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[Cincinnati Reds]

Cincinnati Reds designate Jeimer Candelario for assignment

Daniel Kucin Jr.-Imagn Images

That’s it for the veteran infielder in a Reds uniform.

Despite a presumptive glut of corner infield options on the roster and in the upper minors of their system, the Cincinnati Reds sprung to sign Jeimer Candelario to a 3-year, $45 million deal prior to the start of the 2024 season.

That deal was a colossal failure.

Candelario accrued a combined -1.6 bWAR - that’s negative one point six - in 134 games played for the Reds across the 2024 and 2025 seasons, and that’s the precise number of games he’ll ever play for the club. That became reality on Monday afternoon when the Reds designated the veteran for assignment.

The #Reds today activated from the 10-day injured list and designated for assignment IF Jeimer Candelario.

— Cincinnati Reds (@Reds) June 23, 2025​

He’ll go unclaimed given that hefty salary, meaning the Reds will ultimately watch him wade back into free agency while still owing him the remainder of his $16 million salary this year as well as the $13 million he’s owed next year - and, presumably, they’ll own the $3 million buyout on his 2027 option, too.

For a club that’s so hell-bent on being spendthrift, this marks yet another ‘big’ money deal (for them) that they’ve had to eat early. They dealt with an eerily similar situation with Mike Moustakas a few years back shortly after they were forced to eat the contract due to Shogo Akiyama, too. It’s a stain on the front office’s decision making, for sure, something that has otherwise been decent-enough with their draft decisions and trade decisions (for the most part).

It’s also a bold move to make this call now. Candelario had been sidelined for weeks with a back issue that wasn’t close to getting any better, and they’d removed him from his rehab stint over the weekend - surely in preparation for today’s news, I’d wager. Instead of letting him work his way back to health and, in theory, show the baseball world he could maybe again be worth some of the salary owed him, the Reds chose to move on completely over a month before this year’s trade deadline.

Perhaps that’s an indication that they’re satisfied with the work they’re getting from the gaggle of Spencer Steer, Christian Encarnacion-Strand, Gavin Lux, and Santiago Espinal at the corner infield positions. That said, Reds 3Bs this year have combined for just a .261 wOBA (4th worst) and 57 wRC+ (dead last) overall.

Maybe this is an indication that Noelvi Marte, who actually hit a bit before injuring his oblique, may be closer to a return than we’d envisioned. Otherwise, the Reds now have both a clear opening for better production and one fewer ‘established’ player in-house who could be capable of filling that from within.

Candelario’s Reds career wraps with him having hit just .207/.265/.394 in 554 PA, a 76 OPS+ that featured 22 dingers.

Source: https://www.redreporter.com/2025/6/...r-candelario-cincinnati-rumors-trade-deadline

 

[Cincinnati Reds]

The Halfway Point - Game 81: Reds vs. Yankees (7:10 PM ET) - Singer vs. Fried

photo by Mike Kemp/In Pictures via Getty Images

Go Reds!

The Cincinnati Reds play host to the New York Yankees in the series finale tonight in Great American Ball Park.

Cincinnati is going for the sweep, with another win pushing them to 5 games over .500 for the first time all season. Standing in their way, however, is Yankees ace Max Fried - a lefty, at that.

First pitch by Brady Singer is set for 7:10 PM ET.

Go Reds!

Today's Lineups​

Trent Grisham - CF	TJ Friedl - CF
Aaron Judge - RF	Matt McLain - 2B
Ben Rice - 1B	Elly De La Cruz - SS
Giancarlo Stanton - DH	Tyler Stephenson - DH
Jazz Chisholm - 3B	Spencer Steer - LF
Jasson Dominguez - LF	Jose Trevino - C
Anthony Volpe - SS	Rece Hinds - RF
Austin Wells - C	Christian Encarnacion-Strand - 1B
DJ LeMahieu - 2B	Santiago Espinal - 3B
Max Fried - LHP	Brady Singer - RHP

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YANKEES​

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REDS​

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Source: https://www.redreporter.com/2025/6/...new-york-yankees-cincinnati-reds-brady-singer

 

[Cincinnati Reds]

How the Cincinnati Reds starting rotation could line up going forward

Photo by Brian Spurlock/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

There could be a wealth of great arms, with ‘could’ carrying a lot of weight.

