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[Cincinnati Reds]

Red Report 2025 - Gavin Lux

Photo by Tim Warner/Getty Images

We’ll see how he fits defensively, with the hope that his 2nd half offense from last year proves reliable.

Fast Facts​

• Born November 23, 1997 in Kenosha, WI
• Graduated from Indian Trail High School in Kenosha, WI
• Is the first and only player ever drafted out of Indian Trail High School in Kenosha, WI
• Is the first and only player to ever reach the big leagues out of Indian Trail High School in Kenosha, WI
• 2016 Gatorade Player of the Year in Wisconsin after starring for Indian Trail High School in Kenosha, WI
• Won 2024 World Series, which was not in Kenosha, WI
• Was ranked the #11 overall prospect in the class of 2016 by Perfect Game, and was originally committed to play college ball at Arizona State University

Organizational History​

• Drafted by the Los Angeles Dodgers in the 1st round (16th overall) of the 2016 MLB Draft
• Traded by the Los Angeles Dodgers to the Cincinnati Reds for OF Mike Sirota and a reported $1.5 million in international bonus pool money on January 7, 2025
• Will earn $3.325 million in 2025, his second of three arbitration-eligible years before reaching free agency at the end of the 2026 season

Career Stats​

Season	Age	Team	Lg	WAR	G	PA	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	SB	CS	BB	SO	BA	OBP	SLG	OPS	OPS+	rOBA	Rbat+	TB	GIDP	HBP	SH	SF	IBB	Pos	Awards
2019	21	LAD	NL	0.6	23	82	75	12	18	4	1	2	9	2	0	7	24	.240	.305	.400	.705	84	.319	88	30	0	0	0	0	0	4/HD
2020	22	LAD	NL	0.6	19	69	63	8	11	2	0	3	8	1	0	6	19	.175	.246	.349	.596	59	.276	61	22	0	0	0	0	0	4/D
2021	23	LAD	NL	1.5	102	381	335	49	81	12	4	7	46	4	1	41	83	.242	.328	.364	.692	85	.322	91	122	3	3	0	2	3	647/8H59
2022	24	LAD	NL	2.8	129	471	421	66	116	20	7	6	42	7	2	47	95	.276	.346	.399	.745	109	.330	107	168	3	0	0	3	0	47/6HD
2023	Did not play - Injury
2024	26	LAD	NL	2.1	139	487	439	59	110	24	2	10	50	5	2	44	110	.251	.320	.383	.703	101	.314	103	168	8	2	0	2	0	*4H/6
5 Yrs	7.6	412	1490	1333	194	336	62	14	28	155	19	5	145	331	.252	.326	.383	.709	96	.320	98	510	14	5	0	7	3	467H/8D59
162 Game Avg	3.0	162	586	524	76	132	24	6	11	61	7	2	57	130	.252	.326	.383	.709	96	.320	98	201	6	2	0	3	1

Standard Batting Table

Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 3/14/2025.

Career stats courtesy of Baseball Reference

Scouting Report​

Scouting report courtesy of Baseball Savant

Projections​

Steamer: 469 PA, 11 HR, 6 SB, .256/.333/.399, .322 wOBA, 100 wRC+, 1.2 WAR

ZiPS: 459 PA, 10 HR, 6 SB, .260/.336/.398, .322 wOBA, 100 wRC+, 1.6 WAR

Outlook​

While the two projections above look pretty similar, you’ll see that ZiPS ends up rating Gavin Lux 0.4 WAR higher - that’s because of his defense, which actually comes out as a net positive vs. Steamer’s negative projection.

I do wonder just how much time at 3B these projections actually factored in, since that appears to be something that’s very much going to be a ‘thing’ for Lux despite that 7th percentile throwing arm in Baseball Savant’s scouting report above.

What we do know is what the hope is, and that’s that Lux can continue to show the kind of offensive prowess he displayed in a rock-solid second half of the 2024 season and that is the real player he is after being fully recovered from the ACL surgery that cost him the 2023 season. If he brings that offense and defensive versatility to cover 3B, 2B, and LF, then the Reds have a bona fide piece to play every time they face a right-handed pitcher.

If he’s that, then the Reds got a steal, even if their international bonus pool money helped the Dodgers get better by signing Roki Sasaki. Lux, though, could well end up a pretty perfect fit as a versatile, inexpensive piece on a versatile, inexpensive Reds roster, especially if that 2024 breakout proves real.

Source: https://www.redreporter.com/2025/3/21/24386064/cincinnati-reds-season-preview-gavin-lux

 

[Cincinnati Reds]

Reds buy quality catching insurance with Jose Trevino extension

Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images

If only the injuries would stop, they’d be thoroughly set behind the plate.

Tyler Stephenson stayed healthy for the bulk of the 2023 and 2024 seasons, racking up 1032 PA in that time. Some 782 of those PA came behind the plate as a catcher, with that number ranking 10th among all catchers across those two seasons, Seattle’s Cal Raleigh (1039) leading the pack in that particular category.

Stephenson’s offense took off again in 2024, his 114 wRC+ ranking 6th among catchers who logged at least 300 PA at the postion. With a pair of years of team control remaining entering the 2025 regular season, he seems poised to continue as the catching option for the Cincinnati Reds for the present.

So, it may see odd on the surface to see the Reds - a typically spendthrift franchise - invest an additional guaranteed $11.5 million in catcher Jose Trevino through at least the 2026 season, with the former Texas Ranger and New York Yankee already under contract for nearly $3.5 million for the 2025 season. That deal includes a $6.5 million club option for 2027 when Trevino will be 34 years of age, the kind of money that’s often reserved for ‘starting’ catchers who fall just below the upper-echelon at the position.

