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[Cincinnati Reds]

On Noelvi Marte and the Reds search for outfield help

Photo by Ishika Samant/Getty Images

T-minus 9 days until the trade deadline.

After over 300 games as a professional (and over 2600 career innings spent in the field), Noelvi Marte started a game as an outfielder on Sunday.

He did just fine, albeit in incredibly limited action out there in New York. He fielded the one grounder hit his way that made it through the infield, and he even got to show off his big arm on a throw back to the dirt. That’s surely what the Cincinnati Reds have in mind for him for the time being - to hide him out there a bit, let him get his feet wet, and put him in a position to slowly show them whether corner outfield is something that’s in his repertoire.

It’s a story that’s similar to that of another Cincinnati Reds infielder-outfielder.

Before starting 48 games in corner outfield spots back in 2023, Spencer Steer had logged a grand total of one (1) game as a RF across his minor league career. That didn’t stop the Reds from chucking him out in LF just as often as they started him at 3B that season, leaning hard into his versatility to help unlock a lot of what else they had coming up through the minors to their lineup, too.

That ‘what else’ included Marte, by the way. Now, it seems the Reds may well be giving him the Steer treatment to see just how many spots they’ll have available for other faces as they make their way to the Reds. What, you aren’t buying that they’re merely trying to get Santiago Espinal’s bat into the lineup against LHP?

To me, it seems very much like the first part of a three-part plan, and that being the basic ask of can he actually play RF?

If he can - and I tend to think he can, passably - then the Reds suddenly have the ability to look for another bat who can fill in positions that mirror Marte. If all Marte could do, after all, was play 3B, you can’t really go shopping for another 3B without creating a problem. It’d be much the same if all he could do was play RF, as that would prevent the Reds from shopping for an additional bat who only plays RF as they hunt a playoff spot in 2025.

That’s the second part of this plan, by the way - figuring out how Marte’s ability to play some RF helps them get better in 2025. Ideally, that means Marte still has a spot to play when the Reds go reacquire Eugenio Suarez and install him as their 3B. Or, it simply adds depth all over, and when the Reds go acquire Randal Grichuk to play RF when the team’s up against a LHP, Marte slides back to 3B as a significant upgrade offensively over Espinal.

Marte’s flexibility opens up the Reds search to a much wider audience, for one. It also helps the team’s bargaining power when trade talks begin - no longer to all teams have the ability to leverage the Reds lack of a RHH corner OF when at the table.

Part three of this plan is the long-game. Much like with Steer each year, Marte may well walk into spring camp in 2024 knowing he can play all over the place - and therefore not knowing where he’ll play most any given day. That’s if this all ends up working out, of course, as the flexibility sure would be nice. It would be especially nice when Sal Stewart shows up in camp, too, as a guy who’s much more likely to be a 3B option only than Marte.

The Reds seem to be doing this to not only get themselves a better bat in the lineup now, but to also open up the ability to be a better overall lineup in two weeks and in two years. Let’s just hope it’s the first move that unlocks a series of moves that let’s it all happen.

Source: https://www.redreporter.com/2025/7/22/24472361/noelvi-marte-cincinnati-reds-rumors-grichuk-laureano

 

[Cincinnati Reds]

A series loss to the Washington Nationals is a vintage 2025 Reds thing

Photo by Mitchell Layton/Getty Images

One step forward, one step back.

The Cincinnati Reds lost again to the Washington Nationals on Tuesday, the hosting club having dropped 10 of 12 games overall to fall 20 games under .500 prior to the start of the series. Since they lost on Monday, too, the Reds officially dropped the series and now must win in the getaway-day matinee on Wednesday to salvage a winning road trip that once looked so, so promising.

It’s emblematic of this club, really, who has both not yet been swept all season yet never managed to eek more than 5 games above the .500 mark - something they did a blink ago before immediately dropping 3 straight.

Momentum, the single toughest thing to find in the game of baseball this side of Joey Votto, has continued to elude this Reds club. On Tuesday, it eluded them in one of the most frustrating ways possible.

Chase Burns, their electric rookie, had been absolutely befuddling Nats hitters for most of the night, entering the Bottom of the 6th on roughly 80 pitches and having yielded a trio of runs. He’d been lights-out with his slider - he struck out 10 against just 2 walks after eventually exiting. For a rookie whose overall innings cap has been much discussed, the idea of leaving him out there for the 6th at all was up for discussion, let alone after he allowed a pair of walks around a double to load the bases.

Burns didn’t get out of the inning. He yielded a 2-out single that scored a pair after an errant throw home from Jake Fraley bounced off catcher Tyler Stephenson, and the end result was the rook heading to the showers with 6 runs allowed (5 earned) on a night when he was much, much better than than. That’s now twice in his handful of starts where something similar has occurred, the end result being a frustrating end to something that, for a long time, had been so brilliant.

That’s the storyline of the Reds right now, who sit just 2 games over .500, are once again back in 4th place in their own division, and are now 3.5 games back of the final NL Wild Card spot (behind each of the Padres, Giants, and Cardinals). They’ve been so brilliant - at times - and keep ending up frustratingly right back where they began.

