in center field for years to come.

Matt McLain (2B)

He spent the spring wearing long pants for the first time. Elly De La Cruz said he has been trying for years to get Matt McLain to have that look. De La Cruz said, “Long pants, more flow, more swag.”

McLain earned the No. 2 spot in the lineup by making tangible progress with his at-bat quality and his approach against low and away sliders. He has regained some confidence.

Elly De La Cruz (SS)

In practices and games, there’s a bit of a defensive competition between Elly De La Cruz and Gold Glove third baseman Ke’Bryan Hayes. In practice, they battle to see who makes the fewest mistakes. While Hayes is the more consistent defender at this point, they also go back and forth delivering incredible highlight plays.

For the first time, there’s no statistical number like 70 steals or 162 games that De La Cruz is chasing this year. This year is about being a more consistent winning player.

Is De La Cruz’s prime about to begin?

“You’ll see,” De La Cruz says, laughing. “You’ll see.”

Sal Stewart (1B)

This is going to be Terry Francona’s 25th year as a manager.

In his entire managerial career, he has only had one rookie make at least 25 starts in a season in the cleanup spot. That would be Scott Rolen in 1997, which was Francona’s first year as a manager. Rolen went on to be the Rookie of the Year.

If Sal Stewart ends up hitting cleanup this year, he’d join Rolen on that list.

The fact that Francona is considering batting Stewart cleanup over Suárez tells you everything about how Francona feels about him.

Eugenio Suárez (DH)

In Mariners spring training in 2022, Eugenio Suárez could tell that a young Noelvi Marte was putting too much pressure on himself.

“The advice he gave me was your time will come,” Marte said, via interpreter Tomás Vera. “Your time to get to the big leagues will come. Relax. Work on the things you need to work on. Success will follow you. He helped me understand instead of rushing, let things happen.”

The advice really helped Marte.

It’s an example of the impact that Suárez can make in the clubhouse.

Spencer Steer (LF)

“You always hear the story about Wally Pipp,” Spencer Steer said. “That’s my biggest fear. I just want to be available. I like to be a guy that when I show up, you know what you’re going to get out of me.”

He’s sneakily one of the guys that the Reds can least afford to lose. He’s essentially their utility player in addition to being an important bat. His versatility allowed the Reds to put a true bench bat like Nathaniel Lowe on the roster.

Tyler Stephenson (C)

No homegrown Reds player has taken the traditional path to free agency (six consecutive years on the big league roster) since Michael Lorenzen hit free agency at the end of the 2021 season. No Reds position player has taken that path since Zack Cozart in 2017.

Tyler Stephenson is set to be a free agent at the end of the year.

“You never know what the future holds,” Stephenson said. “I love being here, and we’ll obviously see what happens. My goal this year is to have as much fun as I can because this is the group of guys that I came in with. I’ll try to have fun with it.”

Noelvi Marte (RF)

Noelvi Marte needed a “nudge” in early March as he had a poor start to camp. The coaches brought him in for a conversation. Marte immediately turned it around and did enough to reclaim the starting right field job.

Ke’Bryan Hayes (3B)

Over the last two years, Hayes has learned that the LG5 disk in his back is “the most important one.” Hayes has a chronic back issue — a degenerative disk — that he’s constantly managing.

“With the alignment issues that I have, stuff feels different day-to-day,” Hayes said. “Sometimes I feel like I’m standing a certain way but it’s completely different. I battle with that a lot.”

He’s getting better at dealing with those back issues, but it’s a constant process.

Will Benson

Terry Francona has said that Will Benson can be “streaky.” Benson’s big focus is being better at developing consistency.

In the spring, Benson went up to Eric Davis for a one-on-one conversation about the topic.

“I’m so grateful day-to-day to be in his presence and to have a resource like that,” Benson said. “He’s not only somebody who looks like me. In some ways, he thinks like me. He also has a rich history in this game. To be able to ask him so many questions and to know that he has experienced it, there’s nothing better than that.

Dane Myers

He’s known as a standout playmaker in center field. His defensive mindset is a product of his experience as a pitcher.

Dane Myers’ professional career started on the mound. He said, “I remember pitching and thinking that a couple of guys weren’t giving it their all and playing hard defense for me. Now, I’m on the flip side of things. I like to make plays for my pitchers.”

He’s also known for the edge that he plays with on the field. Myers says that edge comes from being close to being out of baseball at one point. He has a real appreciation for where he’s at.

Jose Trevino

He’s extremely passionate about working with and mentoring minor league catchers in the organization, and his enthusiasm shines through every time he speaks about it.

“I’m not going to play this game forever,” Jose Trevino said. “I understand that. I know that. I feel like I take a lot of pride that if (guys) are going to be around me, it’s my job to help them as much as I can. Whether it’s giving them a shortcut on how to receive a pitch, how to block a pitch, whatever it is. I’m giving them my feedback.”

Prediction: Trevino is the best catcher in the league at the ABS challenge system this year.

Nathaniel Lowe

Nathaniel Lowe’s mom, Wendy, died it early March. Lowe decided to stay in camp with the Reds as he competed for a spot on the team. He said, “I feel like she’d want me to keep going.” The plan was that Lowe’s dad would visit him in Arizona in March.

Lowe’s dad made it out to Arizona last week, and he got to see Lowe on the day that the first baseman learned that he had made the Reds’ Opening Day roster.

“I’m very grateful for being raised around the right people,” Lowe said. “I feel prepared to take on what life is throwing at me.”

GOODYEAR, Ariz. — As Terry Francona would describe it, Noelvi Marte needed a “nudge” in early March.