Clearly, Cincinnati sees something well beyond the career 75 OPS+ Trevino carries at the position. They dealt oft-electric reliever Fernando Cruz to New York to acquire him this offseason and have doled out an extension to him before he ever dons the club’s regular season uniform. The former Gold Glove (and Platinum Glove) winner holds a reputation as one of the game’s elite pitch framers, for one, and it’s evident that he has built quite the rapport with the young Cincinnati pitching staff (and pitching czar Derek Johnson) in short order.

What this deal means is that Cincinnati has built in incredible depth at one of the most volatile positions on the roster, as Stephenson’s pending start to the season on the injured list helps emphasize. No, Trevino didn’t need an extension to simply serve as the team’s starter to begin 2025 while Stephenson recovers, but Trevino’s own injury scare with a foul ball last week just layers the cake that is ‘you need pitching depth as far as the eye can see’ even more.

The extension serves not just as depth, but as leverage. Stephenson is one of the prime players on the Cincinnati roster in need of an extension if he’s to be around at a reasonably affordable rate for the Reds, his team control up after the end of 2026. Since the next catcher up in the team’s system is a murky mess surrounding 19 year old Alfredo Duno, who has barely played as a professional yet, getting Trevino under contract at a market rate at least gives the Reds a fallback option should longer-term negotiations with Stephenson fail to materialize and it becomes clear he’s eyeing free agency.

On the flip side, any longer-term deal the Reds manage to negotiate to keep Stephenson around would not preclude them from dealing away Trevino to reallocate their thrifty money, either. A deal like the one Trevino is now on is hardly immovable, especially if he shows that his last two injury-plagued years are behind him and the friendly confines of GABP help his offense play up.

It continues a trend where the Reds are letting their young, controllable depth at other positions battle it out for hierarchy while investing via both contract and trade to augment their weaknesses. That’s what they did with the starting rotation by acquiring Brady Singer and betting on the recovering Wade Miley, in the outfield with Austin Hays, and now at catcher with Trevino.

Would it be cool if they’d landed a superstar at any of those positions? Sure, but that was never in the cards here. They’re still betting their young crop produces another star alongside Elly De La Cruz and Hunter Greene and spending at the fringes on support staff, spending money on depth and insurance instead of splashing it on past production.

Source: https://www.redreporter.com/2025/3/...ity-catching-insurance-jose-trevino-extension

 

[Cincinnati Reds]

Spencer Steer to begin 2025 season on injured list

Photo by Kate Woolson/Cincinnati Reds/Getty Images

Yet another blow to the Cincinnati lineup!

The healthy returns of both Matt McLain and Christian Encarnacion-Strand to the Cincinnati Reds roster paired with the trade of Jonathan India had many of us wondering just where Spencer Steer would end up making throws on the defensive side of the ball in 2025. The free agent signing of Austin Hays further mucked that up, though Steer’s versatility meant that he may well end up taking his glove just about anywhere.

As it turns out, he’ll be taking his glove to the injured list to begin 2025, the balky shoulder that plagued him last year (and all winter) not healed nearly enough to even serve as the team’s regular DH for the time being. So revealed MLB.com’s Mark Sheldon on Saturday afternoon, as said by manager Terry Francona.

Francona revealed that Steer will open the season on the IL.

— Mark Sheldon (@msheldon.bsky.social) 2025-03-22T15:46:55.798Z

Since the team has repeatedly suggested there’s no structural issue in Steer’s ailing shoulder, it’s an incredible frustration for all parties involved that something like this has managed to linger for over half a year with no solution still in sight. As a result, the Reds will not only begin the 2025 season without Tyler Stephenson from the right-side of the plate, but also without Steer, who has led the club in total ribbies since the start of the 2023 season (if you’re into that sort of thing still).

Steer’s versatility was one of his biggest calling cards, and Cincinnati’s ability to make switches all around the field mid-game was more or less unlocked by him being able to man a corner OF spot, corner IF spot, or even 2B in a pinch. Now, that versatility will seemingly fall to Gavin Lux, who may well end up getting to use three gloves a game if Francona makes switches anywhere near as often as former manager David Bell.

Source: https://www.redreporter.com/2025/3/22/24391675/spencer-steer-injured-list-cincinnati-reds

 

[Cincinnati Reds]

Five Dumb Predictions for the 2025 MLB season

Photo by Matt Thomas/San Diego Padres/Getty Images

They’re here! They’re dumb!

The 2025 Major League Baseball season has arrived, with the Los Angeles Dodgers and Chicago Cubs having already kicked off the season in Japan last week. Stateside, the rest of the league will pop the top on their 2025 campaigns on Thursday, with the next seven months set to be chock full of the greatest sport in the history of sport.

Of course, that means it’s also officialy prediction season. That means it’s time around these parts for Five Dumb Predictions, an annual tradition in which five declarations are made with inevitably shocking inaccuracy.

We’ll get to the Reds-specific dumb predictions later this week. For now, here are Five Dumb Predictions about the MLB season as a whole.

Robbie Ray emerges from hibernation again, wins NL Cy Young Award​

Ray, the 2021 AL Cy Young Award winner, has been valued at a combined -0.3 bWAR since the beginning of the 2023 MLB season. He’s been dealt from Seattle to San Francisco in that time, and also went under the knife for Tommy John surgery in early 2023 (and also needed surgery to repair the flexor tendon in his left arm).