There’s a part of me that thinks this was Terry Francona giving Burns a chance to learn, to learn to fail, and to learn to eventually get back up after failing. That’s the kind of long-game move that very much will matter to the future star’s development. It’s just hard to be forced to once again endure that kind of marginal difference when this team - all ‘2 games over .500’ of them - is as close to being an actually ‘good’ team as we get once a decade around these parts.

It’s simply hard to stomach these kinds of losses when we’ve waded through so goddamn many that didn’t matter for so long.

This loss shouldn’t alter the Reds direction in the week leading up to the trade deadline. They’re still good, they still have Hunter Greene (and maybe Rhett Lowder and Wade Miley) on the mend, and they still owe it to us all to actually give a damn and try to get better in the next week. They’re close enough to justify it, and they owe us a freaking fortune in goodwill.

It would just be a whole lot easier to demand it if they’d finally find a way to string some positive momentum together, for once.

Source: https://www.redreporter.com/2025/7/...washington-nationals-recap-chase-burns-rumors

 

[Cincinnati Reds]

Cincinnati Reds interested in an Eugenio Suarez reunion, per report

Photo by Matthew Grimes Jr./Atlanta Braves/Getty Images

Who wouldn’t be? It shouldn’t have to be a reunion in the first place!

The Cincinnati Reds need power, power from the corner infield, and someone who can mash left-handed pitching as the July 31st trade deadline nears. Anyone who’s lived anywhere but under a rock the last four years knows that there’s a guy out there on the trade block who’s still playing on an incredibly team-friendly contract with the Reds name on it who’d be an absolutely perfect fit, both in the lineup and in the dugout.

Eugenio Suarez has absolutely obliterated baseballs for the Arizona Diamondbacks lately, his 36 total dingers this year pacing the National League. And ever since the Reds originally dealt him to the Seattle Mariners back in 2022, they’ve been searching for someone, anyone to replace his production.

You can do the math on how much money they sunk into their options if you’d like. Mike Moustakas and Jeimer Candelario sure made a whole lot more money than Geno over the last handful of years just for the Reds to have dumped Suarez in the first place.

Mercifully, as the Diamondbacks enter a trade season where it looks more and more like they’re going to sell, Suarez - who’ll finally be a free agent at season’s end - has become one of the most sought-after trade chips at the deadline. According to C. Trent Rosecrans of The Athletic, you can add the Reds to the list of teams who have formally inquired about Geno’s services.

It’s the kind of move for the kind of player where you’d deal first and answer questions later regarding lineup construction and who plays where. We’ve already seen resident 3B Noelvi Marte get some time out in RF, something that would make sliding Geno into the 3B spot a lot more seamless should it materialize.

Obviously, the Reds would have to outbid the entirety of the rest of baseball to land Geno once again. Teams such as the New York Yankees, Chicago Cubs, Seattle Mariners, etc. have all been linked to the slugger, and names like Chase Petty have been floated by C. Trent already when it comes to the type of headliner this deal would take to even get Cincinnati in the conversation.

Am I optimistic this front office will get that aggressive this deadline? I’m not, though it’s at least encouraging to see that they’re clearly aware that there’s a need (and an urgency) that is firmly in place with this 53-50 club and manager Terry Francona.

Stay tuned!

Source: https://www.redreporter.com/2025/7/...rs-eugenio-suarez-diamondbacks-trade-deadline

 

[Cincinnati Reds]

A new look coming for Red Reporter in August

Our coverage remains the same but with a new look

In just a couple of weeks, Red Reporter is switching to a new platform as part of SB Nation’s network-wide move to a new publishing platform. This will change the look of the site and also make it faster and more reliable on any device you use. This is an upgrade.

When you land on the site, it will look cleaner – less clunky, with more white space, a better ad experience with faster load times – but will still have all the usual articles, analysis, and news by all the folks you know.

Community discussion and content created by you will be more prominent in the new design. The best comment threads will be easy to find, and staff and commenters alike will be able to start conversations whenever they like with a brand new tool.

We’re planning on an early August reveal, so we wanted to give you a heads up. You’ll hear more from us when it’s almost here. The site will look a little different, feel a little faster, and, most importantly, have a bigger role for you, the community.

So, stick around and check it out!

Source: https://www.redreporter.com/2025/7/24/24472146/a-new-look-coming-for-red-reporter-in-august

 

[Cincinnati Reds]

Farmers Only Mid-Season Update: How the Top 10 is Faring in 2025

Photo by Maddalena LoRae/Minor League Baseball

A look at how the future of the Reds are doing in 2025.

We’re just past the halfway point in the season and, while the focus has been on the Reds’ and their push to make the postseason, it’s time we check on the minor leagues and see how things have been going for the future of the Reds.