The scene inside Great American Ball Park on Monday night was as good as it’s been in twelve, thirteen years.

And, if that’s the truth, it was better than it’s been for 95% of all games played in the park since it opened way back at the start of the 2003 season.

Photo by Brian Spurlock/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

It was a vintage hot, summer night at a late (7:10 PM ET) start, which helped.

It featured the New York Yankees and slugger Aaron Judge, which helped.

It also featured the well-hyped debut of pitcher Chase Burns, on whose shoulders the hopes of that long, lost Cincinnati Reds Renaissance now rests. That helped pack the house, too.

The reality, though, is that none of those three factors would have both packed the house and made it electric throughout unless these Reds found a way to make the show special, and they did. They rallied - twice. They won, once again. They now look at the standings and see themselves four games over the .500 mark and just a pair of games out of an NL Wild Card spot, firmly in the thick of a playoff chase with peripherals (like a +40 run differential) that suggest to the front office that, unlike 2023, this winning should be sustainable.

That’s why Burns, the 22 year old who was taken 2nd overall in last summer’s MLB Draft, was there in the first place. For all of his brief dominance of the minors in 13 starts this year, he’d still be honing his craft with AAA Louisville if the Reds were again mired in the dumps. The Reds, as they’ve done with many other elite prospects, would be slow-playing his advancement, doing their best to think about their longer term plans alongside his.

Burns is here, though, because the Reds are here. They’re now. It’s been a horribly long time, but they’re here and now - that’s what Terry Francona was hired to emphasize over the winter. And while they’ve got Elly De La Cruz and TJ Friedl and an increasingly balanced overall offense, they’re here - and now - because of their pitching.

Namely, their starting pitching, of which Burns and his phenomenal mix of heat and slide is now very much a big, big part.

He’ll join Andrew Abbott, whose 2.9 bWAR so far this year ranks among the 10 best by pitchers in the game. Eventually, he’ll be joined by Hunter Greene, who finished 8th in last year’s NL Cy Young Award voting and was on pace to do so again in 2025 prior to a groin injury (and he’s slated to throw a bullpen next weekend on his way back to action). He’ll join Nicks Lodolo and Martinez, for now, with the latter now perhaps more of a trade chip than ever given the presence of Brady Singer and his looming free agency (and salary).

That’s before the chance that Wade Miley and Rhett Lowder return later this season, and before we consider the next chance for fellow 22 year old top prospect Chase Petty. That, as well as keeping innings off Burns’ arm, will be the juggle for Nick Krall and the Cincinnati front office. After all, Burns threw just 100 innings for Wake Forest last year and already has 71.0 IP on his arm in 2025 across all levels (including last night).

That’s a juggle that didn’t get juggled very well when the Reds threatened to threaten back in ‘23. This year, both the roster - and the front office, by experience - are hopefully in a much better spot to make it shine.

Source: https://www.redreporter.com/2025/6/...ng-rotation-rumors-trade-deadline-chase-burns

 

[Cincinnati Reds]

Game 83: Reds vs. Padres (4:10 PM ET) - Abbott vs. Vasquez

Photo by Jason Mowry/Getty Images

Go Reds!

The Cincinnati Reds go for the series victory over the San Diego Padres this afternoon in Great American Ball Park. They’ll turn to resident ace Andrew Abbott to do so, too.

Should the Reds pick up a victory here, they’ll move to a season-best 5 games over .500, though I hesitate to put the cart too far before the horse. I just put it there, though. Geeze.

First pitch is set for 4:10 PM ET. Lineups below!

Today's Lineups​

Luis Arraez - DH	TJ Friedl - CF
Manny Machado - 3B	Matt McLain - 2B
Jackson Merrill - CF	Elly De La Cruz - SS
Fernando Tatis - RF	Spencer Steer - 1B
Xander Bogaerts - SS	Gavin Lux - DH
Gavin Sheets - LF	Tyler Stephenson - C
Jose Iglesias - 2B	Rece Hinds - RF
Jake Cronenworth - 1B	Will Benson - LF
Martin Maldonado - C	Santiago Espinal - 3B
Randy Vasquez - RHP	Andrew Abbott - LHP

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PADRES​

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REDS​

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Source: https://www.redreporter.com/2025/6/28/24457901/cincinnati-reds-san-diego-padres-lineups

 

[Cincinnati Reds]

Near no-no from Nick Martinez, Spencer Steer’s three homers lead Reds past Padres

Photo by Jason Mowry/Getty Images

An epic night at GABP!