Ray, an 11 year veteran of big league play, had only once ever received CYA votes in his career prior to his breakout 2021 season, and that came back as a 25 year old in 2017 in a 4.8 bWAR year with the Arizona Diamondbacks - a season that saw his 12.1 K/9 lead the NL en route to a 7th place finish in the voting.

He’s back to 100% for 2025, however, and he’s even got a new pitch in his arsenal - a changeup that he picked up from reigning AL CYA winner Tarik Skubal. So far, he’s been electric in Cactus League action and once again looks like a dominant force from the left side.

I don’t think he’ll be back to the ~190 IP threshold he reached in 2021 and 2022, but 150+ IP for a Giants club on which many are sleeping is completely in the cards, with a K/9 that may well lead the NL again. As dark horse candidates go, him taking home the NL CYA is certainly one, and it’s dumb prediction number one.

The Colorado Rockies lose 110 games, extend manager Bud Black through 2026​

The Colorado Rockies have a particular set of skills, skills they have acquired over a very long history of being the most inept, poorly run franchise in Major League Baseball.

Is it tough to win games at an elevation of a mile high? Obviously! They’re the only ones tasked with attempting to, and they can’t do it!

Whether or not it’s the elevation or simply the horrid attempts at drafting, developing, signing, and trading for players who can perform well enough is hard to say for some. What we do know, though, is that it just simply never works out, and their current roster sure suggests that’s going to be the case once again.

They’ve lost 103 and 101 games over the last two seasons, respectively, and frankly I think that’s just going to escalate. Kris Bryant may play 84 games, he may play 19, but it’s not going to matter one bit. I say they lose 110 games in yet another defunct season at Coors Field, an effort that will once again prompt the team to extend manager Bud Black for another season for whatever reason.

(For the record, this is not a knock on Black, it’s a knock on the front office/ownership for giving him nothing to work with and yet insisting the status quo remain.)

Fernando Tatis, Jr. reminds us he’s an all-time great in the making​

Yeah, Fernando got bonked with a PED suspension and eventually ended up missing the entire 2022 season due to that and injury.

Yeah, he’s only been worth 7.3 fWAR since the start of the 2023 season - good for 36th best among all position players in baseball.

Still, I think he rekindles the kind of performance in 2025 that launched him onto the scene in the first place and landed him that $300+ million contract. He is, after all, younger than the likes of Juan Soto, Oneil Cruz, Jazz Chisholm, and Adley Rutschman, and was born in the same year as Matt McLain. In other words, there’s still a ton more for him to tap into in his age-26 season, and I think he does just that.

A 30/30 season with a return to Gold Glove defensive form is in the wings, and that will result in his third top-four finish in NL MVP voting already in his career.

The Boston Red Sox win the AL East, represent the AL in the World Series​

The Sox have been in a very pre-2004 Sox slump of late. They won just 78 games in both 2022 and 2023, respectively, and only upped that to 81 wins last season. That said, they made big splashes this offseason in the form of the Garrett Crochet trade and Alex Bregman signing, and they rebuilt their bullpen around Liam Hendriks and Aroldis Chapman.

On top of that, they’ve got the best trio of prospects in the game ready to emerge at any point this year, and a farm system that’s deep enough for their front office to remain aggressive at the trade deadline. If one, or both of Lucas Giolito and Walker Buehler regain form, they’ve got the kind of depth in their rotation that should make them once again a viable force in an otherwise deep, brutal AL East.

I also think Rafael Devers is about to knock the cover off the ball to show the world just how good he is after being pushed off 3B by the Bregman acquisition. That’s a big enough snowball to push them to the top of the AL’s deepest division in the regular season and through the playoffs...

...where Boston will lose to the Atlanta Braves in the World Series​

Look, there is zero possible way that the Braves get barraged with injuries the way they did in 2024.

Ronald Acuña will be back by mid-May. Austin Riley and Michael Harris II aren’t missing 50+ games each again. Ozzie Albies will play way, way more than the 99 games he played in last year, and Sean Murphy won’t be sidelined for two months with a torn oblique again (even if his busted ribs will keep him on the shelf for a few weeks to begin the year).

Matt Olson, meanwhile, is going to look much more like the guy who swatted 54 homers with a .413 wOBA in 2023 than the one who socked just 29 with a .339 wOBA in 2024. At least, that’s precisely what I keep telling myself.

Pair all of that with the return of a healthy Spencer Strider, and this team is going to wreck other clubs. Hell, they won 89 games last year even with all of that bad news!

The Braves, the 2025 World Series champions!

Source: https://www.redreporter.com/2025/3/25/24392240/2025-mlb-regular-season-predictions

 

[Cincinnati Reds]

Cincinnati Reds wrap spring training with in-house exhibition in Dayton

Photo by: Joe Sohm/Visions of America/Universal Images Group via Getty Images

Just two more days until these count for real!

The Cincinnati Reds will take their road show to Dayton on Tuesday evening, engaging in an exhibition matchup that will feature many of their stars and a mix of top prospects in an exhibition game at Day Air Ballpark.

Chase Petty will get the start for the ‘Reds’ club, while I believe that’s former Milwaukee Brewers starter Aaron Wilkerson getting the nod for the ‘prospects’ club. Will Benson, Noelvi Marte, and Rece Hinds (in CF!) highlight the prospect side of things to start, while former Enquirer beat writer Charlie Goldsmith has reported that Spencer Steer will get some DH time for the prospect club as he works his way back to being ready for big league ball.

As for the ‘Reds,’ we’ll get a hearty look at the bulk of their projected lineup, with each of TJ Friedl, Matt McLain, Elly De La Cruz, Gavin Lux, Jeimer Candelario, Christian Encarnacion-Strand, Santiago Espinal, Jake Fraley, and Jose Trevino in the lineup.

(That’s it, actually. That’s the entire starting lineup.)

First pitch is set for 6:10 PM ET, though sadly this game won’t be televised - you’ll have to listen to it on radio at Fox Sports 1360.

Speaking of watching the Cincinnati Reds play baseball, as of Thursday you’ll be able to stream games in-market thanks to FanDuel Sports Ohio, with the arcane in-market blackout restrictions of the old regime now a thing of the past. For more on how you can access this new feature, check the link in the sidebar on this article!

Lineups are listed below, courtesy of the Reds.

Lineups​

Exhibition game in Dayton tonight! pic.twitter.com/lNsFmjd3ya

— Cincinnati Reds (@Reds) March 25, 2025​

Source: https://www.redreporter.com/2025/3/25/24393973/cincinnati-reds-spring-training-exhibition-dayton

 

[Cincinnati Reds]

Five Dumb Predictions for the 2025 Cincinnati Reds

Photo by Norm Hall/Getty Images

Is this finally the year where they do the things they haven’t done in an entire generation?

Despite once again underperforming relative to the hopes and dreams of fans throughout the region in 2024, the Cincinnati Reds did not hit the personnel panic button this offseason.

Yes, they canned David Bell and hired a bona fide Hall of Fame manager in Terry Francona. What they didn’t do, though, was blow up a roster that they had built conscientiously over the last half-decade in pursuit of quick, possibly non-sustainable glory.

They did not sign Anthony Santander to possibly add established thump into the lineup. Rather than aiming high at the likes of Alex Bregman to address potential infield concerns, they swapped international bonus pool funds for Gavin Lux.

They doubled down on what commitments they had already made. This team, if it is to head to any sort of glory, will do so on the backs of Elly De La Cruz and Hunter Greene. It will be dragged there by Matt McLain and Jeimer Candelario, by Nick Lodolo and Nick Martinez.

Once again, the Reds enter a season hoping to be a team they have never yet been rather than a team that, on paper, already appears to have made it. The front office and ownership need this club to be, collectively, better than it has ever been in order to achieve success, and it is that promise that has once again reeled all of us in.

With that in mind, and with the new season dawning tomorrow, here are Five Dumb Predictions for the 2025 Cincinnati Reds season.

Nick Lodolo clears 150 IP, leads all Reds pitchers in WAR​

Another year, another dumb prediction of Nick Lodolo emerging as a legitimate ace.

It’s hard to quit, I’ll admit. I’m still as tantalized by his upside today as I was when he first emerged back in 2022 and finished 6th in the NL’s Rookie of the Year voting.

Since then, he’s been limited to 28 total starts across two seasons, with an extended shin injury followed by issues with a finger, his back, his calf, a groin, blisters, head, shoulders, knees, & toes, knees & toes.

(Head, shoulders, Lodolo, Lodolo...I digress.)

Anyway, I think 2025 is the year it all finally comes together for Nick, both in terms of health and production. He’s in his arbitration years now, and production at this juncture is the kind of thing that can set a pitcher up financially for the rest of his life. Stars will align, health will prevail, and we’ll get to see ~27 or so starts of him helping lead the line alongside Hunter Greene, and his stuff will be so good he’ll actually end up the team’s leader in WAR.

5.2 bWAR incoming!

TJ Friedl steals 40 bags​

Of all the things we were robbed of in 2024 with the spate of serious injuries across the Cincinnati roster, none pained me to see as much as TJ Friedl’s hamstrings. His freak wrist and thumb injuries were frustrating, sure, but his hammy problems sapped the speed that made him not just an elite defensive CF, but also a demon on the basepaths.

Those attributes helped make him a 4 WAR player in 2023, and 4 WAR CFs just don’t grow on trees. When TJ is right, he’s an absolutely elite weapon both on the field, in the lineup, and - for the Reds - on the bases atop the lineup.

If his hamstrings stay loose this year, I think he emerges even further as a threat on-base ahead of the thumpers developing in the middle of the order behind him, and a 40+ steal season is 1,000% on the table for him.

Sal Stewart is a key cog in the infield by season’s end​

Back in 2023, the Reds still had Joey Votto entrenched at 1B when healthy. Spencer Steer emerged as a do-it-all infield option, while both Elly De La Cruz and Matt McLain made their dizzying debuts. Jonathan India was the everyday 2B, the ghost of Nick Senzel was getting starts at the hot corner, and Jose Barrero was working his way around the diamond in a last gasp of top prospect relevance.

In other words, the infield mix looked incredibly crowded. Still, Noelvi Marte managed to hit his way right into the mix and became a rock in the lineup down the stretch despite there being so many other names seemingly ‘ahead’ of him.

I think Sal Stewart hits his way into a similar path in 2025. The kid has an absolutely elite eye at the plate, and only a freak off-the-field injury kept him from hitting his way to AA last year. He’ll start there this year, and I think he’ll keep mashing to AAA in short order, putting him on the cusp of a big league debut as soon as the Reds need - or want - him to do so.

Will he take over 3B? Maybe. Jeimer Candelario looked iffy there last year, Marte faltered terribly, and Gavin Lux has never really played there at all.