[Prospect Rankings via MLB Pipeline]

1. Chase Burns, RHP, Cincinnati Reds - The Reds’ 2024 first round pick is still technically a prospect, though he won’t be for long as he’s been with the big club for the better part of a month now. After sitting out the rest of 2024 after the draft, he came into 2025 and absolutely dominated the minor leagues. He made 13 starts across 3 levels and put up a 1.77 ERA, striking out 89 batters in only 66 innings of work before earning his call up. He’s had a few hiccups at the major league level, but he’s only going to get better and better with more experience.
2. Sal Stewart, 2B/3B, Louisville Bats - The Reds drafted Sal Stewart with their compensation pick in 2022 and he’s done nothing but hit the ball ever since. He’s had his best season of his career so far in 2025, as he hit .306/.377/.473 to help lead the Chattanooga Lookouts to a first half division title. He’s a player who can do it all at the plate, shown by his 10 home runs and 19 doubles in the first half to go along with 13 stolen bases. That was enough to earn him a call-up to Louisville after the All-Star Break. He’s currently only hitting .208/.208/.333 in Louisville at the moment, but he’s another who will only get better as he adjusts to AAA pitching.
3. Rhett Lowder, RHP, Cincinnati Reds - Still technically a prospect who wouldn’t be if injuries hadn’t derailed his 2025 season so far.
4. Cam Collier, 1B/3B, Chattanooga Lookouts - After starting the season on the injured list with a thumb injury, Cam Collier is having the best season of his career. After terrorizing the poor pitchers in the ACL for 10 games, he came up to Dayton and hit .293/.370/.415 over 11 games. He’s spent the rest of the season in Double-A Chattanooga, where he’s hit .270/.407/.340 across 29 games. His plate discipline has improved quite a bit this year, as he has 20 walks against 34 strikeouts in Chattanooga. One thing that hasn’t returned in 2025 is his power. He’s only hit 2 home runs on the year compared to the 20 he hit last season.
5. Alfredo Duno, C, Daytona Tortugas - After injuries derailed his 2023 and 2024 seasons, Alfredo Duno has finally been able to show what he can do when he’s healthy. Spending his second season in Low-A Daytona, Duno has hit .263/.409/.438 with 8 home runs and 20 doubles. Though he is striking out quite a bit (he already has 74 on the season) he is showing some good patience at the plate for a 19 year old, as he’s walked 64 times so far in 2025.
6. Chase Petty, RHP, Louisville Bats - Chase Petty hasn’t had things come quite as easy as we’d hoped over the last two years. In his first full season with Triple-A Louisville, we’re getting a little more of what we saw in 2024 when he was in Double-A. He’s thrown 67.1 innings across 15 starts this year and put up a 4.14 ERA. Though he’s still striking out batters at a high rate (9.1 K/9 in 2025), the walks are getting him again as he’s walked 31 batters so far this year (4.1 BB/9). He has shown flashes of what we saw in his great 2023 season, as he earned International League pitcher of the week honors back in May with a 6-inning no-hit performance. That was enough to earn him a brief call-up for the Reds, though we won’t talk about those outings.
7. Tyson Lewis, SS, ACL Reds - The Reds’ 2024 2nd round pick is showing why the Reds took him early and convinced him to come play for them instead of going to the University of Arkansas out of high school. In his first minor league season, he’s hitting .340/.396/.532 with 8 doubles, 5 triples, 6 home runs, and 19 stolen bases. His strikeouts numbers are high, as he’s been rung up 51 times against only 15 walks in his 64 games this year but otherwise he looks great for his first professional season.
8. Edwin Arroyo, SS, Chattanooga Lookouts - After shoulder surgery put him out in 2024, Edwin Arroyo is still looking for his power in his recovery from that surgery. In his second stint with Double-A Chattanooga, he’s hitting .275/.335/.361 with 17 doubles and only 2 home runs in 2025. The good news is that he’s still hitting for average, so hopefully his strength at the plate keeps coming back and we start seeing more of those extra-base hits that he had before his injury.
9. Sammy Stafura, SS, Daytona Tortugas - The Reds 2nd round pick in 2023 is in his second stint in Low-A Daytona, He’s hitting .263/.393/.416 this season with 17 doubles, 9 triples, and 4 home runs. His plate discipline is improving this year, as he’s walked almost as many times in 2025 (59) as he did in 2024 (64) in 8 fewer games.
10. Hector Rodriguez, OF, Louisville Bats - He hit .298/.357/.481 with 15 doubles, 3 triples, and 12 home runs in the first half for Double-A Chattanooga. That earned him a call-up to Louisville after the All-Star Break, where he’s 8 for 20 with 2 doubles, 6 walks, and 3 stolen bases in 6 games for the Bats.

Source: https://www.redreporter.com/2025/7/...eason-update-how-the-top-10-is-faring-in-2025

 

[Cincinnati Reds]

Cincinnati Reds blast their way past Tampa Bay Rays, 7-2

Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images

A vital win with the trade deadline just days away.

TJ Friedl honked a mighty 2-run dinger in the Bottom of the 6th inning to lead the Cincinnati Reds past the Tampa Bay Rays by the score of 7-2 on Friday in Great American Ball Park.

It was a win of the come-from-behind variety, one that featured a brilliant 4th inning rally (that included a pair of successful bunt singles down the 3B line), Elly De La Cruz had a 4-hit night (including a pair of doubles), and Tyler Stephenson added a solo homer of his own over the RF wall on a night where the Reds truly showed - and leaned on - the burgeoning depth within their lineup.

Stephenson drove in a trio of runs overall on a 2 for 5 night, while Austin Hays chipped in with a 3 for 5 night that included a pair of runs scored. Noelvi Marte, meanwhile, went 2 for 4 with a run scored and a ribbie from the #9 spot in the lineup, while Nick Martinez (5.0 IP, 4 H, 2 ER, 2 BB, 5 K on 93 pitches) did just enough from the starting spot to hand it off to a collectively excellent bullpen effort.

The win pushed the Reds back to 4-games over the .500 mark as the July 31st trade deadline now sits less than a week away. Big names have already begun to move - Josh Naylor was dealt from Arizona to Seattle last night, while Colorado’s Ryan McMahon was shipped to the Yankees this afternoon - and rumors suggest that Cincinnati still has a few irons in the fire trying to upgrade this roster if they can just keep winning enough to make that relevant.

Friday night against Tampa was an excellent first step as they begin this season-defining homestand. Saturday evening at 6:40 PM ET, they’ll have their next chance to play add-on, with emerging ace Andrew Abbott on the mound to boot.

Go Reds!

Tony Graphanino​

Box Score & WPA chart courtesy of FanGraphs

Other Notes​

• Tonight marked the 8th 4-hit game of Elly’s young career, which is the 3rd most by any Reds hitter through the age of 23 (h/t Matt Wilkes on Bluesky).
• Arizona hasn’t yet traded Eugenio Suarez, which mean’s he’s almost a billion percent sure to get traded to the Reds. Might as well go ahead and do that tomorrow to give him an extra 5 games with the club before free agency!
• Tunes.

Source: https://www.redreporter.com/2025/7/25/24474725/cincinnati-reds-tampa-bay-rays-tj-friedl

 

[Cincinnati Reds]

Game 105: Reds vs. Rays (1:40 PM ET) - Singer vs. Baz

Photo by Douglas Mason/Getty Images

Go Reds!

Brady Singer toes the rubber for the Cincinnati Reds as they look for a series sweep of the Tampa Bay Rays. First pitch is set for 1:40 PM ET.

Lineups below. Go Reds!

Today's Lineups​

Chandler Simpson - CF	TJ Friedl - CF
Yandy Diaz - DH	Matt McLain - 2B
Jonathan Aranda - 1B	Elly De La Cruz - SS
Junior Caminero - 3B	Austin Hays - DH
Josh Lowe - RF	Gavin Lux - LF
Jake Mangum - LF	Noelvi Marte - 3B
Tristan Gray - 2B	Jake Fraley - RF
Taylor Walls - SS	Jose Trevino - C
Matt Thaiss - C	Santiago Espinal - 1B
Shane Baz - RHP	Brady Singer - RHP

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RAYS​

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REDS​

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Source: https://www.redreporter.com/2025/7/27/24475437/game-105-reds-vs-rays-1-40-pm-et-singer-vs-baz

 

[Cincinnati Reds]

Can the Cincinnati Reds get to 6-games over .500?

Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images

We’ll find out this afternoon!

The Cincinnati Reds have surged to 5-games over the .500 mark before this season, but they’ve not been able to burst through that ceiling.

Back on Saturday, July 19th, the Reds won 5-2 over the New York Mets to move to 52-47 on the season, but they promptly lost a trio of games in its wake. It’s a hole that they immediately began digging themselves out of as the July 31st trade deadline inched ever closer, and their current series against the Tampa Bay Rays has firmly pushed them into ‘buyer’ status with that looming.

A win today would wrap a series sweep over the Rays, and would also push Cincinnati to 6-games over the .500 mark.

It’s a position that’s become eerily similar to the 2023 season when, you may recall, they went to bed on the night of July 31st on the heels of a 6-5 victory over the Chicago Cubs that moved them to 59-49. They were 10-games over .500 and in 1st place in the National League Central only to let the trade deadline come and pass with only the addition of reliever Sam Moll to show for it.

The Reds front office and ownership group have once again slow-played a rebuild, a story that’s become as old as time around Reds Country. They are once again presented with an opportunity to make moves in the coming days based on what the team on the field has shown them, and the product they’ve shown me has done nothing to dampen my belief that they deserve some help.

They deserve as much help as the New York front offices are giving the Mets and Yankees. San Francisco moved into buy-mode a month ago. The Cubs will be buying, as will the Philadelphia Phillies, Los Angeles Dodgers, and all the other clubs with actual ambition. The Reds, god love them, are long overdue to show any sort of tangible in-season ambition.

Today further sets the stage for that, especially with the Los Angeles Dodgers coming to town tomorrow.

Source: https://www.redreporter.com/2025/7/...eadline-preview-eugenio-suarez-tampa-bay-rays

 

[Cincinnati Reds]

Game 107: Reds vs. Dodgers (7:10 PM ET) - Burns vs. Yamamoto

Photo by Focus on Sport/Getty Images

Go Reds!

The Cincinnati Reds and Los Angeles Dodgers rekindle their old National League West rivalry tonight in Great American Ball Park for the first game of what will be a three-game series.

