CINCINNATI -- Even this far into the season at the All-Star break, the Reds’ identity has been one of the tougher ones to figure out in Major League Baseball. Are they contenders? Do they have a second-half run in them or are they going to be sitting at .500 the rest of the way? With a 50-47 record, Cincinnati sits in fourth place in what's been a surprisingly competitive National League Central race. That has the fourth-place club 7 1/2 games behind the first-place Cubs. In the NL Wild Card race, the Reds are 2 1/2 games out. If there's a surge to be had, it needs to happen sooner than later to prevent getting left behind. Although in 2023, the Diamondbacks and Marlins both had their surges later and reached Wild Card spots with 84 wins each. “You hope you play yourself into a position where when you show up at the ballpark, you get a little nervous. That’s fun," manager Terry Francona said. "You’ve got a little anxiety. To me, that’s what this is all about. We’ve really got to push. But I still think our better days are ahead of us. I think it’ll be very exciting.” |
Between June 6-29, the Reds went 13-6 and won six of seven series to go from three games under .500 to four games over. But as they crossed into July, much of the progress was given back with a 2-4 road trip to Boston and Philadelphia and a hard-fought 4-3 homestand against Miami and Colorado. The biggest key for the Reds in the second half will be improvement against their NL Central rivals. While they are 20-16 vs. the American League and 13-5 vs. the NL West, they are only 11-15 vs. their division -- including the three teams ahead of them -- the Cardinals (3-4), Brewers (2-5) and Cubs (2-4). There are 19 games combined vs. those teams after the break, including 10 in September. “We’ve got to keep playing good baseball," pitcher Nick Martinez said. "There’s a lot of fight in this club. I really believe in these guys. I think we can do it. I’m betting on these guys. It should be a fun run.” Here is a further look ahead at the second half for the Reds ... |
Second half goal: Reach the postseason Francona was hired specifically with that goal in mind and he did not come out of retirement for anything less. While Cincinnati is still searching for offensive consistency, it has the rotation potentially built for October led by All-Star Andrew Abbott and fellow lefty Nick Lodolo having his best season. Likely Trade Deadline strategy: Depends on performance out of the break Because the Reds are still in the hunt, along with so many other clubs, president of baseball operations Nick Krall has been taking a wait-and-see approach. If they can get on a run, it's more likely Cincinnati will become buyers before the July 31 Trade Deadline with immediate needs being a run-producing right fielder and bullpen help. If the club fizzles, a sell-off is possible. Players in contract years like starter Martinez, closer Emilio Pagán and outfielder Austin Hays could be among those moved. |
Key player: RHP Hunter Greene Greene, who entered 2025 as the team's ace, has slow-rolled his way back from a Grade 1 right groin strain since going on the injured list for the second time in early May. Despite a clean MRI exam on July 7, Greene reported symptoms and canceled a rehab assignment. It's being left up to Greene to determine when he can resume pitching. But for a guy with a long-term contract who says he wants to be a leader, Greene needs to start showing it and get back on the field. When he is, he can be one of the best starters in baseball. Prospect to watch: 3B Sal Stewart Stewart, who is ranked No. 3 in the Reds’ system and No. 51 overall by MLB Pipeline, will begin his second half with a promotion. After the Futures Game, Stewart was promoted to Triple-A Louisville. After he batted .306 with an .850 OPS and 10 homers in 80 games at Double-A Chattanooga, Stewart is now a phone call away from the big leagues. He's got an advanced plate approach and has made in-roads at defensive improvement. |
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With the No. 9 overall selection in the 2025 MLB Draft, the Reds took shortstop Steele Hall from Hewitt-Trussville High School in Trussville, Ala. Hall, who doesn't turn 18 until July 24, was originally supposed to be in the 2026 Draft class, but he reclassified to graduate a year early and be eligible this year. "If you stacked him up against juniors out there, we thought that if you lined him up at the end of the summer and into next year's Draft, he might be a guy you're talking about at the No. 1 overall pick," Reds amateur scouting director Joe Katuska said. "That's what we do when we project these players -- we're talking about what they are at the big league level. Obviously [with] a younger kid, we're not surprised to see significant gains year after year with them, and that's what we saw over the course of the year every time we saw him." |
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