Will he claim 1B? Maybe CES is better suited for DH duties, and Sal stakes his claim there.

Doesn’t matter - he’s going to hit his way into a regular role down the stretch with this club, and maybe even lead the offense in the process. His bat is just that good.

Elly De La Cruz socks 44 dingers​

It was certainly easy to get lost in just how many plays Elly made with his legs last year, how many steals he logged and how many extra bases he swiped even when opposing teams were looking right at him with the ball in their hand.

He’s going to keep swiping bags this year, sure. He’s also going to hit 3rd in the lineup most nights, it would appear, and will have Friedl (above) and Matt McLain on-base ahead of him a lot of the time clogging up those bases.

Elly will literally fall into a 35 steal season, but what I think takes him to the next stratosphere in 2025 is that light tower power of his. He’s not just going to up his dinger total from 25 to 30 this year, he’s going to take it all the way over 40. Hell, he gets to hit in GABP for 81 games, that may well be on the extremely low end!

Let’s say 44 homers, since Elly and 44 are just a match made in heaven.

The Reds - yes, the Reds - make the playoffs​

Is it farfetched? Yes.

Is it impossible to fathom? Also yes, sort of - they just simply haven’t been there in a full season in a really, really long time.

The injuries have already begun to mount, with the likes of Spencer Steer, Tyler Stephenson, Rhett Lowder, and Andrew Abbott all set to miss the beginning of the season. Every other team out there is going to run into that kind of issue though, too.

Still, there’s an air of confidence around this club that can only be described as Franconian, and the National League Central division is devoid of clubs truly on a different echelon than the Reds in terms of talent. When the talent is equal and the leadership suddenly emerges, that makes for epic breakouts, and it just feels like this is finally, mercifully a window for that to materialize in the form of the Reds.

Cincinnati’s going to win 89 games this year and make it to the playoffs. Just don’t ask me what happens when they get there.

Source: https://www.redreporter.com/2025/3/26/24392662/cincinnati-reds-2025-mlb-predictions-nick-lodolo

 

[Cincinnati Reds]

Game 1: Reds vs. Giants (4:10 PM EDT) - Greene vs. Webb

Photo by Jeff Dean/Getty Images

Today's Lineups​

LaMonte Wade - 1B	TJ Friedl - CF
Willy Adames - SS	Matt McLain - 2B
Jung Hoo Lee - CF	Elly De La Cruz - SS
Matt Chapman - 3B	Gavin Lux - LF
Heliot Ramos - LF	Jeimer Candelario - 3B
Patrick Bailey - C	Spencer Steer - DH
Wilmer Flores - DH	Christian Encarnacion-Strand - 1B
Mike Yastrzemski - RF	Jake Fraley - RF
Tyler Fitzgerald - 2B	Jose Trevino - C
Logan Webb - RHP	Hunter Greene - RHP

[th]

GIANTS​

[/th]​

[th]

REDS​

[/th]​

Source: https://www.redreporter.com/2025/3/27/24395194/game-1-reds-vs-giants-4-10-pm-edt-greene-vs-webb

 

[Cincinnati Reds]

Reds give up 4 runs in 9th in Opening Day loss to Giants

Photo by Jeff Dean/Getty Images

The late collapse spoiled an outstanding start by Hunter Greene.

The dawn of the 2025 season came with new leadership and new faces, but things felt eerily similar to years past today at Great American Ballpark, as the Cincinnati Reds took a 3-2 lead into the 9th inning and exited the 9th inning with a 6-4 loss.

The Joe Nuxhall Memorial Honorary Star of the Game​

Hunter Greene had the best season of his career in 2024 and carried that momentum right into 2025 with yet another outstanding start. He struck out 5 batters in a row at one point and, outside of a GABP special of a home run in the 4th, he was utterly dominant this afternoon. In all, he went 5 innings, allowing 2 runs on 3 hits with a walk and 8 strikeouts. That’s exactly the type of outing we were hoping for today and I can’t wait to watch this kid keep getting better.

Honorable mentions are due to: Jeimer Candelario for collecting 2 hits and driving in all 3 runs for the Reds; Elly De La Cruz for reaching base 3 times and scoring twice; and Christian Encarnacio-Strand for going 2 for 4 with a double.

Key Plays

• It didn’t take long for the Reds to score their first run of the 2025 season. After 2 quick outs, Elly De La Cruz and Gavin Lux extended the inning by drawing walks to put runners on 1st and 2nd. Those walks haunted, and Jeimer Candelario drove in Elly for the fist run of the game.
• The Reds were able to extend their lead in the bottom of the 3rd. Singles by TJ Friedl, Elly De La Cruz, and Gavin Lux loaded the bases with 1 out for Candelario. He’d take advantage with a 2-RBI single to put the Reds on top 3-0.
• The Giants got a couple of runs back in the top of the 4th, as Heliot Ramos took advantage of an earlier walk to Jung Hoo Lee and delivered a ball to the seats in right to shrink the Reds lead to 3-2.
• Things remained that way until the top of the 9th, when things fell apart for the Reds. With Ian Gibaut on the mound to close things out for the Reds, a walk by Jung Hoo Lee and a single by Heliot Ramos would put runners on the corners with 2 outs. Patrick Bailey would come up and poke a single just past Matt McLain to tie the game at 3-3. Okay, fine. Things happen. Get it back in the 9th, etc. Unfortunately, things kept happening as Bill Hall All-Star Wilmer Flores drove a ball to the seats in left to give the Giants a 6-3 lead.
• The Reds tried to make things interesting in the 9th, as TJ Friedl drove in Jacob Hurtubise, who’d advanced to 2nd after an earlier hit-by-pitch, with 2 outs. Matt McLain was a couple of feet from tying it, as his late game heroics died at the warning track in left, ending the game at 6-4.