Marte had a substandard start to camp in spring training. He’s one of the most talented players on the Cincinnati Reds, and the coaching staff wanted to see more from him than he was showing during the first half of the spring.

“We want our guys to do good,” Francona said. “We don’t want to beat them over the head. But there’s an expectation. We want to make sure we’re doing that.”

When Marte is rolling, he has been an impact No. 2 hitter in the Reds’ lineup. When he has struggled, Marte has been on the fringe between Triple-A and MLB a few times, particularly between the second half of the 2024 season and spring training in 2025.

This spring, even if Marte had shown that he’s capable of being a strong big leaguer, nothing was going to be handed to him in camp.

Marte had a slow start to the spring, not just in games but also in practices and workouts. Then around the first week of March, he had a conversation with Reds’ coaches, who delivered a message to the 24-year-old right fielder.

“It was time for me to get going,” Marte said via interpreter Eric Gonzalez. “Work on the stuff that I think I’m capable of doing.”

Marte said the coaches told him “what they expect from me.”

Francona gave credit to his assistants for the message delivered to Marte.

“It doesn’t always have to come from me,” Francona said. “Freddie (Benavides) is so good. So is (Mike) Napoli.”

Marte knew that he really needed to pick it up and shift gears.

Following that conversation, there was a notable shift in his production in spring training games, and more importantly in his day-to-day process.

“I think he took it to heart, which was good,” Francona said.

In 2025, Marte opened the season in Triple-A. His response to that adversity was the key as he went on to provide some great stretches last season. Moving Marte to right field during the summer was one of the best decisions of the Reds’ season.

He still had a lot to work on entering 2026. Last September, Marte hit .191. He hit .232 on the season vs. LHP. He had to get more comfortable in right field.

In early March, when asked about Marte’s role, Francona said that Marte had to be the team’s best right fielder to be the team’s right fielder. The manager mentioned the importance of “attention to detail.” Francona added, “There’s some more to show. We’ve told him that.”

That night, Marte doubled, homered and made great plays in the field in a spring training game against the Brewers. Over the last few weeks, he has also shown tangible progress with the quality of his at-bats and with his production against left-handed pitching.

“He got off to a slower start than I think all of us would have liked coming into camp,” hitting coach Chris Valaika said. “For the last (few weeks), there has been another switch. There were conversations… For him to take that to heart and have a shift and play the way he has been playing, that’s been great.”

The biggest improvements have come in the field. His routes are crisper. After some misplays during the first half of camp, Marte’s defense has become much cleaner in right field.

“I feel a lot better,” Marte said. “Way better than I felt last year. I’ve been doing a great job with (Collin Cowgill) in the outfield to get a better understanding of how to read the fly balls. I’m very appreciative of the work we have done.”

Overall, Marte says that consistency is what he’s looking for. He has shown that he can put a great couple of weeks together. He has still only played in 191 big league games, but Marte still hasn’t strung together multiple months of sustained success.

As he’s still relatively early in his career, the league is still adjusting to him and Marte is still adjusting back. Marte said that his biggest focus at the plate is getting the ball in the air more. He hit at a 25 homer pace when he was in the big leagues last season, and doing bigger damage against pitches can unlock a new level from Marte.

Putting together a consistent full season is also about managing the grind of a long year and keeping that attention to detail for 162 games. It’s about keeping “the switch” always flipped on.

Marte, the Reds’ regular right fielder entering the year, is confident in where he’s at right now.

“I feel good,” Marte said. “I’ve been working really hard with the staff, and I’m very happy with how the results are going.”

GOODYEAR, Ariz. — David Lowe got to Arizona on Thursday and spent the day with his son, Josh (the Los Angeles Angels outfielder). Nathaniel wasn’t able to link up with David until later in the day on Friday.

Before he was able to see his dad, Nathaniel had to give him a call. On Saturday, the Cincinnati Reds announced that Nathaniel Lowe was going to be on the Opening Day roster. Nathaniel called dad.

“He was just excited,” Nathaniel Lowe said. “He expects the best. So do I. It’s nice to get back in the flow of things and help this club win.”

They’ll meet up soon.

“It’ll be nice to celebrate and see him,” Lowe said.

This has been a difficult month for the Lowes. A couple of weeks ago, Nathaniel Lowe’s mom, Wendy, died after a 33-month battle with cancer.

Instead of going home for a few days, Nathaniel decided to stay in Goodyear as he battled for a spot on the Reds’ roster as a non-roster invite.

“I feel like she’d want me to keep going, especially in this position here where nothing is handed to me and I have to make this opportunity,” Lowe said on March 8. “She did the same thing. Nothing was handed to her. She worked hard.”

On the day that Wendy died, Nathaniel homered. It was a beautiful swing, and it was the start of Lowe getting in a rhythm this spring.

In camp with the Reds, Lowe is 10-for-37 with a .979 OPS. He worked hard and earned that roster spot.

“It’s been a challenge, but I’m very grateful for being raised around the right people,” Lowe said. “I feel prepared to take on what life is throwing at me.”

Between 2021 and 2024, Lowe was one of the most consistent first basemen in MLB. He won a Silver Slugger, a Gold Glove and a World Series. He took a step back in 2025 — the big difference was the way he struggled against same-sided left-handed pitching — but joined the Red Sox in August and went on to become an impact role player on a team that made it to the postseason.

