Offensive Struggles Could Force Reds to Turn to Top Prospects Soon

The Reds scored three runs on Saturday, the first runs scored in 17 innings dating back to Thursday's game versus the Chicago Cubs. While they ended their eight-game losing streak with a 3-1 win over the Houston Astros, the lineup as a whole has not been good.

Changes Coming?

The Reds' offense has been really bad this season. They currently rank 26th in runs, 28th in hits, 25th in doubles, 26th in RBIs, 28th in strikeouts, last in batting average, 25th in on-base percentage, and 22nd in slugging percentage. One bright spot is that they are third in home runs with 52, but that is what they have been relying on for the majority of their runs this season. On Saturday, they recorded their first hit with the bases loaded on a Matt McLain two-RBI single. Terry Francona provided an update on whether there will be any lineup changes going forward, given the team's lack of production prior to Saturday's game.

"Me and Freddie (Benavides) sat here last night and this morning."Francona said pregame in a post by Charlie Goldsmith on X. "I probably made out 10 lineups. I asked Freddie and Nap (Mike Napoli) to do the same. We came to the conclusion that we can move guys around. Maybe we will. Unless I know something should make us better, I don’t believe in the bingo. I don’t believe in it. Some people do, and that’s ok. I just don’t."

TJ Friedl has been the Reds’ primary leadoff hitter this season. He has drawn just two walks over his last 15 games and seven over his last 30. He's slashing just .185/.267/.274 for the season. That is unacceptable for an everyday leadoff hitter. With that being said, the rest of the offense outside of Elly De La Cruz and a now-slumping Sal Stewart has been bad. The Reds have four everyday players with an OPS below .630: Friedl (.541), McLain (.625), Stephenson (.586), and Ke'Bryan Hayes (.419). 

JJ Bleday and Nathaniel Lowe have provided a spark to the lineup, but Lowe is slashing .182/.250/.318 over his last seven games. In my opinion, there needs to be moves. Francona is being stubborn and loyal to his guys, and it's clearly not working this year. If this offense continues to perform this badly, it may be time to promote one or two prospects to see if they can provide a spark with regular playing time.

Prospects to Watch

Edwin Arroyo and Hector Rodriguez have been playing very well down in Triple-A Louisville this season. Arroyo has been seeing more playing time at second base and third base this season. The Reds may be looking to see if his glove translates there, given the offensive need at those positions. 

On Saturday, Arroyo went 4-5 with two doubles, two runs scored, and three RBIs and is batting .346 with a 1.003 OPS on the season. His chase rate is a little high (50 percent swing percentage), but his contact percentage is good (63 percent). He is striking out at a 16 percent rate with a walk rate of nearly 10 percent. I think he is ready to see time with the big league club, but he needs to play consistently.

Hector Rodriguez is hitting the ball well in the month of May, but the power is down a touch. On the season, he's slashing .276/.356/.455 with 14 extra-base hits and hit his first home run of the month on Saturday. His swing percentage is down 16 percent from last season, and his walk rate is up to 11 percent. He is a rare case of high swing percentage with low strikeouts; that number is up a little this season, but he is striking out under 20 percent of the time. 

On Deck

The Reds are 21-19 on the season and just 1-7 in May. They look to win their first series of the month on Sunday versus the Houston Astros, with Andrew Abbott starting versus Kai-Wei Teng. Teng is 1-2 with a 2.35 ERA in 14 appearances on the season. He is primarily a reliever who gets used in an opener role. 

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