Cincinnati Reds To-Do List: Go Get a Bat

Life feels great if you are a Cincinnati Reds fan. The entire National League Central division has a winning record and the Reds stand at the top of the division. Their 19-11 record sees them getting off to the best start in over 20 years. What’s even more remarkable is that the franchise has been 10-0 with games that have been decided by two runs or fewer. There’s alot to be proud of if you are Terry Francona, but the fact still remains that this team desperately needs a bat added to this lineup.

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The Reds are playing up to their strengths and it’s why they have the record that they do. Going into this season, baseball fans and insiders knew that pitching would pave the way. And it has, despite not having their ace Hunter Greene in the mix. Their younger stars in the making of Chase Burns and Rhett Lowder are spearheading this rotation. Burns has a 2.65 ERA and has given up more than two earned runs in a start once in his six appearances.

Lowder has been a major bright spot, while not possessing the same strike out ability that Burns has, he beats you with command and locating his pitches. Lowder has a 3.18 ERA, which is exactly what you wanted to see. Brady Singer, Andrew Abbott, and Brandon Williamson all have an ERA north of 4.00, and overall this staff has the 20th ranked rotation because of that. Although, the bullpen remains dynamite, having the best ERA and many reliable arms. Granted, the Reds got shelled by the Rockies 13-2, which nobody should be surprised by given the competition they’ve beaten to start the season Combined together, the Reds once again have a top ten pitching staff in the sport. It’s a great recipe to having success, but not the most sustainable moving forward. Margins are extremely slim in this close contested games and if they are to make further noise in the National League, they need bats.

There’s reasons that the front office went out and managed to go try to lure a big bat to Cincinnati. Kyle Schwarber was the ideal blend of power, but in the end he was never leaving the city of Brotherly Love. In 2025, the Reds were middle of the pack in runs, 19th in hits, 21st in home runs and were a bottom ten team in overall slash line. They did just enough to get into the playoffs last season, capitalizing on the collapsing Mets team, but it was checkmate when they faced the gauntlet that was the Dodgers pitching staff.

So, we enter the 2026 season and the pitching is still excellent, but the hitting is not. Despite the record and best start in franchise history, the Reds offense is near the bottom. The Reds ranks among the league in these categories:

AVG: 30th (.220)

OBP: 24th (.310)

SLG: 16th (.384)

OPS: 24th (.694)

wRC+: 25th (90)

Runs: 21st (127)

Home Runs: 6th

So, they are doing some good things. Some. Yet, the winter they had hasn’t entirely translated over. The big addition of Eugenio Suarez (fan favorite), isn’t the big bopper they need right now. He is currently on the injured list and is hitting just .231 with a .663 OPS and three home runs. Suarez makes so much sense for this team, as he hit 52 home runs combined with regular season and playoffs. It’s the protection that Elly De La Cruz was looking for. Speaking of De La Cruz, he is one of two main members of the Reds lineup that is delivering on all fronts.

When he is healthy, De La Cruz is one of the most electric players in the sport. He is a special blend of speed and strength, being able to make hard contact and his speed is weapon once he’s on the basepaths. He dealt with injuries in the second half of last season (which tanked his production), but now that he’s healthy, he is performing at a high level.

De La Cruz is doing great things at the plate. He’s chasing outside the zone less, making more contact in the zone, hitting the ball harder, and the results speak for themselves. He is slashing .283/.358/.575 with a .933 OPS and 152 wRC+. He leads the team in home runs, which is great to see and his running mate in Sal Stewart makes them a dynamic duo.

Stewart has been the best rookie this season and is giving Nolan McLean a run for the NL Rookie of the Year Award early into the season. Stewart is the exactly blend of power that this team needs and is bringing that to the table. He has nine home runs, barrels the ball greatly, and makes hard contact. Stewart is slashing .288/.377/.586 with a .963 OPS and 157 wRC+. Of the 39 home runs they’ve hit, nearly 50% have come from these two players.

Which lies the problem. The Reds are getting primary offensive production from just two guys. Eventually, that well could dry up as slumps happen all the time. Asking your pitching staff to play flawless baseball isn’t sustainable either. Yet it’s being done.

This team needs a leadoff hitter. TJ Friedl has been the primary guy, but isn’t doing much to justify staying there. Not only is he not hitting, but not generating many walks either, as he is walking at an 8.5% clip. Matt McLain seems like an ideal candidate, as even his overall slash line isn’t super great, he at least generates walks and getting on base can help lead to runs.

In the grand scheme of things, the Reds need everyone to produce that isn’t named De La Cruz or Stewart. This team is good enough and the pitching is lights out, but the rest of the division is playing winning baseball. The room for error isn’t there right now. The writing is on the wall that this team needs a bat and if they have aspirations on going for a deep run in October, it’s an absolute must to get one.