Lowe, 30 years old, put himself into what seemed to be a solid position entering free agency. But this winter, he had trouble landing the contract he was looking for. Teams are saving more spots on the 40-man roster for young guys and putting more of an emphasis on defense and base running. There was a pretty decent list of veterans like Lowe who belong in the big leagues and who profile as useful players who weren’t able to land big league contracts during the offseason.

After the start of spring training, Lowe signed a minor league deal with the Reds.

He’s happy that he did.

“It’s an easy group to get along with,” Lowe said. “It’s a group that’s trending in the right direction, so I’m happy to be able to contribute.”

About two weeks into camp, Terry Francona made a point to describe the impact he was seeing Lowe make.

Lowe has played in 21 playoff games and has been in the big leagues for seven years. He’s one of the most experienced Reds, and he has been around winning cultures with the Tampa Bay Rays, Texas Rangers and Red Sox.

“Really quickly, he assimilated into the culture (here) and was a part of it,” Francona said. “It’s meaningful. Guys love him. He can handle the role. The last thing you want is a guy sitting on the bench that’s tearing down the fabric as opposed to adding.”

Lowe has a lot that he can show to the Reds’ young core, but he didn’t try to force a leadership role.

“I didn’t want to come in and step on any toes,” Lowe said. “As long as I show up and do my job, I’d like to think that the game play will take care of the rest of it. I’m happy this group gave me a chance to do that.”

First, he had to make the team.

It was a bit of a slow start, but Lowe turned the corner. He can pull a fly ball a long way down the line, and he has great strike zone judgement. He says his spring training this year was “pretty solid.”

“I like the way the ball is coming off (my bat),” Lowe said. “There are things I want to improve on personally. Things I might not say on the record. You always have to keep pushing. As soon as you get complacent, you get lapped.”

Every year, managers and executives talk about “tough decisions” as they set the Opening Day roster. This year, the Reds truly had tough decisions. It wasn’t just talk, and there was one spot up for grabs between Lowe, Rece Hinds and JJ Bleday.

Since the Reds already had a strong bench, there weren’t going to be many starts available for this 26th player. The Reds needed a bench bat.

Lowe, a veteran, knows what to expect. While Bleday and Hinds get every day reps in Triple-A, Lowe will break camp with the Reds.

He has some experience in this style of role. Lowe began his career in Tampa Bay, and he says he sees similarities between his role on that Rays team and this Reds’ team. Lowe said the key to him having success off the bench in Tampa Bay was the consistent and effective communication he had with manager Kevin Cash and bench coach Matt Quataro.

Cash and Quataro are both from the Terry Francona managerial tree, and they both got their starts coaching in the big leagues by working under Francona.

That connective tissue is another reason why Lowe is a good match with the Reds.

“(Lowe) is a good dude, man,” Francona said. “You watch guys really warm up to him. There’s a lot to like, not just when he hits the ball that far. He just has that personality. Easy to like.”

GOODYEAR, Ariz. — When Cincinnati Reds manager Terry Francona met with outfielder Rece Hinds on Saturday to inform the 25-year-old outfielder that he was going to start the year in Triple-A, Francona wanted to choose his words carefully.

Francona didn’t want to tell Hinds that he “didn’t make the club.”

“He couldn’t have done more,” Francona said.

The problem is a good one to have: This is the Reds’ deepest team in years.

On Saturday, the Reds optioned JJ Bleday, Rece Hinds and reliever Zach Maxwell to Triple-A. Nathaniel Lowe and Sam Moll earned the final spots on the roster.

In 2022, 2023, 2024 and 2025, Bleday and Hinds would have likely been in the Reds’ Opening Day starting lineup. This year, the Reds had enough talent to the point where there weren’t going to be enough at-bats for them.

The Reds had one spot remaining for Lowe, Bleday and Hinds. The role was going to be a bench role.

“We really want Bleday and Hinds to play,” Francona said. “We told them that. They both swung the bat really well. We talked to Lowe about the role. I think that’s the reason. I told Hinds, he couldn’t have done more. The role is a bench spot, and we want you to play.”

Bleday, a 28-year-old former first-round pick who was very good in the big leagues in 2024, also looked like a guy who could help the Reds in 2026.

“He has a gorgeous swing,” Francona said. “There’s a lot to like. We want to keep him playing.”

The Louisville Bats will open the year with a talented roster that includes CES, Michael Toglia, Edwin Arroyo, Héctor Rodriguez, Blake Dunn, Hinds and Bleday.

“Hinds, Bleday and Dunn, those are three pretty good guys to have playing in Triple-A,” Francona said. “The other thing is there’s usually someone you don’t know who will play their (tail) off and be a factor. It happens every year. (Edwin) Arroyo, what does his development look like? Nobody quite knows. That’s a part of the fun of the game, to watch those guys develop.”

With the big league roster set, let’s go through it.

Projected lineup

TJ Friedl (CF)
Matt McLain (2B)
Elly De La Cruz (SS)
Eugenio Suárez (DH)

Sal Stewart (1B)
Spencer Steer (LF)
Tyler Stephenson (C)

Noelvi Marte (RF)
Ke’Bryan Hayes (3B)

McLain and Stewart look ready for big seasons. Francona confirmed that Steer is an every day player. Marte might be the most interesting player on the team this year.

The only left-handed hitters here are Friedl and De La Cruz, who will play anyway vs. LHP most of the time.

Dane Myers has a really impressive track record vs. LHP and is a standout defender. How often does he play versus LHP, and who do you take out of the lineup to get in him in (Marte has the worst track record vs. LHP, but you don’t want to turn him into a 24-year-old reverse platoon player).

There are some good lineup crunches here. Who sits vs. LHP? How do you get Will Benson into the lineup?