Nick Martinez doesn’t owe anything to the San Diego Padres, but he surely holds them in pretty high regard.

The former Texas Rangers draftee (and four-year member of the club from 2014-2017) struggled repeatedly at the big league level early in his career, and eventually ended up in Japan pitching in NPB for four full seasons.

It was the Padres, though, that identified something in Martinez overseas and signed him to come back to Major League Baseball in 2022, and Nick hasn’t really slowed down since. The now 34-year old righty spent a pair of excellent, versatile seasons pitching both in San Diego’s rotation and bullpen as they spent big and pursued postseason dreams, eventually landing with the Cincinnati Reds prior to the 2024 season once he reached free agency.

With the Reds, he’s seen similar successes. Entering play tonight, he owned a 3.59 ERA (125 ERA+) in 228.1 IP with Cincinnati across two seasons, while he’d logged a 3.45 ERA (116 ERA+) across 216.2 IP with San Diego in the cavernous parks of the NL West.

For all his perks before Friday’s start against San Diego, Martinez put on his absolute best performance against his former team for the Reds in the series opener. He carried a no-hitter into the Top of the 9th, eventually exiting after a double off the wall to begin that frame. He fired 112 pitches - tying a career high - and finished the night with a lone earned run charged after 8.0 IP.

It was precisely the kind of get-right outing he needed, something he himself hinted at by willingly appearing out of the bullpen lately after a couple rough starts.

Not to be outdone, the Cincinnati Reds offense sprung to life to back him early and often. Spencer Steer, in particular, was front and center, socking a trio of homers to continue breaking out of his early-season funk. Steer drove in four on the night and raised his season-long slugging percentage up some 40 points in the process, and getting him back as the guy he’d been for much of the last two seasons seems poised to be an incredibly fortuitous mid-season development for this club.

The Reds won, 8-1, in a thumping series opener that took them once again to 4 games over the .500 mark. They did so in dominant fashion as this team continues to evolve into what appears to be a vintage Terry Francona club by every game.

Source: https://www.redreporter.com/2025/6/...o-hitter-cincinnati-reds-padres-spencer-steer

 

[Cincinnati Reds]

Game 84: Reds vs. Padres (1:40 PM ET) - Lodolo vs. Kolek

Photo by Jason Mowry/Getty Images

Go Reds!

For a time on Saturday, it looked again like the Cincinnati Reds were going to stifle the San Diego Padres and take yet another series victory.

The club jumped out to an early 3-0 lead, and lefty Andrew Abbott was keeping Padres hitters confused with his delivery. Alas, a Luis Arraez solo dinger off Abbott began to turn the tide, and Abbott’s heavy pitch count meant San Diego got to face off against a weary Cincinnati bullpen for the last four frames.

The Reds bullpen simply wasn’t up to the task last night, and that early lead was flipped into a 6-4 loss. Now, Cincinnati will turn to Nick Lodolo in this Sunday’s matinee series finale to try to take the series.

First pitch is set for 1:40 PM ET. Lineups below!

Go Reds!

Today's Lineups​

Luis Arraez - 1B	TJ Friedl - CF
Manny Machado - DH	Matt McLain - 2B
Jackson Merrill - CF	Elly De La Cruz - SS
Fernando Tatis - RF	Austin Hays - DH
Xander Bogaerts - SS	Gavin Lux - LF
Gavin Sheets - LF	Spencer Steer - 1B
Jose Iglesias - 3B	Jose Trevino - C
Jake Cronenworth - 2B	Will Benson - RF
Elias Diaz - C	Christian Encarnacion-Strand - 3B
Stephen Kolek - RHP	Nick Lodolo - LHP

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PADRES​

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REDS​

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Source: https://www.redreporter.com/2025/6/29/24458365/cincinnati-reds-san-diego-padres-nick-lodolo

 

[Cincinnati Reds]

Game 85: Reds at Red Sox (7:10 PM ET) - Burns vs. Crochet

Go Red Stockings!

In one of the most electric on-paper pitching matchups of the 2025 Major League Baseball seaosn, the Cincinnati Reds and rookie Chase Burns take on the Boston Red Sox and ace Garrett Crochet tonight in Fenway Park.

It’s the series opener between these two clubs, and with Boston under .500 with the trade deadline looming this could be the kind of series that sends them into selling mode. That, along with the Reds seeking to be 5 games over .500 for the first time all season, are what’s on the line in Beantown tonight.

First pitch is set for 7:10 PM ET. Lineups below.

Go Reds!

Today's Lineups​

TJ Friedl - CF	Jarren Duran - LF
Matt McLain - 2B	Roman Anthony - DH
Elly De La Cruz - SS	Abraham Toro - 1B
Austin Hays - DH	Carlos Narvaez - C
Spencer Steer - LF	Wilyer Abreu - RF
Tyler Stephenson - C	Trevor Story - SS
Rece Hinds - RF	Marcelo Mayer - 3B
Christian Encarnacion-Strand - 1B	David Hamilton - 2B
Santiago Espinal - 3B	Ceddanne Rafaela - CF
Chase Burns - RHP	Garrett Crochet - LHP

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REDS​

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RED SOX​

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Source: https://www.redreporter.com/2025/6/30/24459283/cincinnati-reds-boston-red-sox-carlton-fisk-home-run

 

[Cincinnati Reds]

Sal Stewart, Alfredo Duno to represent Reds in All-Star Futures Game

Photo by Maddalena LoRae/Minor League Baseball

The talented pair of prospects will be on the NL squad in Atlanta!

Sal Stewart has been ripping the cover off the ball for AA Chattanooga all season, hitting .327/.390/.498 though 71 games.

It’s enough to make you wonder just how much longer the Cincinnati Reds will keep their former 1st round pick at AA before promoting him to AAA Louisville. One thing we did find out on Monday morning, however, is that Stewart is slated to step up and play on a stage a tad bit bigger than AA in the near future.

Stewart, along with catcher Alfredo Duno, have been named as representatives of the Cincinnati Reds in the MLB All-Star Futures Game that’s set to be played in Atlanta on Saturday, July 12th as part of the overall All Star Game weekend.

Duno, to his credit, has been ripping the cover off balls in the Florida State League all year, too. On the whole the insanely talented catching prospect has hit .269/.422/.435 in 287 PA, walking nearly as often (55) as he’s struck out (61) - and those 55 walks lead all FSL players. He’s also tied for 2nd with 16 doubles, all while finally spending the bulk of his time behind the plate as a pro in the states for the first time - all at just 19 years of age.

Congrats to both, and make sure to tune in for coverage of the game on either MLB Network, MLB.tv, or MLB.com in just under two weeks time.

Source: https://www.redreporter.com/2025/6/...-all-star-futures-game-roster-cincinnati-reds

 

[Cincinnati Reds]

Game 86: Reds at Red Sox (7:10 PM ET) - Singer vs. Fitts

Photo by George Rizer/The Boston Globe via Getty Images

Go Reds!

Brady Singer takes the mound as the Cincinnati Reds look to even the series against the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park.

First pitch is set for 7:10 PM ET. Lineups below!

Today's Lineups​

TJ Friedl - CF	Jarren Duran - LF
Matt McLain - 2B	Roman Anthony - DH
Elly De La Cruz - SS	Abraham Toro - 1B
Austin Hays - DH	Carlos Narvaez - C
Gavin Lux - LF	Wilyer Abreu - RF
Spencer Steer - 1B	Trevor Story - SS
Jose Trevino - C	Marcelo Mayer - 3B
Will Benson - RF	David Hamilton - 2B
Christian Encarnacion-Strand - 3B	Ceddanne Rafaela - CF
Brady Singer - RHP	Richard Fitts - RHP

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REDS​

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RED SOX​

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Source: https://www.redreporter.com/2025/7/1/24460074/cincinnati-reds-boston-red-sox-game-thread

 

[Cincinnati Reds]

Game 87: Reds at Red Sox (7:10 PM ET) - Martinez vs. Bernardino

Photo by Focus on Sport/Getty Images

Go Reds!