The Reds have surged to 6 games over the .500 mark - a season high - while the Dodgers limp into GABP having lost 13 of their last 18 games overall. Hopefully, that means the Reds can pounce on their old bitter rivals and jump into one of the final Wild Card spots as early as tonight.

To do so this evening they’ll have to get past Yoshinobu Yamamoto, who is fresh off his first All-Star Game appearance and pitching like the ace he was signed to be. Chase Burns, who’ll start tonight for Cincinnati, will be looking to turn his pure stuff into pure results as his numbers right now don’t at all reflect just how electric he can be.

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

Go Reds!

Today's Lineups​

Mookie Betts - SS	TJ Friedl - CF
Shohei Ohtani - DH	Matt McLain - 2B
Teoscar Hernandez - RF	Elly De La Cruz - SS
Freddie Freeman - 1B	Austin Hays - LF
Andy Pages - CF	Gavin Lux - DH
Michael Conforto - LF	Spencer Steer - 1B
Hyeseong Kim - 2B	Tyler Stephenson - C
Miguel Rojas - 3B	Will Benson - RF
Dalton Rushing - C	Noelvi Marte - 3B
Y. Yamamoto - RHP	Chase Burns - RHP

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DODGERS​

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REDS​

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Source: https://www.redreporter.com/2025/7/...os-angeles-dodgers-trade-deadline-chase-burns

 

[Cincinnati Reds]

Game 109: Reds vs. Dodgers (7:10 PM ET) - Martinez vs. Ohtani

Photo by Daniel Shirey/MLB Photos via Getty Images

Go Reds!

The Cincinnati Reds play host to the Los Angeles Dodgers for one more game in this series, and they enter it needing a win to avoid being swept for the first time in a series all season.

All that stands in their way is superstar Shohei Ohtani, who’ll start for the Dodgers and presumably pitch through the order one time before giving way to the Los Angeles bullpen.

Starting for the Reds will be Nick Martinez, who’s still on the roster despite the trade deadline looming tomorrow and his status as a pending free agent.

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

Go Reds!

Today's Lineups​

Mookie Betts - SS	Gavin Lux - DH
Shohei Ohtani - DH	Matt McLain - 2B
Will Smith - C	Elly De La Cruz - SS
Freddie Freeman - 1B	Austin Hays - LF
Teoscar Hernandez - RF	Noelvi Marte - RF
Andy Pages - CF	Tyler Stephenson - C
Michael Conforto - LF	Spencer Steer - 1B
Miguel Rojas - 2B	Will Benson - CF
Alex Freeland - 3B	Santiago Espinal - 3B
Emmet Sheehan - RHP	Nick Martinez - RHP

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DODGERS​

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REDS​

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Source: https://www.redreporter.com/2025/7/30/24477864/cincinnati-reds-shohei-ohtani-los-angeles-dodgers

 

[Cincinnati Reds]

Cincinnati Reds acquire starter Zack Littel from the Tampa Bay Rays

Photo by Cliff Welch/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

More depth for the rotation, more flexibility for the entire staff.

Righty Zack Littel took the mound in Yankee Stadium earlier on Wednesday and pitched a gem for the Tampa Bay Rays. Across 5.0 IP, he allowed just a pair of hits and nary a run, the four walks he issued the lone real blemish on his scorecard.

As it turns out, that was his highest mark in the walks column all season, as he entered play that day leading all of Major League Baseball’s qualified starters in BB/9 (1.2).

As it turns out, that was his final start as a member of the Rays. Ahead of Thursday’s trade deadline, the Cincinnati Reds sent minor league pitchers Adam Serwinowski and Brian Van Belle to Tampa to acquire Littel, who’ll reach free agency at season’s end.

The Enquirer’s Gordon Wittenmyer had the news.

Full player exchange in 2-for-1 trade: Reds Triple-A right-hander Brian Van Belle (on Reds' 40-man roster) and Class A left-hander Adam Serwinowski to Rays for Zack Littell. https://t.co/6KAYk8aJrG

— Gordon Wittenmyer (@GDubMLB) July 31, 2025​

Littel’s acquisition comes with little money outlayed - the Reds are only on the hook for the remainder of his $5.72 million salary for this season. What his acquisition does do, however, is allow the Reds to bolster their rotation while Hunter Greene heals, Chase Burns inches closer to his innings cap, and Nick Martinez slides back into his rover role where he’s available anywhere, anytime.

Littel is a former 11th round draft pick out of Eastern Alamance HS (North Carolina), thoguh that was by the Seattle Mariners back in 2013. He’s spent time in each of the Mariners, Yankees, Twins, Giants, Rangers, and Red Sox organizations before the Rays finally figured out how to help him unlock his ability. Since the start of the 2024 season, he’d throw 284.2 IP across 50 starts, and done so with a tidy 3.67 ERA and aforementioned lack of walks.

He’s not a fireballer. His average fastball velocity of 92.3 mph since the start of the 2024 season sits right around Martinez (92.7) and Brady Singer (91.7) at the bottom end of the qualified starters in that span. Still, there’s a reason why both Martinez and Singer have been effective with the Reds, and there might be something to that kind of slow-heater pitcher that the Reds are leaning into.