“Those things will work themselves out,” Francona said. “Right now, Lowe is a bench player. If someone gets nicked up, that changes in a minute. We know that. We’ll see how it goes… I really don’t know. Some of it is how guys are playing. Physically. How our ball club is playing. We’ll work into it.”

Bench

Will Benson, Dane Myers, Jose Trevino, Nathaniel Lowe

Since Benson is already a guy you want to work into the lineup vs. RHP and Myers is a guy you want to work into the lineup vs. LHP, Lowe’s role will mostly be as a bench bat right now.

Francona is excited about Lowe’s fit.

“Really quickly, he assimilated into the culture and was a part of it,” Francona said. “It’s meaningful. Guys love him. He can handle the role. The last thing you want is a guy sitting on the bench that’s tearing down the fabric as opposed to adding.”

Lowe describes his 2025 season as a down year, but he was actually better in 2025 vs. RHP than he was in 2024, when he was regarded as a standout player. Also, Lowe hit 16 homers vs. RHP last season, which was the second-best mark of his career (just one homer behind his Silver Slugger season in 2022).

Benson is going to get playing time. It should also really help that he has made huge improvements over the last year at his ability to come off the bench and deliver a quality pinch-hit at-bat.

“You know he’s going to handle his business no matter what role is thrown at him,” hitting coach Chris Valaika said. “He did a great job during the year in his evolution. Credit to (assistant hitting coaches) Will (Remillard) and Alex (Pelaez). How he prepared and got himself ready, the preparation when he wasn’t ready, knowing where those pinch-hit pockets were and the relievers he was going to face on the opposing team. He’s so smart with that stuff. He came in knowing the pinch-hit he was going to take before the game even started. It’s been a credit to him and how he has built his days.”

There’s also a lot to like about Myers. Francona said about him earlier this spring, “He does a lot of the things you’re supposed to do right.” Myers’ ability in the field, on the bases and vs. LHP (.297 career average) upgrade the Reds’ bench.

Starting rotation (6): Andrew Abbott, Nick Lodolo, Brady Singer, Chase Burns, Rhett Lowder, Brandon Williamson

Let’s all see how they navigate this short-term six-man rotation, which isn’t expected to last into late April.

Bullpen (7): Emilio Pagán, Tony Santillan, Graham Ashcraft, Brock Burke, Pierce Johnson, Connor Phillips, Sam Moll.

Francona on Sam Moll, who earned the final bullpen spot: “The last four outings, his stuff has really ticked up. The changeup has been really good. With Ferguson down, it gives us that second lefty. It just seemed to make sense to us.”

When the Reds go to a traditional rotation, they’ll go back to an eight-man bullpen.

Francona on Zach Maxwell: “So often we tell guys to knock the door down. He’s one. Bash that (expletive) down. As he works ahead (in the count), he has the chance to not just get people out. He has a chance to abuse some hitters.”

Similar to the position player group, the Reds have good relief pitching depth. “You’ve got Mey. Maxwell. (Yunior) Marte. There are some good arms,” said Francona, who also easily could have named Hagen Danner and Tejay Antone in this group.

Injured list (2): Hunter Greene, Caleb Ferguson

Greene (elbow) will stay in Arizona when the team breaks camp.

“Roughly, I think about the six week mark is when he can start to ramp up the throwing program,” Francona said. “That’s when I think there would be conversations about him coming with us. That’s a bit rough. They were thinking middle of May maybe ish.”

Caleb Ferguson (oblique) is scheduled for an MRI on Wednesday. He’s currently doing a modified throwing program to keep his arm moving without impacting his oblique.

It's finally Cincinnati's favorite unofficial holiday Reds Opening Day.

The Cincinnati Reds will take on the Boston Red Sox at Great American Ball Park. But action starts far before the game itself.

Opening Day pregame ceremonies are scheduled to kick off around 3:30 p.m. Thursday.

The ceremonial first pitch will be thrown out by former Reds pitcher Bronson Arroyo.

The official game ball will be delivered by Sharonville native and 2026 Olympic gold medalist Connor Curran.

Andrew Abbott is set as the starting pitcher to kick off the Reds official season.

And we can't forget the game's Honorary Captain, Dave Concepcin. He's a Reds Hall of Famer and member of the Big Red Machine.

The Reds are set to take on the Boston Red Sox at 4:10 p.m. Thursday.

For more information on ways to watch the game, you can read our story here.

Starting at 11 a.m., the Reds Community Fund Block Party kicks off.

The block party will be held at Joe Nuxhall Way, Marian Spencer Way and Freedom Way. Food and drinks will be available to buy from local vendors, and live music and entertainment will happen from 11 a.m. through 3:30 p.m., ahead of the start of the game.

The block party will stop providing alcohol sales at around 3:30 p.m. and festivities will wrap at 4 p.m., before first pitch.

The annual Findlay Market Opening Day Parade kicks off Opening Day in Cincinnati.

This year's grand marshal was the Cowboy, former Reds pitcher Jeff Brantley. Most recently, Brantley has been a Reds broadcaster alongside legend Marty Brennaman. Earlier this year, Brantley won Ohio Sportscaster of the Year for 2025 by the National Sports Media Association his first time winning the award.

You can watch our coverage of the parade here:

WCPO's 9 First Warning Weather team is predicting a warm Opening Day.

The record high for Thursday is 82 degrees, set back in 1907.

We should get through the ballgame without rain. Clouds will start to increase as we get to sunset.