The Cincinnati Reds will send Nick Martinez to the mound this evening in the final game of the series against the Boston Red Sox. The Reds will need a victory to avoid being swept, too.

First pitch is set for 7:10 PM ET. Lineups below!

Today's Lineups​

TJ Friedl - CF	Jarren Duran - LF
Matt McLain - SS	Roman Anthony - RF
Elly De La Cruz - DH	Abraham Toro - 3B
Austin Hays - LF	Trevor Story - SS
Spencer Steer - 1B	Wilyer Abreu - DH
Tyler Stephenson - C	Ceddanne Rafaela - CF
Gavin Lux - 2B	Marcelo Mayer - 2B
Rece Hinds - RF	Romy Gonzalez - 1B
Santiago Espinal - 3B	Connor Wong - C
Nick Martinez - RHP	Cooper Criswell - RHP

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REDS​

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RED SOX​

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Source: https://www.redreporter.com/2025/7/2/24460683/cincinnati-reds-boston-red-sox-sweep-maybe-not

 

[Cincinnati Reds]

Noelvi Marte’s imminent return puts Reds roster on notice

Photo by Jason Mowry/Getty Images

Who’s going to play? And where?

Christian Encarnacion-Strand knocked a baseball completely out of Fenway Park on Wednesday night, doing so with the bases loaded and the Cincinnati Reds teetering on the edge of being swept by the Boston Red Sox.

It was positively majestic, measuring at 439 feet after coming off the bat at 109.1 mph, per MLB.com’s Statcast, and it sailed clear over the Green Monster in left-center.

It was desperately needed by the Reds, who claimed the final game of the series 8-4 and moved to 45-42 on the season. More than that, though, it was desperately needed by CES, who’d slumped to just 8 for his last 54 with nary a homer across his previous 15 games (54 PA) after bursting back onto the scene as he came off the injured list in early June.

The real CES still has not graced the presence of the regular Cincinnati Reds lineup, I don’t think. What we saw from him down the stretch in 2023 (while 100% healthy) is probably what’s closest to that, but the 63 games in which he has featured across the last two seasons have come in piecemeal form and featured a player who simply had sat sidelined for too long to truly be anything close to ‘in peak form.’

There have been flashes, obviously. Yet the numbers - just .198/.227/.339 in 256 PA since the start of the 2024 season - have simply been unacceptable.

CES started at 1B last night, though he’s also picked up five starts at the hot corner since June 17th. To date, the Cincinnati Reds boast a league-worst .255 wOBA from their 3B position this year, their 54 wRC+ from that position also ranking dead last.

That’s not all CES, of course. A lot of it is Santiago Espinal, who’s been brutal for quite some time offensively. It’s just a bit of a jarring realization considering that seemingly a minute ago this Reds club was bursting at the seams with far, far too many 3B options - so many that the original signing of Jeimer Candelario was panned from the outset.

For the fanfare that CES’ grand slam deservedly got, it wasn’t the only Reds-related grand slam of note this week. Down on the farm with AAA Louisville, former top prospect Noelvi Marte socked a big one of his own while on rehab, launching an 0-2 breaking ball well over the wall in left-center against Indianapolis as part of his own 2-hit, 2-walk night.

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Marte will likely be activated for Friday’s series opener against the Philadelphia Phillies. Despite his own awful 2024 season (that featured an 80-game suspension for PEDs), Marte did manage to hit well at the big league level this season before an oblique issue sent him to the shelf on May 5th - .294/.342/.515 in 73 PA. Between that and how hot he’s been while on rehab with AAA Louisville (and AA Chattanooga before that), it’s hard to envision a scenario where he does anything but get regular starts as the team’s ‘everyday’ 3B going forward.

That’ll lengthen the Reds lineup and deepen the options given to manager Terry Francona, obviously. It will push whatever a ‘Ryan Vilade’ is off the roster and Espinal into the role currently held on the active roster by whatever a ‘Ryan Vilade’ is, though it will make who plays 1B/DH on a daily basis a bit more interesting to decide. Spencer Steer must be in the lineup at all costs right now given how hot he’s become, while the catching combo of Jose Trevino and Tyler Stephenson has also hit so well this year that whoever isn’t behind the plate on a given day has been plenty deserving of DH duty, too.

