Reds manager provides clarity on team’s third-base situation

The query of how the Reds will divide their enjoying time at third base has loomed massive over camp. Some readability was gained earlier this month when Noelvi Marte was optioned to Triple-A Louisville, however that also left a number of veterans vying for time on the place. Supervisor Terry Francona shed some gentle on the matter this week when he instructed the group’s beat that Gavin Lux, Jeimer Candelario and Santiago Espinal will all see time on the place (hyperlink by way of Mark Sheldon of MLB.com).

There received’t be a strict platoon, and all three gamers include the advantage of having the ability to deal with a number of positions. Lux figures to see a while at second base and in left discipline. Espinal can play wherever within the infield. Candelario performs each infield corners. Francona praised Lux, who’s much less accustomed to the place than his two teammates, specifically and famous that he’s adjusted to the place properly. It sounds as if the Reds received’t have a set third baseman or perhaps a set two-man platoon on the scorching nook, with pitching matchups and defensive preferences (relying on who the Reds ship to the mound that day) all coming into play.

The style wherein enjoying time at these different spots is split up naturally hinges on the well being of a flexible roster. One key participant in that equation is infielder/outfielder Spencer Steer, who’s been sidelined by discomfort in his proper shoulder. Steer hasn’t appeared in an official spring recreation since Feb. 27, although Francona stated over the weekend that the 27-year-old had proven “marked enchancment” after being shut down for a bit.

Steer is as soon as once more swinging a bat, writes Gordon Wittenmyer of the Cincinnati Enquirer, and he’s feeling no ache when doing so. He tells Wittenmyer he thinks being prepared for Opening Day is a definite risk, although Francona took a extra measured strategy. Whereas the skipper wouldn’t rule it out, he emphasised that they’re “going to do that proper” and that Steer would solely be on the roster if he’s totally wholesome. A visit to the injured checklist would considerably remarkably be the primary IL stint for Steer in both the massive leagues or the minors. He was drafted by the Twins out of Oregon in 2019 (and traded to Cincinnati in trade for Tyler Mahle).

A wholesome Steer will probably be all of the extra vital now that Tyler Stephenson seems headed for the injured checklist. Steer and Stephenson signify two of the Reds’ higher hitters, each able to hitting 20-plus homers and delivering offense 10 to fifteen% higher than league-average. Steer can conceivably consider at any of the 4 nook positions or second base. The group might nonetheless take the cautious route and place him on the injured checklist, however it’s notable that issues are trending in an encouraging path.

On the pitching facet of issues, offseason acquisition Brady Singer talked with MLB Community’s Mark DeRosa (video hyperlink) about his shock over being traded from the Royals to the Reds this offseason and detailed some modifications he’s made to his repertoire this spring after working with the Reds’ workers. He additionally spoke extremely of his early impressions working with a future Corridor of Fame supervisor, Terry Francona.

The incorporation of a cutter is of specific observe, on condition that Singer has predominantly been a two-pitch starter thus far in his profession. He’s thrown a sinker 51% of the time on a giant league mound and a slider at a 41% clip. Singer has at time tinkered with a changeup, and he labored a four-seamer into the combo at an 11.6% clip final 12 months, however he’s by no means thrown a cutter within the majors.

Discovering a usable third pitch might assist Singer to fight his susceptibility to house runs; whereas he’s averaged a decent 1.10 HR/9 in his profession, he’s had a pronounced cut up between his price at Kansas Metropolis’s spacious Kauffman Stadium (0.85 HR/9) versus his price on the street (1.36). Shifting to the game’s most homer-friendly venue might show troublesome in that regard, but when the cutter proves efficient, the extra different arsenal ought to assist hold opponents off stability.