The Cincinnati Reds are counting on a lot on players who weren’t on active the roster a month ago. There’s impressive talent at the top of the roster, but the state of the roster right now has the Reds asking for impact from new pieces who have become very important very quickly.
On a daily basis, the Reds can expect for a lot from Elly De La Cruz and Sal Stewart. Eugenio Suárez is back from the injured list and can provide a lift. Starting pitchers Chase Burns and Andrew Abbott are having good seasons so far. But because of inconsistency in other areas on the roster, the Reds are in a place right now where they need a ton out of outfielder JJ Bleday, outfielder Blake Dunn, starting pitcher Chris Paddack, and relief pitcher Caleb Ferguson.
One month ago, Bleday and Dunn were in Triple-A, Paddack was on the Miami Marlins on his way to being released, and Ferguson was in the early stages of working back from an oblique injury. Now Bleday is being asked to be one of the team’s best hitters, Dunn is making a push to be the Reds’ leadoff hitter, Paddack is a critical starting pitcher, and Ferguson needs to provide an immediate lift in the bullpen after returning from the injured list.
Plan A for the Reds was that TJ Friedl and Noelvi Marte would be core pieces of the roster and give the Reds a combination of reliability and upside in the outfield. But Friedl is in the worst slump of his big league career and is starting to lose playing time. Marte had a disappointing first two weeks of the season and was optioned to Triple-A in the middle of April. Rece Hinds got a chance to replace Marte but struggled even more and got traded to the Marlins.
Bleday was called up in late April to fill a bench role. He hasn’t stopped hitting since then, and he very quickly climbed up into the heart of the Reds’ order. He’s been hitting third and fourth and is impressing Terry Francona. “He was the fourth pick in the draft not all that long ago,” the manager said about Bleday. “Our guys did a really good job of signing him because he’s obviously helping us. I don’t think it’s a fluke. I think he’ll continue.”
Bleday was a standout young outfielder for the Athletics in 2024, and his draft pedigree shows some ability.
Dunn joined the outfield picture in early May, replacing Hinds on the roster and filling a bench role up until recently. With Friedl and Will Benson performing poorly, Francona gave Dunn a shot to show what he could do. He’s been a bit of a sparkplug, putting the ball in play, making an impact with his elite speed, and playing good defense.
Dunn’s doesn’t have a track record of big league success like Bleday does, but this is his opportunity to show what he’s capable of. His power is an underrated tool, and he’s statistically one of the fastest guys in baseball.
In Dunn’s limited playing time, he has impressed the manager enough for Francona to start slotting him into the leadoff spot. “What he’s doing so well is he’s just playing the game,” said Francona. “He’s not trying to do too much. He’s just playing the game. He has done a terrific job.”
Paddack, who was released by the Marlins in early May, was asked to slot into an unstable Reds rotation and provide an immediate lift to a unit that needed some stability and consistency. He has a track record of being a durable fifth starter, which has helped a rotation missing Hunter Greene, Rhett Lowder, and Brandon Williamson to injuries. While Paddack doesn’t pitch very deep into games or rack up strikeouts, but his ability to throw strikes and keep the Reds in games has really picked up the pitching staff over the last two weeks.
In two starts with the Reds, Paddack has allowed five combined runs across 10 innings. Francona said about the eight-year veteran after Saturday’s game, “What he’s showing is there’s something to like there.”
Ferguson was one of the Reds’ big offseason additions as one of the top left-handed relievers on the free agent market. He’s made the playoffs in every season of his career, going back to 2018, and there’s a reason why teams like the Dodgers and Yankees have trusted him in important moments.
Ferguson injured his oblique in Spring Training and missed nearly two months. On Saturday, the Reds activated him from the injured list to reinforce a shaky bullpen, which has has been the team’s weakness throughout May. The Reds don’t have a closer, and pitchers have struggled when they’ve been asked to step into higher leverage roles. Ferguson’s experience in those types of moments and his ability to get outs against standout left-handed hitters immediately boost a bullpen that needed some immediate help.
Ideally, the Reds would have had the right answers on their roster all along instead of counting on new faces in late May. But they’ve been able to stay in the NL Central mix while the team isn’t firing on all cylinders yet. The new faces have helped them get there, and the Reds need that trend to continue.
Charlie Goldsmith has covered the Reds and Bengals since 2020, and his newsletter on the teams can be found at charlieschalkboard.substack.com.
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