Wecome to the Reds, Zack!

Source: https://www.redreporter.com/2025/7/...e-starter-zack-littel-from-the-tampa-bay-rays

 

[Cincinnati Reds]

Game 110: Reds vs. Braves (7:10 PM EDT) - Abbott vs. Carrasco

Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

Today's Lineups​

Jurickson Profar - LF	Matt McLain - 2B
Matt Olson - 1B	Noelvi Marte - RF
Austin Riley - 3B	Elly De La Cruz - SS
Marcell Ozuna - DH	Austin Hays - DH
Ozzie Albies - 2B	Spencer Steer - 1B
Sean Murphy - C	Jake Fraley - LF
Michael Harris - CF	Tyler Stephenson - C
Eli White - RF	Will Benson - CF
Nick Allen - SS	Ke'Bryan Hayes - 3B
Carlos Carrasco - RHP	Andrew Abbott - LHP

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BRAVES​

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REDS​

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Source: https://www.redreporter.com/2025/7/...reds-vs-braves-7-10-pm-edt-abbott-vs-carrasco

 

[Cincinnati Reds]

Cincinnati Reds to acquire Miguel Andujar from A’s

Photo by Justine Willard/Athletics/Getty Images

Too little, too late?

If you are a baseball junkie and figured out which time zone the A’s are actually calling home, you might have noticed that Miguel Andujar socked a pair of homers in his most recent game in their uniform.

As it turns out, that’ll be the last time he dons an A’s uniform for the 2025 season. Right before Thursday’s trade deadline, he was dealt to the Cincinnati Reds, according to multiple sources including Ari Alexander of KPRC Houston.

Source: The #Athletics are trading Miguel Andujar to the #Reds

— Ari Alexander (@AriA1exander) July 31, 2025​

Andujar, a former top prospect with the New York Yankees, is now headed to his fourth franchise since the start of the 2022 season. Never considered a strong defender when he was a 3B only, he’s now been bouncing around the infield and outfield corners while being used as a DH, and he’s a bat that has specialized (of late) in mashing LHP (in a terribly small sample size).

Does he really hit the ball hard? No.

Miguel Andujar | Santiago Espinal | Jeimer Candelario pic.twitter.com/SDLHOzP3Cf

— Reds in Four (@RedsInFour) July 31, 2025​

Does he play defense at all, anywhere, despite Nick Krall putting emphasis on defensive importance for the Ke’Bryan Hayes acquisition yesterday? No.

Has been the beneficiary of a lot of BABIP luck lately? Yeah.

Is he expensive? NOPE!

Andujar is owed just the remaineder of his $3 million salary for 2025, and he’ll be a free agent at season’s end. In essence, the Reds just chose to upgrade the 26th man on their roster from Connor Joe to Miguel Andujar, and that’s what they felt was the most important thing to do with their remaining time before the deadline.

Per reports, minor league RHP Kenya Huggins - who ranked 22nd on MLB Pipeline’s list of the Reds Top 30 prospects - is headed to the A’s as the return.

The Reds sent RHP Kenya Huggins to the A's in a trade for utility player Miguel Andujar, according to a source.

— Mark Sheldon (@msheldon.bsky.social) 2025-07-31T21:56:39.212Z

Every Reds trade deadline, it would seem, needs an Asdrubal Cabrera or Amed Rosario. They’ve found their 2025 version.

Source: https://www.redreporter.com/2025/7/31/24478539/cincinnati-reds-trade-miguel-andujar-athletics

 

[Cincinnati Reds]

Game 111: Reds vs. Braves (12:40 PM ET) - Singer vs. Elder

Photo by Jason Mowry/Getty Images

Go Reds!

The Cincinnati Reds look to level their series against the Atlanta Braves after Thursday’s epic, deflating 12-11 loss in extra innings.

Brady Singer is on the mound to start, with first pitch set for a 12:40 PM ET matinee beginning.

Lineups below. Go Reds!

Today's Lineups​

Jurickson Profar - LF	Gavin Lux - DH
Matt Olson - 1B	Matt McLain - 2B
Austin Riley - 3B	Elly De La Cruz - SS
Drake Baldwin - C	Noelvi Marte - RF
Marcell Ozuna - DH	Spencer Steer - 1B
Michael Harris - CF	Jake Fraley - LF
Ozzie Albies - 2B	Jose Trevino - C
Eli White - RF	Will Benson - CF
Nick Allen - SS	Ke'Bryan Hayes - 3B
Bryce Elder - RHP	Brady Singer - RHP

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BRAVES​

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REDS​

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Source: https://www.redreporter.com/2025/8/1/24479000/cincinnati-reds-atlanta-braves-brady-singer

 

[Cincinnati Reds]

Reds, Braves head to Bristol Motor Speedway in search of records

Photo by Mary DeCicco/MLB Photos via Getty Images

And a win would be nice!

