Reds Beat: ‘We’re Ready’ Reds Won’t Let Injuries Dampen The Optimism For 2024

CINCINNATI — Ready or not, 2024 is here for the Reds. And their manager says the adversity his club has faced will only make them stronger for the long fight ahead.

Spring Training is supposed to be a time when you get your reps in as a hitter and fielder or your innings in as a pitcher. And the biggest objective of both is health.

The Reds unfortunately have already had their character tested with the 80-game suspension of super prospect Noelvi Marte for PED violations of MLB policy. He’ll also miss the postseason should the Reds get there.

They entered camp wanting to get pitchers Nick Lodolo (stress reaction) and Graham Ashcraft (right big toe) fully healthy. Jonathan India was dealing with plantar fasciitis. Matt McLain was coming off an oblique last season.

Then it began. Sam Moll, Emilio Pagan and Alex Young were working through injuries and rehab to start camp. All three will be fine and could join the season shortly after it begins. But the more serious injuries cropped up at the worst time, as the team was gearing up for regular reps 7-10 days before the opener.

Brandon Williamson has a sore left shoulder. Ian Gibaut has a forearm strain. Starting center fielder TJ Friedl fractured his wrist diving for a ball in a game against Seattle. And McLain, just healed from a second oblique issue, dinged the top of his left shoulder diving for a ball in team drills.

All three will start the season on the injured list. So, too, will Moll, Young and Gibaut.

“We’re going to have more challenges, but a lot happened in the last seven to 10 days,” Reds manager David Bell said. “We’re going to miss each of those guys, individually and as a team. It’s been really a reminder of how together this team is and to see how they responded, and – there was a letdown, there’s no question – but they came back around.”

These Reds went through the ringer of injuries in 2023, only to be re-energized by the youth brigade that came in and saved the season.

Starting with McLain, and continuing with Elly De La Cruz, Christian Encarnacion-Strand, Andrew Abbott, Brandon Williamson and Noelvi Marte, the Reds dealt with injuries to the likes of Nick Lodolo, Joey Votto and others to stake claim to first in the NL Central halfway through the season.

They were in the thick of it until the last weekend in St. Louis. That’s a far cry from 100 losses in 2022. That was the best part of it. Now that the bar has been raised, the challenge is to meet and exceed the expectations of contending for the MLB postseason.

“We definitely way overachieved and we’re confident ourselves really from Day One,” Tyler Stephenson said. “And that’s kind of the message from David last year: Just start the season (ready) because I felt like in the years past, we’ve kind of started too slow. (He wanted us) to really get our work in in spring training, and once Opening Day hit, let’s get this thing going.

“So to see it come together (in 2023) then obviously have some guys that played really well in the minor leagues. Everybody knows who they are to come up and step in for us and play at that high level.

“I mean, that second half was some of the most fun baseball I ever played. So just to continue that and I know it was disappointing with how we ended, and like everybody was upset about that just because we were so close. So just to be back, see everybody in spring training, be playing now. Get this thing going. We’re ready.”

The Reds missed the playoffs by just two games and were 82-80 in 2023, a 20-win improvement from their just their second 100-loss season in franchise history in 2022.

The Reds made a number of moves in the offseason looking to make that next big jump and complement the young talented core that made their debut in 2023.

The Reds added veteran free agent infielder Jeimer Candelario on a three-year, $45 million contract, right-handed starter Frankie Montas on a one-year, $16 million deal, right-hander Nick Martinez on a two-year, $26 million deal and relievers Emilio Pagan and Brent Suter.

Candelario figures to get even more playing time than first anticipated after top third base prospect Noelvi Marte was suspended for the first 80 games for a violation of MLB’s performance enhancement drug policy.

Montas will get a chance to make an immediate impression after beating out Hunter Greene for the Opening Day assignment. Montas was 1-2 with a 5.94 ERA in five spring starts.

Montas, who finished sixth in Cy Young voting with Oakland in 2021, appeared in just one game in 2023 for the New York Yankees after right shoulder surgery in Feb. 2023.

“People have seen that when I’m fully healthy what I can do,” Montas said. “I know people probably have expectations of, ‘Is this the Frankie from a couple of years ago? Is this the Oakland Frankie?’ To be honest, I know what I can do. I believe in myself. And I know if I get the ball every five days, and I stay healthy, I will give this team a really good chance.”

The Washington Nationals are coming off a 71-91 last-place finish in the National League East in 2023.

The Nationals will send former Reds prospect Josiah Gray to the mound. The right-hander was 8-13 in 30 starts in 2023, with a 3.91 ERA, best among all regular starters in the rotations.

Gray faced the Reds once last season, allowing eight hits and five runs – three earned – and two home runs in a 9-2 Cincinnati win on July 5.

Another familiar face will return to Cincinnati as veteran outfielder Jesse Winker made the Washington roster after receiving a minor league invite to spring training. Winker play in Seattle in 2022 and Milwaukee last season before earning his way onto the Nationals roster this spring.

The Nationals have kept veteran right-hander Matt Barnes as key cog in their rebuilt bullpen, which also includes lefty Robert Garcia, Kyle Finnegan, Hunter Harvey, Tanner Rainey, Jordan Weems, Dylan Floro and former Red Derek Law.

“We have so many qualified guys who can pitch in the bullpen,” Washington skipper Dave Martinez said. “These guys have done well this camp. We feel like we’re in a really good spot. We also feel like our depth right now is really, really good. So we’re really pleased about that.”

One more tuneup:

After Jake Fraley beat out Elly De La Cruz’s throw from first for an game-winning RBI fielder’s choice in the bottom of the fifth Monday and Tuesday’s off-day, the Reds have one more intrasquad scrimmage Wednesday at Great American Ball Park Wednesday before Thursday’s opener. It’ll be a good chance for the likes of Nick Martinez, Andrew Abbott and Graham Ashcraft to work in before the three debut this weekend. Martinez pitches Sunday, Abbott Monday in Philadelphia and Ashcraft Tuesday in Philadelphia.

Class touch:

The 27-year career of legendary VP of Media Relations Rob Butcher will never be forgotten. To honor the incredible service to the organization and the countless challenges he navigated over the course of his career with the Reds, the team named its remodeled interview room in his honor on Monday. His wife Dana, manager David Bell and President of Baseball Operations Nick Krall were on hand for the surprise event for Butcher.

Latest 26-man Opening Day roster projection for 2024:

Regulars (9):

C: Tyler Stephenson
1B: Christian Encarnacion-Strand
2B: Jonathan India
SS: Elly De La Cruz
3B: Jeimer Candelario
LF: Spencer Steer
CF: Will Benson
RF: Jake Fraley
DH: Nick Martini

Bench (4):

C Luke Maile
OF Jacob Hurtubise
INF Santiago Espinal
OF Stuart Fairchild

Starters (5):

RHP Frankie Montas
RHP Hunter Greene
RHP Nick Martinez
LHP Andrew Abbott
RHP Graham Ashcraft

Relievers (8):

LHP Justin Wilson
RHP Lucas Sims
RHP Buck Farmer
RHP Alexis Diaz
RHP Emilio Pagan
RHP Fernando Cruz
LHP Brent Suter
RHP Tejay Antone

IL:

LHP Nick Lodolo
RHP Ian Gibaut
LHP Alex Young
INF Matt McLain
OF TJ Friedl
LHP Sam Moll

Suspended:

INF Noelvi Marte