GOODYEAR, Ariz. \u2014 Typically, the first day of spring training is about setting the stage for a lot of internal competition. In previous years, aside from a few select spots like Elly De La Cruz at shortstop, just about every role on the Reds has been up for grabs. <\/p>\n
This year, so much more is set. <\/p>\n
There will be battles, like the Reds\u2019 search for a No. 2 hitter. But there\u2019s a really good feel for how the roster is going to function.<\/p>\n
Tyler Stephenson is the starting catcher, and Jose Trevino is a very strong backup. Eugenio Su\u00e1rez is the DH, Matt McLain will play second base, Elly De La Cruz will play shortstop and Ke\u2019Bryan Hayes is the primary third baseman. Noelvi Marte is the right fielder, and TJ Friedl is the center fielder. The most likely outcome looks like Sal Stewart will be playing a lot of first base and Spencer Steer will often be in left, and Will Benson, JJ Bleday and Dane Myers can compete for bigger roles as useful bench players.<\/p>\n
There will be a rotation battle between Chase Burns, Rhett Lowder and Brandon Williamson, but most of the rotation is set. The one area that\u2019s still very fluid is the bullpen, which returns last year\u2019s seventh, eighth and ninth inning guys while adding three experienced high-leverage relievers during the offseason (rookies like Connor Phillips and Zach Maxwell could also earn their way up the depth chart).<\/p>\n
The biggest question right now is who hits between leadoff hitter TJ Friedl (one of the best on-base guys in MLB) and No. 3 hitter Elly De La Cruz. <\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ll have to figure out who hits second,\u201d Terry Francona said. \u201cWe want to have somebody to break up Elly and TJ. It needs to be someone right-handed. My first thought is (Noelvi) Marte, but he struggles against lefties. We\u2019ve got to figure some things out. We haven\u2019t played a game yet. Those are things I think about.\u201d<\/p>\n
Marte hit second for most of the stretch run last year. He also posted a .562 OPS vs. LHP last season, so that\u2019s an area he will have to improve.<\/p>\n
Francona mentioned Stewart and Steer as other candidates to hit second.<\/p>\n
Technically, Stewart is a rookie competing for a spot on the team. But there\u2019s plenty of buzz around a slugger who has said that he\u2019s looking to win NL Rookie of the Year.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s an advanced hitter for young kid,\u201d Francona said. \u201cHe\u2019s not just going to get singles. He\u2019s going to do some damage.\u201d<\/p>\n
The manager was asked what the addition of Su\u00e1rez can do for Stewart. Francona responded, \u201cIt could be the other way around \u2014 what does Sal do for Su\u00e1rez? He can be a pretty good hitter.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Reds spent most of last year looking for a cleanup hitter. Francona slotted whoever was hottest behind De La Cruz, and the Reds\u2019 All-Star shortstop didn\u2019t get a ton of protection behind him in the lineup. As a result, De La Cruz saw significantly more breaking balls and fewer pitchers inside of the strike zone.<\/p>\n
Adding Su\u00e1rez should really help De La Cruz.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s a presence in the middle of the order,\u201d Francona said. \u201cThat usually makes people in front of you and behind you better. We were mixing and matching so much last year trying to protect Elly. We were doing it with younger guys. It seemed like whenever we did it, whoever we moved would struggle a bit (because) you start to become a focal point for other teams.\u201d<\/p>\n
***<\/p>\n
The specifics of Steer\u2019s role will likely be sorted out on pretty much a daily basis. He\u2019ll be able to play first base (where he\u2019s a Gold Glove finalist), second base (he\u2019s the favorite to back up Matt McLain), left field and right field. The Reds\u2019 best offensive lineup has Stewart at first and Steer in left.<\/p>\n
Francona said, \u201cNobody knows how we\u2019re going to break camp. If (Steer) can play second and left\u2026 we should be able to cover it. If everyone is healthy, might not be utility role (he can play LF). The issue is he\u2019s such a good first baseman. We\u2019ll need to think that through.\u201d<\/p>\n
Obviously, Steer would be able to start the game in left and slide to first if the Reds have the lead and want to get their best defensive lineup on the field late in games.<\/p>\n
Noelvi Marte will get some work in center field this spring. He has the tools to do it, and center fielders who are good at the plate and in the field are one of the hardest things to find in MLB. TJ Friedl is the Reds\u2019 center fielder, which Francona reiterated on Monday. But taking a bigger picture view, it doesn\u2019t hurt to see what you have there with Marte.<\/p>\n
Also, Friedl will take some reps in left (that could be useful on a day where Myers is in center field).<\/p>\n
***
The main camp battles: <\/p>\n
Burns, Lowder and Williamson are vying for the fifth spot in the rotation. Last spring, Burns pitched in one total inning of a big league spring training game. He\u2019s in a much different position this spring. While he has room to grow, Burns has proven that he can get any MLB hitter out.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey look like they belong, and they feel like they belong,\u201d Francona said. \u201cSometimes with that comes an even better player.\u201d<\/p>\n
The bench isn\u2019t set. Benson, Bleday and Myers are the most established. Benson had an underrated 2025 season, Bleday was great in 2024 and is a bounce back candidate and Myers is a defensive playmaker who hits LHP very well.<\/p>\n
Rece Hinds really cut down his strikeout rate in Triple-A during the second half of last season. If that carries over, the upside that his power creates gives you a lot to consider. Blake Dunn had a terrific second half of the season in Triple-A, and he\u2019s an elite runner. Dunn can compete with Myers to be a right-handed center field option in the mix. If the Reds want another style of player on their bench, Tyler Callihan has offensive punch and versatility when he\u2019s healthy.<\/p>\n
In the bullpen, Phillips has put himself in a very good spot with his dominant September in 2025. That could leave one spot for Maxwell, Sam Moll, Lyon Richardson, Tejay Antone and other non-roster invites.<\/p>\n
***
Terry Francona spoke with Nick Lodolo about pitching in the WBC.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe pitchers are what I\u2019d worry about,\u201d Francona said. \u201cI talked to Lodolo a few times. I told him, if you\u2019re dying to do it, I\u2019ll support you. I\u2019m just worried. I\u2019ve seen guys come back and not be the same. I want you to be wealthy as hell. Maybe there will be a day down the road where you have 50 million in the bank and go ahead and do it.\u201d<\/p>\n
***
The real news of the day: Everyone on the 40-man roster is healthy.<\/p>\n
That includes Emilio Pag\u00e1n and Tony Santillan. However, since they pitched in so many high-stress situations in 2025, they might not get into spring training games right away this year.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ll slow play them a little,\u201d Derek Johnson said. \u201cWe need to give them a bit of time on the front end to build and maybe not be in games right away. They\u2019ll be itching. We\u2019ll play that by ear and give them a say.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Reds aren\u2019t planning to use (overuse) Pag\u00e1n and Santillan nearly as much in 2025, which is why the front office prioritized adding proven middle relief depth with pitchers like Caleb Ferguson, Pierce Johnson and Brock Burke.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s some versatility,\u201d Johnson said. \u201cWe have left-handers who can help us out and actually a couple of them are pretty good against right-handed hitters as well. There are a lot of moving parts, but there are a lot of possibilities.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"GOODYEAR, Ariz. \u2014 Typically, the first day of spring training is about setting the stage for a lot…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":469138,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[558],"tags":[64,63,591,85],"class_list":["post-469137","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-mlb","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-mlb","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/469137","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=469137"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/469137\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/469138"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=469137"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=469137"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=469137"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}