State Street runs right through downtown Bristol, in doing so dividing the twin towns of Bristol, Tennessee and Bristol, Virginia. It’s a bit of a hike to get there from Cincinnati, but that’s precisely where the Reds will serve as the ‘home’ team on Saturday as they take on the Atlanta Braves in the 2025 MLB Speedway Classic.

They’ll play ball here, at the Bristol Motor Speedway, with the grandstands of one of NASCAR’s most iconic tracks tweaked just enough to allow an expected attendance of over 85,000 fans to show up.

Photo by Mary DeCicco/MLB Photos via Getty Images

The track is obviously no stranger to hosting sporting events, but that includes sporting events other than just racing. Way back in 1961, the track hosted an NFL game between Washington and Philadelphia, while 2013 saw the Tennessee Volunteers defeat the Virginia Tech Hokies in a college football game, too.

How it plays as a Major League Baseball park remains to be seen, but we’ll find out today at 7:15 PM ET. MLB Network and FOX national will have the coverage, while fireballing righties Chase Burns and Spencer Strider will do the starting for their respective clubs.

While the pomp and circumstance of this game is obviously nice to be a part of, the reality is that the Cincinnati Reds need wins like nothing else. The scraped out a 3-2 victory over the Braves yesterday to wrap their Great American Ball Park homestand, and at 58-53 they sit as the first team out in the National League Wild Card race. Because the stupid St. Louis Cardinals did no favors to the Reds in their loss to the San Diego Padres, the Reds remain 3.5 games back of the Friars for the final NL playoff spot with some 51 games to go.

Source: https://www.redreporter.com/2025/8/...anta-braves-bristol-motor-speedway-attendance

 

[Cincinnati Reds]

Game 112: Reds vs. Braves (7:15 PM ET) - Burns vs. Strider

Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images

MLB’s Speedway Classic!

Chase Burns toes the rubber for the Cincinnati Reds tonight in Bristol, Tennessee at the Bristol Motor Speedway for the 2025 MLB Speedway Classic tonight, with the Atlanta Braves (and starter Spencer Strider) serving as opposition.

More than 85,000 fans are expected in the stands, which should set an all-time regular season game attendance record. Hopefully the Reds don’t flop on that kind of stage, y’know?

First pitch is set for 7:15 PM ET. Lineups below.

Go Reds!

Today's Lineups​

Jurickson Profar - LF	TJ Friedl - CF
Matt Olson - 1B	Matt McLain - 2B
Austin Riley - 3B	Elly De La Cruz - SS
Drake Baldwin - DH	Austin Hays - DH
Sean Murphy - C	Gavin Lux - LF
Michael Harris - CF	Noelvi Marte - RF
Ozzie Albies - 2B	Spencer Steer - 1B
Eli White - RF	Tyler Stephenson - C
Nick Allen - SS	Ke'Bryan Hayes - 3B
Spencer Strider - RHP	Chase Burns - RHP

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BRAVES​

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REDS​

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Source: https://www.redreporter.com/2025/8/...-reds-speedway-classic-bristol-atlanta-braves

 

[Cincinnati Reds]

Speedway Classic Part 2: Reds vs. Braves (1:00 PM EDT) - Suter vs. Waldrop

Angelina Alcantar/News Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Let’s try this again, shall we? Reds are up 1-0 in the bottom of the first with 2 runners on base. Hurston Waldrop will take the mound for the Braves with Brent Suter getting the ball for the Reds in the top of the second. Go Reds!

Source: https://www.redreporter.com/2025/8/...2-reds-vs-braves-1-00-pm-edt-suter-vs-waldrop

 

[Cincinnati Reds]

Suspended Speedway Classic to resume in Bristol today at 1 PM ET

Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images

The Reds are up!

Matt McLain, Elly De La Cruz, and Austin Hays strung together a trio of singles off Atlanta Braves starter Austin Cox last night in Bristol, the result of which was a 1-0 lead for the Cincinnati Reds in the Bottom of the 1st inning.

The rain-delayed MLB Speedway Classic in Bristol Motor Speedway had already been stop-started for hours, but that marked the end of any action the 85,000+ fans on hand would get to see on the day. Relentless storms on a field ill-equipped to shed that kind of water eventually forced the suspension of the game, with a 1 PM ET return to play on Sunday now on the docket.

How the fans - and players - spent the night in the Bristol area remains to be seen. There simply aren’t a ton of hotels for folks to stay in, and word is that the Reds had originally planned to travel on to Chicago after the scheduled completion of the game last night.

Obviously, those plans changed.

Chase Burns pitched the opening frame last night, but after warming up for hours before that it’s impossible to imagine him on the bump when play resumes. Lyon Richardson has been appointed as the additional player for the game today, though, with Will Benson being optioned (and TJ Friedl presumably being moved from the paternity -> restricted -> additional 27th man -> back to the active roster).

The action will be back on FOX, presumably, who seems oddly willing to dedicate another three hours of national coverage to the Reds after spending four hours of it during Saturday night in prime time.

Go Reds!

Source: https://www.redreporter.com/2025/8/...eedway-classic-cincinnati-reds-atlanta-braves

 

[Cincinnati Reds]

Cincinnati Reds head to Wrigley Field seeking season-defining series win in Chicago

Could it be?