A cold front moves in from the north late Thursday night, bringing a line of showers and storms. These keep looking later and later, likely not getting to areas north of Greater Cincinnati until closer to midnight now. They may not get to Cincy until 3 a.m., followed by some leftover heavier rain in northern Kentucky into Friday morning

The following streets are now closed and will reopen after the game Thursday.

For more on CPD's safety plan for Opening Day, click here.

The grand marshal for this year's Findlay Market Opening Day Parade will be former Reds pitcher Jeff Brantley.

Brantley, nicknamed "Cowboy" during his time with the Reds, will ring the bell to start the parade, which will be held on March 26. The parade will begin at noon and is expected to go until 3 p.m. The Opening Day game will start at 4:10 p.m., as the Reds take on the Boston Red Sox at Great American Ball Park.

Most recently, Brantley has been a Reds broadcaster alongside legend Marty Brennaman. Earlier this year, Brantley won Ohio Sportscaster of the Year for 2025 by the National Sports Media Association his first time winning the award.

Brantley pitched 14 seasons in in Major League Baseball, including four for the Cincinnati Reds between 1994 and 1997. He also led the National League with 44 saves for the Reds in 1996.

Brantley, an Alabama native, was drafted into the MLB in 1985, chosen by the San Francisco Giants in the sixth round.

The Findlay Market Opening Day Parade signals the start of baseball season in Cincinnati each year; The parade itself has been held for over a century it celebrated its 100th birthday back in 2019.

Here's a breakdown of the events happening during Opening Day festivities:

The Reds will open the season with six starters on the major league roster, manager Terry Francona announced (via Mark Sheldon of MLB.com). With Hunter Greene out until midseason, Cincinnati had three rotation locks: Opening Day starter Andrew Abbott, fellow lefty Nick Lodolo and veteran right-hander Brady Singer. Lefty Brandon Williamson and righties Chase Burns and Rhett Lowder have all secured roster spots as well. The Reds won’t use a straight six-man rotation but will deploy the Burns/Lowder/Williamson trio in a to-be-determined capacity.

Charlie Goldsmith of FOX 19 writes that the Reds have labeled the setup as a “condensed” six-man rotation. Abbott, Lodolo and Singer will start the first three games. A decision has yet to be made on which of Burns, Lowder and Williamson will start games four and five for the Reds. Whichever isn’t given a start will be available in long relief or tandem/piggyback fashion for the other two. Abbott will be back on the bump for Cincinnati’s sixth game of the season.

“You’ll see (Williamson) either potentially come in after Burns, or maybe even start a game and have Lowder do it (out of the bullpen),” Francona said (via Goldsmith). “I don’t think we feel the need to say it ahead of time as far as strategy goes. That’s kind of where we’re sitting. You’ll see (Williamson) pitch one of those two days (Game 4 or 5 of the season).”

Williamson, 28 next month, entered camp as  a particular long shot to make the club. He’d pitched only 30 2/3 innings over the past two seasons combined — none in 2025. He missed all of last season recovering from Tommy John surgery that was performed late in the 2024 campaign.

A former second-round pick by the Mariners, Williamson came to the Reds in the 2022 Eugenio Suárez/Jesse Winker trade. He’s pitched 131 1/3 big league innings with a 4.39 ERA to date but was a fairly well-regarded prospect with a solid minor league track record. Now healthy, Williamson has opened eyes in camp. He’s pitched 11 innings and held opponents to just two runs on only six hits and a pair of walks with 13 strikeouts (1.64 ERA, 31 K%, 4.8 BB%). He has a career 92.8 mph on his four-seamer but has been sitting 94.1 mph this spring (obviously not working as deep into games as he would in a regular season setting).

Burns and Lowder — particularly the former — seemed like much stronger rotation bets. Burns, the No. 2 overall pick in 2024, debuted last summer less than a year after being selected out of Wake Forest. The 6’3″ flamethrower obliterated minor league opposition, notching a 1.77 ERA, 36.8% strikeout rate and 5.4% walk rate in his first 13 pro starts before being summoned to the big leagues. Burns’ 4.57 ERA in 43 1/3 MLB frames last year, but much of the damage against him came early on. Burns was shredded for seven runs in just one-third of an inning against Boston in his second career start. He bounced back with a 3.32 ERA, 37.3% strikeout rate and 8.9% walk rate over his final 38 major league innings.

Lowder was the No. 7 overall pick just a year prior to Burns. Like Burns, he’s a Wake Forest product who made his MLB debut just a year after being drafted, in 2024. Lowder turned in a powerhouse 1.17 ERA in his first six MLB starts but did so with an underwhelming 17.2% strikeout rate and hefty 10.9% walk rate. His minor league work was terrific, however.

Both Burns and Lowder have had nice springs overall, though the Reds recently slowed Burns down a bit after he reported some range-of-motion issues to the club. Both promising young righties are viewed as critical long-term pieces in the rotation. It’s not entirely clear how this six-man setup will be resolved long-term. Francona told Goldsmith it’s a very short-term setup that probably won’t even last into late April. All three of Burns, Lowder and Williamson have multiple minor league option years remaining.

Francona also confirmed that reliever Connor Phillips and outfielder Will Benson have made the roster. Both have a minor league option remaining that, at least for now, won’t be used. The 24-year-old Phillips has had a rough spring, allowing seven runs in seven innings with an 18.8% walk rate, but he posted a 2.88 ERA while punching out nearly one-third of his opponents in 25 major league innings last year.