Tony Graphanino​

(WPA chart via FanGraphs)​

Other Notes​

• It wasn’t all bad for the bullpen, as Scott Barlow, Emelio Pagan, and Tony Santillan allowed no runners in 3 innings of work and each struck out a pair.
• The Reds have Friday off before facing off in game 2 against the Giants. Nick Lodolo will make his season debut opposite Justin Verlander. First pitch is scheduled for 4:10 PM EDT.
• Go Reds.

Source: https://www.redreporter.com/2025/3/...p-4-runs-in-9th-in-opening-day-loss-to-giants

 

[Cincinnati Reds]

How to Watch: San Francisco Giants at Cincinnati Reds on Opening Day

The 2025 regular season begins!

The Cincinnati Reds begin their quest to take the baseball world by storm in 2025 by first hosting the San Francisco Giants, long ago their rivals in the NL West. 4:10 PM ET on Thursday, March 27th in Great American Ball Park is the time and place to catch the first pitch of the season, with the rest of the series picking back up on Saturday and culminating Sunday afternoon.

The Giants enter year two of the Bob Melvin Era, the manager leading the club to a disappointing 80-82 record in 2024 that resulted in a major overhaul within the organization at season’s end. Out went President of Baseball Operations Farhan Zaidi after over six years at the club, with former team legend and future Hall of Famer Buster Posey being promoted to take his place.

They splashed big cash on free agent shortstop Willy Adames, himself a veteran of tormenting the Reds. In came fellow future Hall of Famer Justin Verlander to augment the starting rotation, but the rest of their offseason seemed eerily similar to that of the Reds in that they seem to be banking big on better output from the roster they had in place this time a year ago. That includes the big money signing of Jung Hoo Lee, who was limited to just 37 games in 2024 due to injury after signing a $113 million deal to anchor their outfield.

Probable Pitchers​

Hunter Greene (9-5, 2.75 ERA, 3.47 FIP, 169/57 K/BB, 150.1 IP in 2024) vs. Logan Webb (13-10, 3.47 ERA, 2.95 FIP, 172/50 K/BB, 204.2 IP in 2024)​

How to Watch​

This is where things get interesting for 2025.

If you’ve been stuck with cable while in the Reds TV market for the last however long frustrating period, you know that your service has been spotty at best. On top of that, ditching cable for streaming means you ran headlong into MLB’s arcane blackout rules, with only some sneaky VPN action allowing you to watch the team of your region while within said region.

That’s now different.

Since FanDuel Sports took over from the defunct Diamond/Bally group, they’ve brought in-market streaming with no blackouts for Reds fans. Yeah, now you can watch all Reds games from Cincinnati or Lexington or Hamilton or wherever with the blackouts of Fred Manrob now long gone.

You can find your way to this by clicking that red link to the right of this particular paragraph, and a quick and easy signup means you can stream today’s Reds/Giants game from your phone, laptop, tablet, whatever while in your pool, on your lawnmower, or while in your favorite local Cubs bar to troll.

First pitch is set for 4:10 PM ET on FanDuel Sports, though you can also stream this through NBC Sports Bay Area if you’re out of market. Both streams should be viewable via MLB.tv per usual, too. If that sounds too confusing, check out the chart below for additional information.

Turn on. Tune in. Go Reds.

Source: https://www.redreporter.com/2025/3/27/24392958/series-preview-san-francisco-giants-cincinnati-reds

 

[Cincinnati Reds]

Opening Day in Cincinnati smashes the refresh button

Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images

A new season dawns...

Gone is David Bell as manager of the Cincinnati Reds, though the future ejections of a Reds manager may even be more entertaining. In as manager is future Hall of Famer Terry Francona, a baseball lifer who has made quite the habit of taking one-time underdogs to the World Series.

Out the door is Jonathan India. The former National League Rookie of the Year once seemed poised to be the next face of the franchise, but he somehow ended up a polarizing figure among fans - good enough to be a piece of a good club, but not good enough to be the face. In comes Brady Singer, India’s former college teammate at the University of Florida, to help bolster a starting rotation that needed bolstering badly last year.

Back is Matt McLain to take over at the keystone. The former 1st round pick and 2023 breakout star missed the latter portion of ‘23 and all of 2024 with a barrage of injuries, but hopefully returns as Groot to Elly De La Cruz’s Rocket as early as [/checks notes] today. The same goes for Christian Encarnacion-Strand, who once looked like he could hit a baseball over that there mountain before a wrist injury sapped his power, confidence, and just about everything else. Today begins his quest to threaten the 40 dinger threshold as a Reds player, something that hasn’t been threatened since the go-go days of the 2019 juiced ball.

Gavin Lux seemed an odd addition, this winter’s version of the Jeimer Candelario signing in the sense that he didn’t have an obvious place to play everyday. Well, the injury bug has already sorted that out more than we’d ever hope, and now it seems there may be more places for Lux to play than he can physically play at any one time. Perhaps that’s an omen given his actual versatility, and he may help fill the void left by India more than we ever initially imagined.

