The Cincinnati Reds Outfield Problem Has Not Been Eliminated

The Cincinnati Reds outfield has been the land of opportunity for a few years. Will Benson had a chance to stake his claim in 2024 and dropped the ball, but is he retaking his spot now?

The Reds should not quite take outfield off their shopping list. Benson has only played nine total games and while they have been generally amazing, the Reds should not take a streak and make long term decisions on it.

Benson has hit the ball really well but he has a batting average on balls in play of .375 which is about 80 points higher than normal. Plus there’s the whole “can’t hit left-handed pitchers” thing. He still has some things to prove.

If the Reds have the opportunity to upgrade the outfield via trade, they should. For all the current excitement, the future is still very cloudy for this position group.

Benson has his questions, but so do TJ Friedl and Austin Hays. Friedl is 29 years old and an injury concern looms. Hays is also 29, is on a one-year deal (with a club option) and has played more games as the Reds DH than in left field. 

Gavin Lux has seen a decent amount of time in left field, but this doesn't feel like a long term strategy, defensively, but more of a short-term band-aid.

That latter point seems like a strategy more than an anomaly as Hays has had issues with this hamstring multiple times this year, already.

Outside of Benson, Hays, and Friedl, the remaining group feels like something less than a coin flip. There’s a shuttle between Louisville and Cincinnati that has one or two of Blake Dunn, Jacob Hurtubise, and Rece Hinds on it at any given moment. Spencer Steer only plays left field to get his bat in the lineup, he is not a good option defensively out there.

We can debate whether Hinds deserves a shot, and maybe he can be the right-handed platoon partner for Benson, but the Reds just haven’t felt comfortable enough committing to him in a larger role.

The solution still feels like a trade for help. Whether that is Luis Robert Jr. or someone else, the Reds should not be closed off to making a move.