Benson has absolutely raked this spring, popping four homers and a double with as many walks as strikeouts (seven apiece) in 40 plate appearances. The 27-year-old is hitting .250/.400/.656 in 13 games. There’s no clear path to regular playing time with TJ Friedl, Noelvi Marte, JJ Bleday and Dane Myers also on the roster, but he’ll mix in as an occasional starter versus right-handed pitching and a lefty bat off the bench.

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 2026 World Baseball Classic (0:40)
• The Reds’ Hunter Greene requiring elbow surgery (7:50)

Plus, we answer your questions, including…

• Why are the Braves not calling the Red Sox about Jarren Duran? (14:50)
• Why have the Braves not addressed their injured rotation? Why not sign Lucas Giolito to a minor league deal? Does the club have an issue with how they treat their pitchers since they seem to have so many injuries? (20:50)
• Will Kevin McGonigle break camp with the Tigers and how would that impact the rest of the roster? (34:20)
• Who are some surprising performers in spring training who could impact the 2026 season? (46:05)

Check out our past episodes!

• Jesús Luzardo’s Extension, Atlanta’s Depth, And Zack Littell – listen here
• Max Scherzer, The Red Sox’ Lineup, Spring Extension Candidates, And More! – listen here
• Twins And Orioles’ Injuries, The Guardians And Angels’ Quiet Offseasons, And Chris Sale’s Extension – 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 Katie Stratman, Imagn Images

Reds right-hander Chase Burns tossed just 24 pitches in his spring outing on Friday, a significant step back from the 68 he threw in his previous appearance. The approach was intentional, manager Terry Francona told reporters, including Charlie Goldsmith of Fox 19. Burns’ abbreviated outing came after he experienced a limited range of motion in his throwing arm earlier in the week. “We’re nipping this in the bud right now,” Francona said.

The fact that Burns was still able to take the ball on Friday suggests concern should be minor, but the issue could shape how the young righty is handled early in the season. Francona added that the Reds’ medical staff is putting together a routine to help Burns avoid the range of motion issue between starts moving forward.

Cincinnati has an opening in the rotation with ace Hunter Greene undergoing elbow surgery. Burns seemed to enter camp with the inside track for the fifth starter job, with Rhett Lowder and Brandon Williamson as his main competition. Chase Petty and Julian Aguiar were long-shot candidates, but both have been sent back to minor league camp. Now, two of Burns, Lowder, and Williamson have the chance to enter the regular season with starting roles alongside Andrew Abbott, Nick Lodolo, and Brady Singer.

Burns was the consensus top prospect in the Reds system heading into last season. He didn’t disappoint when he got the call, striking out eight Yankees in his June debut. The young righty was obliterated by the Red Sox in his second start, skewing his final line, but he was mostly as advertised across 13 appearances. Burns finished the regular season with a massive 35.6% strikeout rate over 43 1/3 innings. His 2.68 xFIP and 2.76 SIERA were significantly lower than his ERA (4.57). Burns retired five straight Dodgers in his lone postseason appearance.

The short Spring Training outing isn’t the first time Burns’ workload has been capped after an injury. He went down with a flexor strain in August that cost him about a month. When he returned, the Reds used him strictly as a reliever. He maxed out at two innings and 36 pitches following the injury.

Williamson is coming back from an arm issue of his own. He missed all of 2025 due to UCL reconstruction. The lefty emerged as a consistent member of the Cincinnati rotation in 2023, making 23 starts. He dealt with multiple arm injuries the following year, which eventually resulted in surgery.

The Reds acquired Williamson as part of the package they received from the Mariners in exchange for Eugenio Suarez and Jesse Winker in March 2022. He doesn’t overwhelm with velocity, but he showed a deep arsenal in his 2023 stint with Cincinnati. Williamson made a pitch mix tweak in 2024, pushing his cutter usage from 29.8% to 44.9%. He was using it more than his fastball before the arm problems popped up. Opponents hit just .179 against the cutter in Williamson’s limited 2024 sample.

Lowder is right up there with Burns in terms of prospect pedigree. His career also got off to a similarly positive start, until an arm injury derailed him. Lowder was called up at the end of the 2024 campaign. He breezed to a 1.17 ERA over six starts with the Reds as a 22-year-old. A 4.38 xERA suggested Lowder had been pretty fortunate, but he entered last season with a good chance to contribute with the big-league club. Lowder hit the IL in late March with a forearm strain. He was limited to just 9 1/3 innings in the minors.

After Lowder struggled to miss bats in his initial big-league stint (17.2% strikeout rate), he’s been racking up punchouts. The righty had a 26.5% strikeout rate in his five rehab outings last year. He’s pushed it to 29.7% across three Spring Training appearances. Burns and Lowder could give the Reds some of the swing-and-miss ability they’ll be lacking while Greene is sidelined.

Photo courtesy of Frank Bowen IV of The Enquirer 

In the not-too-distant past, it was relatively rare for organizations to break camp with their very best prospects on the roster. It still happened at times, but MLB's service time structure was set up such that keeping a top prospect in the minors for even two weeks to begin the season effectively ensured that he'd be controllable for seven years rather than the standard six. There were obvious exceptions to this thinking -- Atlanta fans surely remember Jason Heyward breaking camp as a 20-year-old and belting a three-run homer on Opening Day -- but there were far more cases of keeping a player in the minors to buy the extra year. Kris Bryant, Vladimir Guerrero Jr., George Springer and others were all called to the majors just when they'd spent enough time in the minors to give their clubs an extra year of control. There was nothing inherently nefarious about the gambit; teams were operating within the collectively bargained rules and making business decisions.