It’s hard to actively sit Will Benson against RHP, but with the DH logjam and each of TJ Friedl, Gavin Lux, and Austin Hays deserving of spots, too, that suddenly looks like what’ll happen in the near term. It’s a good problem to have, of course. It’s also indicative of how banged up this roster has been so far this season that we’re just now beginning to even start that conversation nearly 90 games into the season.

For CES, it may well mean more time on the bench that we’d all prefer, since not playing over much of the last two seasons has likely been as much of the culprit for his problems as the injuries he’s dealt with in the first place. But at this stage of the game, he (and Benson, too) are likely on the outside looking in for ‘regular’ trips to the plate, instead being tasked with being the big-bats off the bench in strategic spots for Tito.

That could, and most likely will change at some point. Someone will struggle, more injuries will surely pop up, and the return of what’s left of Jake Fraley will further complicate the situation. But as the Reds barrel towards the July trade deadline, they do look to finally be sporting the deepest, most crowded roster they’ve had all season as the clock ticks down for them to figure out how best to assemble themselves for a playoff push.

Source: https://www.redreporter.com/2025/7/...-cincinnati-reds-christian-encarnacion-strand

 

[Cincinnati Reds]

Red Reposter - Remembering Dave Parker

Photo by Focus on Sport/Getty Images

Tuesday links from the world of the Cincinnati Reds.

Former Cincinnati Reds great and Hall of Famer Dave Parker passed away over the weekend. The 74 year old had dealt with Parkinson’s Disease since being diagnosed back in 2012.

Parker’s HoF limbo lasted nearly 35 years from the end of his playing days, which spanned 19 seasons from 1973 through 1991. This past winter, though, he was finally elected, and was set to be inducted formally in Cooperstown in just one more month.

The 1978 NL MVP with the Pittsburgh Pirates, Parker eventually landed in Cincinnati as a free agent prior to the 1984 season. He finished in the Top 5 in NL MVP voting in each of the 1985 and 1986 seasons, across which his 241 RBI trailed only Yankees great Don Mattingly in all of Major League Baseball.

Parker, who was born in Mississippi but raised in Cincinnati, remained a fixture in the Queen City after his playing days eventually took him to Oakland, Milwaukee, Anaheim, and Toronto. We here at Red Reporter send condolences to his family.

Jay Jaffe, HoF laureate that he is, paid homage to The Cobra over at FanGraphs, and it’s well worth a read.

Steve Buckley of The Athletic sat down with Parker’s contemporary (and fellow HoFer) Jim Rice to discuss an old Sports Illustrated cover that featured the pair, and it’s a wonderful read.

Bret Buganksi of WCPO caught up with Parker’s former high school guidance counselor, and it, too, is worth your time.

Rest in peace, Cobra.

Source: https://www.redreporter.com/2025/7/...inks-dave-parker-hall-of-fame-tucker-barnhart

 

[Cincinnati Reds]

Game 88: Reds at Phillies (1:05 PM EDT) - Abbott vs. Luzardo

David Richard-Imagn Images

Today's Lineups​

TJ Friedl - CF	Trea Turner - SS
Matt McLain - DH	Kyle Schwarber - DH
Elly De La Cruz - SS	Bryce Harper - 1B
Austin Hays - LF	Alec Bohm - 3B
Spencer Steer - 1B	Nick Castellanos - RF
Tyler Stephenson - C	J.T. Realmuto - C
Noelvi Marte - 3B	Otto Kemp - LF
Rece Hinds - RF	Edmundo Sosa - 2B
Santiago Espinal - 2B	Johan Rojas - CF
Andrew Abbott - LHP	Jesus Luzardo - LHP

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REDS​

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PHILLIES​

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Source: https://www.redreporter.com/2025/7/4/24461634/game-88-reds-at-phillies-1-05-pm-edt-abbott-vs-luzardo

 

[Cincinnati Reds]

Reds activate Noelvi Marte, Graham Ashcraft before series opener in Philadelphia

Photo by Jeff Dean/Getty Images

The band’s getting back together!

The sample size was admittedly small, but Noelvi Marte was one of the best hitters on the Cincinnati Reds during the early portion of the 2025 Major League Baseball season.

