Wednesday, August 06

BALTIMORE -- Being exclusively a designated hitter gave Spencer Steer lots of time to ruminate between plate appearances for the Reds. Maybe too much time.

Especially when Steer has spent the first month of this season mired in a slump.

“You don’t have that disconnect between defense and offense, so you kind of have to find your own way to flush it and go to the next at-bat as quick as you can," Steer said. "I definitely found that tougher to do from the DH spot.”

Steer finally got to play in the field on Sunday, when he started at first base during the Reds’ 24-2 rout of the Orioles. It was in that win when he also enjoyed his second multi-hit game of the season -- and his first since April 8 -- while going 2-for-6 with an RBI double in the seventh inning.

With Christian Encarnacion-Strand on the injured list and Jeimer Candelario mired in his own offensive funk, Steer's ability to play first base again was timely.

“I think it’s going to be really good for him. I think he’ll feel like a more complete player," Reds manager Terry Francona said. "I think it will be really good for his brain. When he’s not hitting, he can do something as opposed to sitting around. I know it’s been hard on him.”

Steer played throughout last season with a right shoulder impingement that affected his throwing. Despite offseason rehab and work, the issue lingered into Spring Training this year. On March 1, he was given a cortisone injection that kept him out for the rest of the exhibition season. He resumed a throwing program three weeks later.

Although he had limited reps as a hitter -- mostly during the final week in Minor League games -- Steer was needed on the active roster when Austin Hays and Tyler Stephenson went on the IL and left the lineup shorthanded.

Steer's lack of swings in camp became evident throughout the early season as he entered Wednesday batting .125 with a .419 OPS and one home run in 17 games.

"You watch Steer. At some point, he’ll get every bit as hot as he got cold," Francona said. "That’s just the way it goes.”

Steer ramped up his throwing last week and he was finally cleared to play first base over the weekend. After playing there Sunday, he also started at first base on Monday.

“We’ll see what happens. Obviously, I’ve still got to hit and execute," Steer said of playing first base. "It definitely feels better to feel more a part of the game. I think I’m a better baseball player when I’m playing in the field rather than just hitting.”

Steer is one of Cincinnati's most versatile fielders with the ability to play five positions. He has also been working on throws from the outfield with designs of getting into games there at some point.

"I wouldn’t want to put a timeline on it. I think it will be soon," Steer said. “I think I add value being a guy who can play multiple positions and give the lineup and team some flexibility late in the game if I need to move around. That’s what I’ve always done and what I like to do. It was a little tougher for me to just DH.”

During the second inning of the Reds' 9-5 loss to the Orioles at Camden Yards on Saturday, right fielder Jake Fraley hit a Statcast-projected 429-foot home run to right field. The ball landed on Eutaw Street -- located between the ballpark and the adjacent warehouse -- and bounced off one of the food truck concessions.

It was the 132nd time a homer landed on Eutaw Street in the 33-year history of Camden Yards. Of those, there have been 68 homers hit by visiting players, but Fraley's was the first by a Red and the second by a Maryland-born player. Fraley was born in Frederick, Md. (The other Marylander was former Oriole Brady Anderson).

For each homer hit to this area, the Orioles install a commemorative marker. Fraley's landing spot was marked off and his name will soon join the others.

"We took it to them. We knew they were flat and they were deprived of their pitching and we just kept on going. We were hurting with our pitching, too, but guess what? We took advantage and did what we needed to do today.” -- Reds catcher Austin Wynns, who tied a franchise record with six hits during Sunday's win at Baltimore

Country music superstar Tim McGraw was named on Tuesday as the headliner for the pregame concert at the Aug. 2 MLB Speedway Classic in Bristol, Tenn.

McGraw, a three-time Grammy Award winner and the son of former Major League pitcher Tug McGraw, is slated to take the stage with special guest artists for what's being billed as "an unforgettable celebration of music and baseball." More information on guests scheduled to appear will be made at a later date.

The concert is scheduled to begin about an hour before first pitch and it is included with the game ticket. A new limited ticket option for fans looking to see the concert closer to the stage went on sale at 10 a.m. ET on Wednesday.

For details on ticket options and upgrades, visit mlb.com/speedwayclassic.

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