The impossibly effective Milwaukee Brewers have surged to the top of the National League Central division, but the Chicago Cubs - at 65-46 - remain one of the powerhouses in all Major League Baseball this season. Chicago’s atop the NL Wild Card spots with a 3.5 game advantage over the San Diego Padres, who currently occupy the final Wild Card position.

It’s the Padres whom the Cincinnati Reds are chasing at the moment, the Reds fresh off taking 48 hours to lose to the Atlanta Braves in the Speedway Classic - a loss that wrapped an overall series loss to their former NL West rivals.

The Reds never seemed settled all weekend. TJ Friedl was on the paternity list for the first portion of it, while the Speedway Classic’s logistics dictated that they were one of the very few teams that actually played on the day of the trade deadline (and had an early game Friday as it was a ‘travel day’ to get to Bristol). They were given a 27th player for Saturday - which rain turned into a 27th player for Sunday - and so it’s not really until today that they finally have their post-deadline roster fully assembled.

That means Zack Littel and Miguel Andujar have joined Ke’Bryan Hayes on the active roster, while the likes of Will Benson, Lyon Richardson, and Connor Joe have been relegated to AAA Louisville. Now, we get to see the team that Nick Krall & Co. chose to assemble, and whether or not it’s good enough to claw its way into the playoff hunt at the expense of the mighty Cubs.

Monday night’s game begins a pivotal series between these two clubs at Wrigley Field, with Nick Lodolo on the bump opposite the freshly acquired Mike Soroka, who the Reds just faced on July 23rd when he was still on the Washington Nationals. Little will debut as the Reds starter on Tuesday, while Andrew Abbott will get the nod in the series finale on Wednesday afternoon.

It’s an NL Central showdown, a rocking Wrigley Field with both teams having everything on the line in August. That’s the kind of baseball I fell in love with as a kid, and frankly I’m damn excited to watch it unfold again.

Source: https://www.redreporter.com/2025/8/4/24480767/cincinnati-reds-chicago-cubs-wrigley-field-nick-lodolo

 

[Cincinnati Reds]

Reds roster takes shape as Miguel Andujar, Zack Littell officially added

Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images

The Reds also get a 27th man for today’s Speedway Classic.

The additions made by the Cincinnati Reds at the July 31st trade deadline have been known for two days now. How the Reds roster would take shape, though still remains a bit of a mystery - even though it became a tad bit clearer on Saturday.

MLB.com’s Mark Sheldon relayed that the Reds have officially added both Miguel Andujar and Zack Littel to the roster, finally. Given that the Reds were one of the very few teams actually playing on Thursday’s deadline day (and then had the earliest game on the schedule on Friday), it was physically tough for those two late additions to actually get to Cincinnati - let alone to Bristol, Tennessee for today’s Speedway Classic.

TJ Friedl also rejoined the roster given that the Reds are allowed to carry a 27th player on the active roster for today’s showcase. Connor Joe and Lyon Richardson were optioned to AAA to make room for Andujar and Littel for the time being.

Reds roster moves: IF/OF Miguel Andujar and RHP Zack Littell reported and are on the active roster; reinstated OF TJ Friedl from the restricted list and appointed him as the additional player for today’s game; IF/OF Connor Joe and RHP Lyon Richardson optioned to Louisville

— Mark Sheldon (@msheldon.bsky.social) 2025-08-02T17:12:53.467Z

None of that is surprising. What remains to be seen, though, is what the Reds choose to do after today’s game when their active roster must shrink back to 26.

The preponderance of left-handed hitting guys who either play the same position (or have no position at all) has become a bit of a logjam.

Friedl, obviously, isn’t going anywhere, but the trio of Jake Fraley, Will Benson, and Gavin Lux sure look like three players for two roster spots. That is, of course, unless the Reds were finally willing to move on from the light-hitting Santiago Espinal given that Matt McLain could, in theory, serve as the backup shortstop to Elly De La Cruz with Lux as a depth option at 2B.

Fraley, Lux, and Espinal are out of options. Benson, however, has options remaining, and it’s likely that he’ll get squeezed out to AAA so that the Reds can keep all their guys at least on the 40-man roster mix, with Benson the guy they’d call up if (and when) someone else gets injured. That’s frustrating given his clear ability to cover CF (and hit a homer off a LHP as recently as yesterday), but it’s likely that’s what we’ll see for now.

Keep in mind that Fraley, who has a lengthy injury history, is playing with a torn labrum in his shoulder that already featured a cortisone shot (and IL stint) this summer.

As for the pitching side of things, Nick Martinez appears destined to take on a swingman role with Littel getting a start every fifth day - for now. Chase Burns, who starts today, is going to slam into his innings limit at some point (and may well end up a lethal bullpen option down the stretch), and Hunter Greene is due back in another week or so. Littel does have extensive experience pitching out of the bullpen, too, and may well end up doing so as a depth piece down the stretch.

Source: https://www.redreporter.com/2025/8/2/24479620/cincinnati-reds-roster-miguel-andujar-zack-littel