Marte, 23, posted a 128 OPS+ across 19 games with the club during April and early May, but an oblique injury shut him down for nearly two months. He began to work his way back to health with AA Chattanooga in late June, and after a recent stint rehabbing with AAA Louisville, he’s now back and active withe the big league Reds.

Cincinnati announced his activation along with that of reliever Graham Ashcraft on Friday morning prior to the start of their weekend series against the Phillies in Philadelphia. RHP Sam Benschoter and utilityman extraordinaire Ryan Vilade were optioned back to AAA Louisville to clear room on the active roster.

The #Reds today announced the following transactions: pic.twitter.com/wGUEOHA0jh

— Cincinnati Reds (@Reds) July 4, 2025​

The Reds have Marte in the lineup for Friday’s afternoon contest against the Phils, batting 7th and playing 3B against LHP Jesus Luzardo.

With Marte and Ashcraft now back in the fold, the Reds are just about as healthy as they’ve been all season, especially with Hunter Greene having thrown a live BP session last weekend and getting ever closer to his return. That’s a very good development, albeit a complicated one as manager Terry Francona now is tasked with juggling which still-developing bats get to play each and every day.

(For instance, Christian Encarnacion-Strand is on the bench to start this one despite his big dinger in his last game and despite him being a righty with a LHP starter on the mound.)

Welcome back, Noelvi and Doug!

Source: https://www.redreporter.com/2025/7/...te-noelvi-marte-graham-ashcraft-injury-rumors

 

[Cincinnati Reds]

Game 89: Reds at Phillies (4:05 PM ET) - Lodolo vs. Suarez

Photo by Brandon Sloter/Getty Images

Go Reds!

Mr. Red won the first battle of the mascots on Friday in Philadelphia, besting the Phillie Phanatic by the score of 9 to 6.

He’ll look to replicate that success again on Saturday afternoon in Citizens Bank Park, where first pitch is scheduled for 4:05 PM ET. A win today, of course, would secure yet another series victory.

Lineups below. Go, Mr. Red!

Today's Lineups​

Matt McLain - 2B	Trea Turner - SS
Santiago Espinal - LF	Kyle Schwarber - DH
Elly De La Cruz - SS	Bryce Harper - 1B
Austin Hays - DH	Alec Bohm - 3B
Spencer Steer - 1B	Nick Castellanos - RF
Noelvi Marte - 3B	J.T. Realmuto - C
Jose Trevino - C	Otto Kemp - LF
Rece Hinds - RF	Edmundo Sosa - 2B
Will Benson - CF	Johan Rojas - CF
Nick Lodolo - LHP	Ranger Suarez - LHP

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REDS​

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PHILLIES​

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Source: https://www.redreporter.com/2025/7/5/24462156/cincinnati-reds-philadelphia-phillies-preview-lodolo

 

[Cincinnati Reds]

Elly De La Cruz named a National League All Star for second straight year

Photo by Denis Kennedy/MLB Photos via Getty Images

There are some notable names absent from the roster, thought!

Elly De La Cruz will suit up again for the National League in the 2025 MLB All Star Game in Atlanta.

The rosters were released on Sunday afternoon shortly after the Reds dropped their series finale to the Philadelphia Phillies, with Elly being - for now - the lone representative of the Reds on the NL squad.

Major League Baseball relayed the roster reserves on Twitter, with Elly included there as Francisco Lindor of the New York Mets will presumably be the team’s starter at shortstop.

National League reserves for the All-Star Game have been announced! pic.twitter.com/sU2nWqlQce

— MLB (@MLB) July 6, 2025​

Elly owns an .836 OPS with 18 homers, 22 steals, and 60 RBI through his club’s first 90 games this season, with eyes on a potential 40/40 season still very much in sight.

MLB also announced the pitching staff for the National League today, and notably absent from this group is one Andrew Abbott.

The National League All-Star pitching staff has been revealed! pic.twitter.com/RNKUAzmNCU

— MLB (@MLB) July 6, 2025​

Abbott entered Sunday having been valued at 2.9 bWAR by Baseball Reference - good for the best mark among all Reds pitchers so far this year and second only to Elly (3.1) on the club altogether. He’s also 7-1 with a 2.15 ERA (208 ERA+) through 83.2 IP so far this season, with said ERA ranking as the 6th best among the 90 MLB pitchers who have logged at least 80 IP so far in 2025.