Spencer Steer is dinged up and destined for DH-only duty until his balky shoulder somehow gets better, while the newly signed Austin Hays - brought in as a rebound candidate after an injury-plagued 2024 - is already out injured. Still, potential ‘returns to form’ from both Candelario and TJ Friedl may well offset that, in theory.

Oh, the tantalizing southpaw that is Nick Lodolo. Is this the year he finally climbs up and over the litany of nagging injuries that have kept him still something of a secret league-wide? Is this the year he gets 28, 29 starts and flashes all the brilliance he’s show in short stints so far? If so, the tandem of Nick and ace Hunter Greene seems poised to be the most dominant, intimidating duo the NL can boast.

And, of course, there is Elly - the beacon of this particular team. It’s his team. It’s his time. He’s already shown himself to be one of the league’s absolute unicorns, the only thing remaining on his rise to superstardom being hoisting the entire team upon his back and carrying them to the promised land. Maybe he’ll do it with his defense, his range and arm second to none. Perhaps it will be again with his legs, an 80 steal season in the wings. It could, though, actually be with his bat, with 40+ homer power from both sides of the plate and a bandbox in which to call home.

Elly’s Reds. Hunter’s Reds. Tito’s Reds.

Our Reds, and they’re back in action today at 4:10 PM ET.

Happy Opening Day.

Source: https://www.redreporter.com/2025/3/27/24395125/opening-day-cincinnati-reds-terry-francona

 

[Cincinnati Reds]

Game 2: Reds vs. Giants (4:10 PM ET) - Lodolo vs. Verlander

Photo by Ben Jackson/Getty Images

Go Reds!

The Cincinnati Reds play host to Justin Verlander and the San Francisco Giants at Great American Ball Park on Saturday afternoon, with first pich set for 4:10 PM ET.

Nick Lodolo will toe the rubber for the Reds, while Spencer Steer gets a day of rest for his balky shoulder.

Go Reds! They’re George Foster’s favorite team!

Today's Lineups​

Heliot Ramos - LF	TJ Friedl - CF
Willy Adames - SS	Matt McLain - 2B
Jung Hoo Lee - CF	Elly De La Cruz - SS
Matt Chapman - 3B	Gavin Lux - LF
Wilmer Flores - 1B	Jeimer Candelario - DH
Luis Matos - RF	Christian Encarnacion-Strand - 1B
Patrick Bailey - C	Santiago Espinal - 3B
Casey Schmitt - DH	Jake Fraley - RF
Tyler Fitzgerald - 2B	Jose Trevino - C
Justin Verlander - RHP	Nick Lodolo - LHP

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GIANTS​

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REDS​

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Source: https://www.redreporter.com/2025/3/...-lineup-san-francisco-giants-verlander-lodolo

 

[Cincinnati Reds]

Homers from Matt McLain, Christian Encarnacion-Strand lead Reds past Giants

Photo by Jeff Dean/Getty Images

And this one belongs to the Reds!

The Cincinnati Reds fell behind the San Francisco Giants by an early 2-0 deficit on Saturday afternoon in GABP, but they clawed their way back to a 3-2 victory to earn their first win of the season.

Matt McLain and Christian Encarnacion-Strand each homered, Elly De La Cruz socked an important RBI-single off Justin Verlander, and Nick Lodolo settled in after some early jitters to toss 6 innings of Quality Start™ ball.

Key Plays​

• Wilmer Flores continued his assault on the LF seats in GABP with a solo homer off Lodolo in the Top of the 2nd. Reds trailed, 1-0.
• Heliot Ramos led off the Top of the 3rd with a double into LF, and he later scored on a single ripped through the right side by Jung Hoo Lee. Reds trailed, 2-0.
• McLain began the comeback with a towering solo homer into the LF seats off Verlander in the Bottom of the 3rd to halve the score. Later, he doubled in the Bottom of the 5th and scored a batter later when Elly smashed a single in between San Francisco’s 2B and 1B, and the Reds had the game tied, 2-2.
• CES launched his solo homer into the bullpen in RF in the Bottom of the 6th off reliever Spencer Bivens, an oppo shot in a 2-strike count that proved to be the difference. Reds won, 3-2!

The Joe Nuxhall Memorial Honorary Star of the Game​

McLain’s homer was his first since August 23, 2023, and that’s good enough for me. Nostalgia!

He finished 2 for 4 with a homer, a double, a pair of runs scored, and a ribbie, while also making a pretty spectacular diving stop moving to his left while playing 2B - precisely the kind of play that’s great to see him pull off given how injured he was all of last year.

And here’s evidence!

Tony Graphanino​

WPA chart courtesy of FanGraphs.com

Other Notes​

• One game after striking out 17 Giant batters, the Reds struck out just 1 on the day (hat-tip to Former Fearless Leader Slyde for that note).
• Nick Lodolo’s final line: 6.0 IP, 5 H, 2 ER, 0 BB, K on 86 pitches.
• One game after blowing a 9th inning lead with Ian Gibaut on the bump in save situation, Emilio Pagan got the save opportunity this time around...and earned it!
• Graham Ashcraft danced around a pair of hits in a scoreless IP of relief.
• Santiago Espinal, who kinda quietly hit .288 in the second half of the 2024 season, went 2 for 3 in the start at 3B.
• Sunday’s series finale between these two will feature Robbie Ray and Nick Martinez sharing the mound for their respective teams. First pitch is set for 1:40 PM ET.
• Tunes!

