Cincinnati Reds Considering Big Change That May Bolster Lineup

The Cincinnati Reds have had one of the worst offenses in baseball since the All-Star break. Despite that, they are 12-11 in the second half and still just two games behind the New York Mets in the third and final National League Wild Card spot.

On Tuesday, Charlie Goldsmith of Charlie's Chalkboard asked Nick Krall about Hector Rodriguez and Sal Stewart, who have been on fire down in Triple-A Louisville.

“You have to have a spot for them to call them up,” Krall said. “At the same time, they’re trying to push their way here and they’re doing everything they possibly can. For them, it’s all about can you continue to take the quality at-bats and continue to play defense.”

Krall told Goldsmith that Stewart is going to start seeing some playing time at first base in Louisville, which would give him more flexibility to be in the lineup more often if he were called up to the big leagues.

Spencer Steer has been fantastic defensively at first base, but has really struggled offensively this season and hasn't been consistent enough.

If Stewart and Rodriguez do get promoted, it wouldn’t be fair to expect them to fix the offense single-handedly. But we’ve seen this story before — in 2023, when Elly De La Cruz, Matt McLain, Christian Encarnacion-Strand, and Noelvi Marte got the call, they made an impact right away and helped the team start winning.

It's too late in the season to sit on your hands. The Reds should give the kids a shot.