Abbott, though, will likely have a chance to be added to the roster once we find out which pitchers are slated to pitch next weekend in the final regular season games before the All Star break (and therefore wouldn’t be ‘ready’ to pitch in the game itself). As things stand, Abbott is slated to only pitch once more (on Wednesday) before the break, so he’d be fresh and ready to step in for someone else already on the roster who’s unable to go.

Congrats to Elly and only Elly, for now, as he’ll be once again a very deserving All Star repping the NL in 2025.

Source: https://www.redreporter.com/2025/7/6/24462732/elly-de-la-cruz-mlb-all-star-game-rosters-snubs

 

[Cincinnati Reds]

Game 90: Reds at Phillies (1:35 PM EDT) - Burns vs. Wheeler

Sam Greene/The Enquirer / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Today's Lineups​

TJ Friedl - CF	Trea Turner - SS
Matt McLain - 2B	Kyle Schwarber - DH
Elly De La Cruz - SS	Bryce Harper - 1B
Austin Hays - DH	Alec Bohm - 3B
Gavin Lux - LF	Nick Castellanos - RF
Spencer Steer - 1B	Max Kepler - LF
Tyler Stephenson - C	J.T. Realmuto - C
Will Benson - RF	Bryson Stott - 2B
Christian Encarnacion-Strand - 3B	Brandon Marsh - CF
Chase Burns - RHP	Zack Wheeler - RHP

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REDS​

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PHILLIES​

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Source: https://www.redreporter.com/2025/7/6/24462478/game-90-reds-at-phillies-1-35-pm-edt-burns-vs-wheeler

 

[Cincinnati Reds]

Game 91: Reds vs. Marlins (7:10 PM ET) - Singer vs. Junk

Photo by ISAAC LAWRENCE/AFP via Getty Images

Go Reds!

Brady Singer takes the mound for the Cincinnati Reds in the series opener against the Miami Marlins in Great American Ball Park tonight, with first pitch set for 7:10 PM ET. Righty Janson Junk is slated to start for the Fish, which you’d know if you cryptically managed to see the lead image for this article before clicking on it (since those images no longer display on the landing pages at SBN once you click on them) and also realized what the image was of.

Junk, to his credit, has pitched quite well this year. He’s the owner of a brilliant 1.83 FIP and just a 2.6 HR/FB% in 37.1 IP so far this year. He’s also no longer just a junk-baller as he’s sporting a career-best 94.1 mph average fastball velocity so far this season.

It’s the first of a four game set between these two, part of an overall seven game homestand that also features the lowly Colorado Rockies. In other words, it’s time for these Reds to start cookin’ if they’re actually going to feast on a dinner this season.

Photo by Rita Franca/NurPhoto via Getty Images
Cookin’ fish!

Heck, if they don’t start cookin’, there’s a very real scenario where this becomes one of Brady Singer’s final starts in a Reds uniform. He’s set to be a free agent after the 2026 season, after all, and is the kind of veteran innings-eater who could command a half-decent return at the end of July should the Reds stumble here and fall even further out of the playoff race.

As things stand entering play tonight, they’re just a pair of games over .500 and 2.5 games back of the final National League Wild Card spot, albeit with the need to jump three teams to get into said spot.

Tonight matters, big time. Lineups below.

Today's Lineups​

Xavier Edwards - 2B	TJ Friedl - CF
Jesus Sanchez - RF	Matt McLain - 2B
Agustin Ramirez - C	Elly De La Cruz - SS
Liam Hicks - DH	Austin Hays - LF
Kyle Stowers - LF	Gavin Lux - DH
Eric Wagaman - 1B	Spencer Steer - 1B
Connor Norby - 3B	Tyler Stephenson - C
Derek Hill - CF	Will Benson - RF
Javier Sanoja - SS	Noelvi Marte - 3B
Janson Junk - RHP	Brady Singer - RHP

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MARLINS​

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REDS​

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Go Reds. Do some cookin’!

Source: https://www.redreporter.com/2025/7/7/24462547/cincinnati-reds-miami-marlins-brady-singer