The 2022-26 collective bargaining agreement sought to implement some real incentives for teams to bring their best players north to begin the season, however, and by and large they've been effective. With the Prospect Promotion Incentives (PPI), any prospect who appears on two recognized top-100 lists and is called up early enough to earn a full service year can net his team a bonus draft pick, either in that season's Rookie of the Year voting or in MVP/Cy Young voting over the next three seasons.

There's also a disincentive to holding a player down. For those same qualified top prospects, a top-two finish in either league's Rookie of the Year voting will net a full year of major league service time, regardless of when they were called up. Said prospects still have around 90% of a season in such instances, which is more than enough time to turn in a ROY-worthy performance.

Teams now know that holding a player down for 15 days or so might lead to him getting a full year of service anyhow and comes with the disadvantage of rendering that player ineligible for future PPI picks. As such, it's become increasingly common for touted prospects to break camp on their teams' rosters.

With that in mind, and with fewer than two weeks to go until Opening Day, it seems worth running through a slate of top prospects who could factor into their teams' Opening Day plans.

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Cincinnati Reds reliever Caleb Ferguson is dealing with an oblique strain and isn't expected to be available for the start of the season.

Reds manager Terry Francona told reporters that Ferguson has a mild right oblique strain.

The Reds signed Ferguson to a one-year, $4.5 million contract in December.

Ferguson, 29, made a career-high 70 appearances last season with the Pittsburgh Pirates and Seattle Mariners. He went a combined 5-4 with a 3.58 ERA with 51 strikeouts over 65 1/3 innings.

He made three postseason appearances with Seattle and allowed five runs over 2 2/3 innings.

Ferguson owns a combined 24-17 record with a 3.66 ERA and six saves in a career that has included stops with the Los Angeles Dodgers (2018-23), New York Yankees (2024), Houston Astros (2024), Pirates and Mariners.

The news regarding Ferguson comes as the Reds are already preparing to open the season without right-hander Hunter Greene, who has an elbow injury that could cause him to miss up to four months. Greene went 7-4 with a 2.76 ERA in 19 starts last season after earning an All-Star Game appearance and finishing eighth in the Cy Young Award balloting in 2024.

Reds reliever Caleb Ferguson will open the season on the 15-day injured list, manager Terry Francona told reporters (link via Mark Sheldon of MLB.com). The southpaw strained his right oblique and will be shelved for at least a few weeks.

The injury will delay Ferguson’s team debut. The Reds signed him to a one-year, $4.5MM free agent contract. Ferguson is coming off a 3.58 earned run average over 65 1/3 innings split between the Pirates and Mariners. His 18.9% strikeout percentage was easily a career worst, but he compensated by allowing one of the lowest hard contact rates in the sport.

Ferguson hasn’t pitched well this spring, giving up five runs while allowing nine of 13 batters faced to reach base (six hits and three walks). His track record locked him into a bullpen role either way, of course. Ferguson and trade acquisition Brock Burke would have been the two left-handers guaranteed to be on the Opening Day roster.

His injury should increase Sam Moll’s chances of breaking camp. The 34-year-old is out of options and on the roster bubble as the #3 lefty reliever on the depth chart. Moll gave up a 6.38 ERA despite an impressive 27% strikeout rate across 23 big league appearances last year. He has worked six scoreless innings with only one hit allowed this spring, but he has walked six of 23 hitters.

Francona said the Reds aren’t committed to replacing Ferguson with a left-hander, so Moll still doesn’t seem fully assured of a roster spot. Cincinnati would need to trade him or place him on waivers if they squeeze him out.

There’s also at least one spot available for a hard-throwing righty like Luis Mey, Connor Phillips, Zach Maxwell or the recently acquired Kyle Nicolas. Southpaw Brandon Williamson makes sense for a long relief role. Tejay Antone, Hagen Danner and Yunior Marte are among the non-roster invitees vying for jobs.

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 Anthony Franco of MLB Trade Rumors to discuss…

• The Phillies and Jesús Luzardo signing an extension (1:55)
• Johan Rojas reportedly testing positive for a PED and how that impacts the Phillies (16:55)
• The Braves losing Jurickson Profar to yet another PED suspension and Joey Wentz to a season-ending injury (22:15)
• The Nationals signing Zack Littell (36:25)
• The Pirates trading Kyle Nicolas to the Reds for Tyler Callihan (43:40)
• The Rangers signing Andrew McCutchen to a minor league deal (48:45)
• The Astros dealing with a Jeremy Peña injury and how that impacts the ongoing Isaac Paredes trade rumors (53:30)

Check out our past episodes!

• Max Scherzer, The Red Sox’ Lineup, Spring Extension Candidates, And More! – listen here
• Twins And Orioles’ Injuries, The Guardians And Angels’ Quiet Offseasons, And Chris Sale’s Extension – listen here
• The Tigers’ Rotation, A Brewers-Red Sox Trade, And Late Free-Agent Signings – 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 Kyle Ross, Imagn Images

Reds ace Hunter Greene will undergo surgery to remove bone chips from his right elbow today, per Gordon Wittenmyer of the Cincinnati Enquirer. The team is hoping to have him back at some point in July. He’ll be placed on the 60-day injured list whenever Cincinnati needs to open a spot on the 40-man roster.

The Reds revealed late last week that they’d sent Greene for multiple waves of imaging and hoped to have further news early this week. Greene himself said at the time that he’s navigated bone spurs for some time but had recently received a clean MRI on his ulnar collateral ligament. Doctors hadn’t recommended surgery for the bone chips until this point. He experienced some pain late last season, and doctors recommended an injection at the time. That allowed Greene to have a normal offseason, but he experienced renewed discomfort upon ramping up in camp and will now head under the knife.

