The Reds were perhaps the most surprising playoff club of the 2025 season, as they managed to enter the third NL Wild Card spot with an 83-79 record. That back-to-back season came to an abrupt end when they were dispatched by the World Champion Dodgers in the Wild Card round, but that didn’t stop them from making some changes to the team this winter. The return of the veteran slugger Eugenio Suarez It’s certainly the team’s strongest offseason addition, but it also creates a bit of a logjam in its roster. Although Suarez is an attacking player coming off a 49-game campaign, he will reduce the playing time of one of the club’s regulars. That is especially true given the addition of JJ Bleday in the club’s outdoor mix, which has taken over the market Gavin Lux in the list.
While a reduction in playing time across the roster is inevitable, the Reds have enough flexibility in their system as to how playing time will be distributed is still an open question. With so many pieces to the plan, who will end up getting the short end of the stick? There are a few obvious players who won’t lose playing time this year. Tyler Stephenson again Jose Trevino they are a bit trapped as a participating group. Shortstop Elly De La Cruz he is a star and will definitely be on the roster every day as long as he stays healthy. TJ Friedl projects as a regular midfielder, and Suarez himself is sure to play every day as long as he is fit.
However, for all the other players on the list, it is impossible to imagine them being removed. Spencer Steer he’s probably the most established player among the rest of the list, but even he doesn’t seem proven every day at bat. That’s part of why he doesn’t have a position. While he was a solid defensive first baseman for the Reds last year, his 97 wRC+ isn’t exactly the kind of impact one would expect from that spot on the roster. That could leave Steer manning any number of positions, as he can at least get by when playing each of second base, third base, and the corners in the outfield in addition to first base and DH. That leaves the players at each of those positions (except for Suarez) with a talented, if not seemingly breathing down his neck hunting for playing time.
At first, the Reds will currently be used Sal Stewart. The consensus top prospect entering 2026, the rookie got a cup of coffee in 18 games in the majors last year and has done everything anyone could have hoped for in this opportunity. He slashed .255/.293/.545 with five homers and two doubles in 58 trips to the plate while holding his strikeout rate to 25.9%. He also excelled when the lights were on, going 2-for-4 with a walk and four RBI against Los Angeles in the playoffs when the rest of the team struggled to produce. That’s enough to earn him the starting job, and he’s spent more time at third and even second than first, providing potential flexibility in terms of where he’ll play. With that, it means that if the rookie struggles at some point this year it wouldn’t be a shock to see him demoted to Triple-A, where the Reds could get another year of team control from Stewart if he sticks around long enough.
While considering Stewart’s service time may make Cincinnati more willing to sign him off the roster than any of their players, that doesn’t mean others are safe from their playing time. It’s Bryan Hayes was the team’s most notable deadline addition last year, and his high-quality glove should mean Reds pitchers stay focused on being on third base regularly. That being said, Hayes is arguably the weakest offensive player on the roster. Although he appeared to be at the top of his career with the Pirates, he also hit .235/.290/.306 (65 wRC+) last year after posting a 60 wRC+ the previous year. If Hayes can’t get his offensive production back to the 90 wRC+ range he was in from 2021-2023, it would be hard for a team to justify playing him regularly unless others suffer.
Hayes’ vexatious plight applies, at least to some extent, to Matt McLain. McLain appeared in 147 games last year after missing the entire 2024 season with an injury, and his results left a lot to be desired. He hit just .220/.300/.343 with a wRC+ of 77. While he’s logged a solid 9.5% walk rate to save his slash line overall, the combination of a 28.5% strikeout rate and a .124 ISO simply won’t cut it if he wants to be even a big league hitter. McLain is an elite player who showed huge upside in 2023 with a 129+ wRC in 89 games, but his upside could end up being short lived if he struggles, as many other players on the team are capable of handling the keystone.
One such player Noelvi Martewho spent last season in right field but has been a center fielder for most of his career. Marte had a disastrous 2024 season where he hit .210/.248/.301 after returning from an 80-game PED suspension, but 2025 saw him take a step in the right direction as he posted a wRC+ of 101+ in 90 games despite missing two months with an oblique strain. Prior to this injury, Marte looked to be on the verge of breaking out, and while a brutal September put a damper on his season-long numbers, it’s not hard to see the 24-year-old taking another step forward this year. That being said, a slump or two like the one he suffered in 2024 and the second half of 2025 could leave Marte as the odd man out if the rest of the lineup hits.
The one wild card in terms of playing time on the entire roster is Bleday. He’s a bit locked into the outside corners defensively, so he can’t provide the kind of versatility that almost every other player here can provide. He’s also a questionable player to line up against lefties, which makes him feel lower in terms of playing time than other systems. That might make him seem like someone who would prefer to get less playing time in the lineup, but his left-handed belt in a right-handed lineup could prove to be more valuable. Additionally, Bleday is just one year removed from a strong season for the A’s where he posted a 120 wRC+ and 3.2 fWAR. Last year was tough for him as he hit just .212/.294/.404, but if he can recapture his 2024 form he could be one of the top hitters on the Reds roster and earn a bigger share of the playing time than most of these players who have shown more league average or less skill in recent years.
Who do you expect to finally get the short end of the stick when it comes to playing time in Cincinnati this year? Would a young player like Stewart be demoted, or would someone like McLain or Marte struggle despite their previous pedigree? Will Hayes’ offense be too weak to justify his good defense, or will Bleday not hit enough to sustain his defense in center field? Or, could the whole system work so well that Steer finds himself in a relief role? Have your say in the poll below:
