Reds Beat: Spring Training Primer For 2025 Reds, What Needs To Be Addressed In 6 Weeks Leading Up To Opening Day

CINCINNATI — As CLNS descends upon Goodyear to get a glimpse of the 2025 Reds up close and personal, now would be as good a time as any to highlight some of the biggest storylines to follow and which ones will define the priorities of Terry Francona as he prepares the club and his staff to attack the upcoming season.

Who’s going to be in the five-man starting rotation?

Best guess: Hunter Greene, Nick Lodolo, Nick Martinez, Brady Singer, Andrew Abbott

Terry Francona has already indicated he is not inclined to go with the six-man rotation that is becoming more popular with teams like the Dodgers around baseball. This means the Reds have some serious competition among the likes of Carson Spiers, Graham Ashcraft and Rhett Lowder and Abbott for that fifth and final spot. Francona has already hinted they’re likely to be cautious with Lowder early on, otherwise Lowder would be the clear favorite here. Keep an eye on Wade Miley as he works his way back to relevance on a minor league contract. He’s got big playoff guile and experience.

What will the backend of the bullpen look like and will Graham Ashcraft be part of it?

Best guess: Deep and very possibly.

When he’s on, few pitchers outside Lodolo and Lowder have better and nastier stuff than Ashcraft. The key here may be getting him to hone that talent over short bursts in the pen, alongside the likes of Scott Barlow, Alexis Diaz, Sam Moll, Brent Suter, Taylor Rogers, Tony Santillan and Emilio Pagan.

What role will Nick Martinez have?

Best guess: Starter

After signing his $21 million qualifying offer, the Reds brought back their most valuable pitcher of 2024 and he offers great versatility on the staff if the Reds decide they need help with bridge innings and still have a glut of starting pitching.

Will Rhett Lowder (elbow) and Spencer Steer (shoulder) overcome their minor health issues and be ready for the season?

Best guess: Yes.

Francona knows how important both players are in maintaining the depth and versatility that this roster potentially has. He won’t overexpose them in camp, but both could ramp up quickly in games if they clear early hurdles.

Who will be the everyday/most regular players in a Terry Francona lineup?

Best guess: Elly De La Cruz, Matt McLain, Tyler Stephenson, Gavin Lux, TJ Friedl

Keep a close eye early on Jake Fraley, Jeimer Candelario, Spencer Steer (if healthy), Christian Encarnacion-Strand, Noelvi Marte and Austin Hays as all of them will have the chance to make a favorable impression on Francona as he decides which bats he needs the most on the field every day.

Where will Gavin Lux, Austin Hays and Jose Trevino fit in?

Best guess: Lux everyday and Hays and Trevino platoon/depth players

Francona inherits a roster that is not just built for innings 1-5 but 6-9 as he will have plenty of substitution options at his disposal, assuming the likes of McLain and Encarnacion-Strand and Steer are healthy. This roster is built to play to Francona’s strength as a manager, knowing which matchups he wants to force and utilize late in games.

With Jonathan India and Luke Maile gone, who will emerge as leaders in the clubhouse?

Best guess: Stephenson and Candelario

Stephenson is the obvious choice as a catcher, and as someone who’s entering his sixth MLB season, has the cache of immediate respect of his teammates and Francona. His results were good last year at the plate and could benefit greatly from a deeper lineup around him this season. Candelario is a sneaky candidate in this category as Elly De La Cruz and Noelvi Marte already look up to him in the clubhouse. Gavin Lux, Jose Trevino and Austin Hays certainly could win over new teammates with solid performances in the field.

How healthy is Matt McLain and how does he look at the plate and in the field after a season away?

Best guess: Close to 100 percent.

If his five homers in Arizona Fall League is any indicator, then there’s reason to hope McLain can hit the ground running and work his way back to the form that impressed everyone in 2023, when he was brought up with Elly De La Cruz in May of that season.

How healthy is Christian Encarnacion-Strand and can he approach what he was in 2023 as a rookie?

Best guess: TBD

This is one of the hardest cases to predict. Coming back from a hand/wrist injury is never as easy as Joe Burrow made it look this season for the Bengals. And even then, the quarterback would tell you, you have to simply work through the rough patches early and believe it will get better with more reps and rehab. Burrow was rehabbing into the season to build up the strength and mobility of the wrist. The same is likely going to be the case for CES, though he’s likely be trying to stay ahead of that this offseason so he can be in a better position when he starts playing in games this spring.

Could Nick Krall pull the trigger on another trade before Opening Day to clear a logjam?

Best guess: 50-50

Logjams are tricky in spring training because every season when you think you have too much at one position, multiple players go down with injuries (or even suspensions). So it’s not likely – for that reason – that the Reds Vice President of Baseball Ops would be in a rush to deal away talent just for the sake of freeing up roster spots, unless it’s to land a bonafide star who would step in and immediately make your roster better.

First Reds 26-man projection:

SP (5): Hunter Greene, Nick Lodolo, Nick Martinez, Brady Singer, Andrew Abbott
RP (7): Scott Barlow, Emilio Pagan, Tony Santillan, Sam Moll, Brent Suter, Taylor Rogers, Alexis Diaz
C (2): Tyler Stephenson, Jose Trevino
INF (7): Matt McLain, Elly De La Cruz, Gavin Lux, Christian Encarnacion-Strand, Jeimer Candelario, Noelvi Marte, Santiago Espinal
OF (5): Spencer Steer, TJ Friedl, Jake Fraley, Austin Hays, Stuart Fairchild

The biggest note here is the absence of Rhett Lowder from the rotation. Again, the Reds will play it cautious with such a talented arm in their organization. As Francona said, he’s “not 37.” They need him for the long haul. First projection has six of the seven major acquisitions making the roster, with only Rule 5 pick Cooper Bowman not making it.