Greene is far from the only pitcher in MLB to pitch through some known bone spurs or loose bodies in his elbow. Most professional pitchers have some degree of wear and tear in their elbow and/or shoulder, be it bone chips or mild damage to a ligament, flexor tendon, rotator cuff, labrum, etc. Reds fans will surely feel frustration that the discomfort dates back to last season but is being addressed in 2026. Surgery is a last-resort option, however, and hadn’t been recommended until this latest wave of discomfort set in.

Losing Greene is a gut-punch for a Reds rotation that had looked like one of the game’s strongest, on paper. He was in line to start Opening Day and be followed by Andrew Abbott, Nick Lodolo, Brady Singer and one of Chase Burns or Rhett Lowder, both former top-10 picks in the draft and highly touted top prospects. Greene’s injury now opens the door for both Burns and Lowder to make the staff — particularly after Chase Petty was optioned yesterday — although left-hander Brandon Williamson remains in camp and could be an option as he returns from a 2025 season lost to injury.

A former No. 2 overall draft pick, Greene has been one of the game’s best pitchers on a rate basis over the past two seasons. However, he’s also missed considerable time due to a pair of groin strains in 2025 and some elbow discomfort in 2024. He’s started 45 games across dating back to ’24 and worked to a 2.76 ERA with a 29.2% strikeout rate, 8.1% walk rate and 33.5% ground-ball rate. Last year’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 on the shelf to begin the year, Abbott has been named the Reds’ Opening Day starter. President of baseball operations Nick Krall said last week at the time Greene was being sent for an MRI that he didn’t envision turning to free agency even in the event that Greene would be sidelined for a significant period of time.

We knew Reds ace Hunter Greene would likely miss time after leaving spring training with elbow stiffness. Now, we know just how long he might be gone.

Multiple reports say the 26-year-old is not expected to return until July, as he is scheduled to have a procedure to remove bone chips from his right elbow this week.

Reds manager Terry Francona and president of baseball operations Nick Krall told reporters last week that Greene would have an MRI in Cincinnati and consult with both the team's orthopedic consultant and the Dodgers' head team physician after dealing with elbow issues during training camp.

Related | Ace right-hander Hunter Greene leaves Reds camp and is scheduled to have MRI on stiff right elbow

Greene has dealt with these issues in the past. He was placed on the IL in 2024 for right elbow soreness, and mentioned that his right elbow was causing issues towards the end of the 2025 season. Projected to be the team's opening day starter, Greene spoke this offseason about his goal to "be healthy and make all my starts" after only starting in a career-low 19 games in 2025.

Now, Andrew Abbott will take the mound on opening day, and Greene will be forced to wait until sometime mid-season to make his first start.

Greene helped Cincinnati to its first playoff appearance since 2020 last season, going 7-4 with a 2.76 ERA. The previous year, he got his first All-Star spot and finished eighth in NL Cy Young voting.

In a social media statement Wednesday, Greene said he pushed through elbow pain last year in an effort to help the Reds get to the playoffs.

"All I want to do is play the game I love and compete with my brothers as we take on the 2026 season," the statement said. "Trust me, nobody is more frustrated than I am."

The Reds optioned first baseman Christian Encarnacion-Strand and starter Chase Petty this morning. Both players entered camp as long shots to make the Opening Day roster after struggling in limited looks in 2025.

Encarnacion-Strand was Cincinnati’s season-opening first baseman in each of the last two years. He had impressed with a .270/.328/.477 line over 63 games as a rookie in 2023. He hasn’t built off that production. The righty hitter limped to a .199/.227/.337 showing while striking out more than a quarter of the time in 65 games between 2024-25. Encarnacion-Strand’s ’24 campaign was cut short by a wrist fracture that required surgery. He missed time last season with a back injury and spent the second half in Triple-A.

The 26-year-old had a solid but unexceptional minor league campaign. He hit .246/.309/.492 with 11 longballs and a 25.1% strikeout rate in 64 games. He’d gotten into six games this spring, going 5-15 with a pair of doubles.

The Reds are expected to give rookie Sal Stewart the starting job at first base, where Eugenio Suárez should get some work along with his primary DH job. Nathaniel Lowe and Michael Toglia are both in camp on minor league deals.

There’s probably one bench bat role available between the non-roster invites and outfielder Will Benson, who is on the 40-man roster. Benson has popped three homers with four walks and strikeouts apiece through his first 24 spring plate appearances. Lowe has a couple longballs but is batting .200 in 22 trips to the plate. Toglia entered camp as the longest shot of the group and has fanned in four of his 11 plate appearances.

Petty is a former first-round pick who made his first three major league outings last year. He was blitzed for 14 runs in six innings. Petty tossed four scoreless innings this spring, striking out and walking two batters. He’ll head back to Triple-A Louisville, where he gave up a 6.39 ERA across 112 2/3 innings.

Hunter Greene looks likely to open the season on the injured list after feeling elbow stiffness last week. Manager Terry Francona announced yesterday that Andrew Abbott will step in for his first career Opening Day start in Greene’s place. Brady Singer and Nick Lodolo slot into the middle of the staff.

Chase Burns and Rhett Lowder seem the frontrunners for the final two spots, with lefty Brandon Williamson representing the top alternative. Williamson and Lowder both missed all of last season. Lowder has punched out seven over five innings of one-run ball in camp. Williamson has six strikeouts in four frames, allowing two runs on three hits.

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.

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).

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.

___

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.

___

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.