Source: https://www.redreporter.com/2025/3/...-encarnacion-strand-cincinnati-reds-verlander

 

[Cincinnati Reds]

Matt McLain is Cincinnati’s Joe Nuxhall Memorial Honorary Star of the Week

Photo by Jeff Dean/Getty Images

Welcome back to the big leagues, Matt!

Matt McLain’s stay on the sidelines was a two-fold problem for the Cincinnati Reds.

On the obvious side of things, the multiple injuries - both the recurring oblique issue and the shoulder surgery - were tangible problems he’d have to overcome after they forced him to miss not just the end of the 2023 season but the entirety of 2024. On the less obvious side, there was some worry if the swing alterations McLain had undergone prior to him bursting onto the big league scene with power were behind the injuries in the first place.

He may get healthy again, sure, but would he be able to stay healthy and replicate the newfound power swing? Or would he have to abandon the alterations just to keep the torque on his body manageable?

If the early returns in 2025 are to be believed, it looks like he’s managed to overcome all of those issues, both objective and nebulous, and be precisely the kind of player who looked the part of a budding star in his rookie campaign.

McLain socked a pair of homers and a double in Cincinnati’s first series of 2025, scoring a trio of runs in the process and picking up right where he left off back in 2023. For that, he takes home the first Joe Nuxhall Memorial Honorary Star of the Week Award of 2025, and I feel confident that it won’t be his last of the season.

Have a look for yourself at what Matt’s bat - and glove - had to say this week:

Source: https://www.redreporter.com/2025/3/30/24397387/matt-mclain-cincinnati-reds-player-of-the-week

 

[Cincinnati Reds]

Game 3: Reds vs. Giants (1:40 PM ET) - Martinez vs. Ray

Photo by Justin Casterline/Getty Images

Go Reds!

Go Reds!

Today's Lineups​

LaMonte Wade - 1B	Matt McLain - 2B
Willy Adames - SS	Santiago Espinal - RF
Jung Hoo Lee - CF	Elly De La Cruz - SS
Matt Chapman - 3B	Christian Encarnacion-Strand - 1B
Heliot Ramos - LF	Jeimer Candelario - 3B
Wilmer Flores - DH	Spencer Steer - DH
Luis Matos - RF	Gavin Lux - LF
Sam Huff - C	Blake Dunn - CF
Tyler Fitzgerald - 2B	Austin Wynns - C
Robbie Ray - LHP	Nick Martinez - RHP

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GIANTS​

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REDS​

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Source: https://www.redreporter.com/2025/3/30/24397254/cincinnati-reds-gamethread-san-francisco-giants

 

[Cincinnati Reds]

Game 4: Reds vs. Rangers (6:40 PM ET) - Singer vs. Rocker

Photo by Jeff Dean/Getty Images

Singer! Rocker! Baseball!

Go Reds!

Today's Lineups​

Marcus Semien - 2B	TJ Friedl - CF
Corey Seager - SS	Matt McLain - 2B
Wyatt Langford - LF	Elly De La Cruz - SS
Joc Pederson - DH	Gavin Lux - LF
Adolis Garcia - RF	Jeimer Candelario - 3B
Jake Burger - 1B	Christian Encarnacion-Strand - 1B
Josh Smith - 3B	Spencer Steer - DH
Jonah Heim - C	Jake Fraley - RF
Leody Taveras - CF	Jose Trevino - C
Kumar Rocker - RHP	Brady Singer - RHP

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RANGERS​

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REDS​

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Source: https://www.redreporter.com/2025/3/31/24398288/cincinnati-reds-texas-rangers-baseball

 

[Cincinnati Reds]

The destruction of the Texas Rangers as told by the Cincinnati Reds

Photo by Jeff Dean/Getty Images

A thorough thumping, a glorious gluttony of offensive greed!

There was little respite for the Cincinnati Reds in their exhaustive pursuit of excellence on Monday night in Great American Ball Park.

The best of their best, the cream of their crop all rose to the occasion for the complete obliteration of the Texas Rangers. The offense rolled. The pitching, spearheaded by Big Offseason Acquisition™ Brady Singer, was mostly spotless. The big hits were bigger, the stars aligned and shined, and the end result was a thorough 14-3 thumping of the 2023 World Series champions in the series opener.

Elly De La Cruz, the de facto Joe Nuxhall Memorial Honorary Star of the Roster of the Reds these days, filled the stat sheet in a way only he could. He homered twice, added a two-ribbie double, swiped a bag, and drove in a colossal seven runs on the day. He was matched almost evenly by Matt McLain, who slugged his third homer of the young season while going 2 for 3 with 4 runs scored, a walk, and a trio of his own ribbies.

Singer, meanwhile, put the clamps on the Rangers offense in his team debut, limiting them to a lone hit across 7 stellar IP, fanning 8 against just 2 walks in a brutally efficient 92 pitch evening. If that’s what the Reds got in their Florida for Florida swap, well, it appears their decision on roster management can impossibly be discounted.

Jose Trevino and TJ Friedl each had a pair of hits and scored twice, respectively. Spencer Steer got off the schneid with a 2-run single. Jeimer Candelario struck out 4 times, but we don’t have the wherewithal to give a damn about that for the time being - the rest of the Reds were simply far too remarkable to care.

That, right there, is the best win of the Terry Francona Era, and I dare you to throw a small sample size argument at me right now. The vibes, they are simply too good for that after this brilliant display on an otherwise dank, dark, cold Monday night in GABP.

Source: https://www.redreporter.com/2025/3/31/24398420/elly-de-la-cruz-cincinnati-reds-texas-rangers