Reds Beat: Why Spencer Steer Is The Kind of Player ‘Teams That Think They’re Going Win’ Have On Their Roster

NEW YORK — The hallmark of a truly dynamic baseball team is its ability to adapt without losing its competitive edge, a philosophy that Terry Francona has embraced and tried to instill in his club since taking the helm of the Reds in 2025.

Rather than relying on a traditional, static lineup, Francona utilizes a roster of highly athletic, multi-instrumental defenders who can pivot across the diamond seamlessly. This systemic flexibility optimizes daily matchups, preserves player health, and allows Francona to operate a highly sophisticated “matchup machine” over a grueling 162-game season.

There is no better shining example of this modern defensive weapon than Spencer Steer. He displayed Gold Glove-caliber defense at first base in 2025, Francona’s first managing the club. He’s played third base and in left and right field in his time in Cincinnati. And now he’s even gotten reps at second base.

“Spencer is just a baseball player, like it’s really helpful when you can move somebody and not worry, that’s really helpful,” Francona told me before the series opener with the Mets at CitiField. “I think I really think if you look around the league, the teams that think they’re going to win, have a guy like that.”

In addition to his defensive maneuverability, Steer is just as versatile in the batting order and his bat has started to come alive. Steer has hit safely in each of his last 19 road games (dating back to April 18 at Min), the longest-active streak in MLB and longest by a Red since Joey Votto and Brandon Phillips (18g each) in 2013. The last Red with a longer streak is Sean Casey (21g, 2005). Jake Daubert owns the club’s longest road hitting streak since 1900 (28g, 1923).

Monday was Steer’s 49th start of the season. He has batted in eight of the nine spots in the lineup, led by his 27 in the No. 6 hole. Monday marked his seventh start in the seventh spot in the lineup, his second-highest total.

Steer’s bases-loaded RBI groundout got the scoring underway Monday against the Mets. He added a two-run single in Cincinnati’s four-run fourth that preceded Tyler Stephenson’s two-run homer. Since April 18, Steer has slashed .316/.395/.482 in 32 G (36-for-114, 4hr, 13rbi, 11xbh, 51 times on base), during that time, ranks among NL leaders in runs (23, T4th), batting average (6th), and on-base percentage (9th).

His unique defensive shapeshifting sets the baseline for one of the most versatile infield units in Major League Baseball. The role of a “Do-It-All” Swiss Army Knife has changed drastically since he played in the 1980s. It’s changed since his first two managerial jobs with the Phillies and Red Sox.

Francona pointed to perennial playoff teams like the Dodgers, Cubs and his playoff teams in Cleveland as clubs that have at least one if not multiple players like Steer on their roster.

“I really believe if you look at the Dodgers, they always have a couple, the best teams have guys like that, they’re important, and I know that the analytics people can poo poo it,” Francona said. “I’ll give you an example, like the Cubs. They just designated Nicky Lopez, a little left-handed infielder… So, like in our series (vs. Cubs), he never hit, yeah, but because he was on the bench, they could do 18 different things, because he saved them everywhere.”

The Catalyst of Versatility:
Steer embodies the ultimate modern utility weapon and serves as the absolute linchpin for Terry Francona’s tactical maneuvering. While many organizations view utility players as bench pieces, Francona treats Steer as an everyday core star who simply shifts coordinates based on the day’s pitching matchups. Steer’s importance was perfectly highlighted early in the 2026 season when he played three distinct positions in a single victory over the Boston Red Sox, illustrating how effortlessly he bridges defensive gaps mid-game. Steer possesses fundamentally sound internal clocks and remarkably soft hands. After showcasing defensive excellence that earned him Gold Glove finalist status at first base in 2025, Francona and the Reds’ coaching staff actively capitalized on that baseline to deploy him just about everywhere else across the field. On any given day, Steer can start at first base to give a rookie a breather, slide over to second base if the middle infield needs reshuffling, cover third base, or transition into the outfield corners. This willingness to move around keeps his high-impact bat in the heart of the lineup daily while granting Francona unparalleled freedom to construct his batting orders.

The Middle Infield Speedsters: De La Cruz and McLain
The ceiling of the Reds’ infield defense elevates drastically when factoring in the sheer athleticism of Elly De La Cruz and Matt McLain. De La Cruz is a certified defensive anomaly at shortstop. Standing at an imposing 6-foot-5, his lateral range is unprecedented for the position. He routinely tracks down groundballs deep in the hole that other shortstops simply cannot reach, converting them into outs using a historic, triple-digit throwing arm. Because De La Cruz can vacuum up everything to his right and left, he fundamentally alters how the rest of the infield positions itself. Matt McLain offers the perfect, high-energy complement at second base. Naturally a shortstop by trade, McLain’s elite lateral quickness and explosive first step make him an incredibly high-ranking defensive second baseman under Francona’s watchful eye. When McLain and De La Cruz form the middle infield pairing, they take away base hits up the middle with spectacular consistency. Furthermore, McLain’s deep background at shortstop means that if De La Cruz needs a day off or transitions to designated hitter, McLain can slide over to shortstop without a hitch, maintaining an elite defensive baseline at the game’s most demanding spot.

“Elly has upped his game dramatically, drastically,” Francona beamed. “The consistency, and he’s back to making the spectacular play, but he’s making the routine play. McLain I think is as solid as you’re going to find, and Sal has worked really hard at first.”

The Next Generation:
Sal Stewart (and Noelvi Marte at Triple-A). Francona’s defensive jigsaw puzzle also looks directly toward the future with young talents like Sal Stewart and Marte. Stewart, a highly regarded natural third baseman, was challenged by Francona to expand his defensive profile early on. Under the guidance of the coaching staff, Stewart began learning first base on the job, adding another rotational piece to the first base and designated hitter rotation alongside Steer and Suárez. Francona has explicitly emphasized the importance of Stewart maintaining peak agility and athleticism, allowing him to potentially cover first, second, and third base as his career develops. Stewart and McLain took grounders from Freddie Benavides pregame Monday, constantly working on their craft. Then Stewart made a pair of clutch plays, including snagging a grounder off the bat of Marcus Semien that ended a rally in the seventh.

Meanwhile, the handling of Marte further highlights the organization’s fluid philosophy. Initially coming up through the minor leagues as an infielder, Marte’s athleticism prompted Francona and the front office to transition him into right field. This positional migration ensures that his high-ceiling bat remains in play while preventing defensive logjams in an already tightly packed infield core. If injuries strike the infield, Marte retains the muscle memory to slide back into an infield role if an emergency demands it.

Tactical Advantages Under Francona:
The true genius of the Reds’ versatile defense lies in the strategic advantages it grants Francona. Modern baseball relies heavily on dynamic shifting, pitcher-batter matchups, and situational optimization. Because almost every infielder on the Reds’ active roster has experience at multiple positions, Cincinnati can execute complex, batter-specific defensive alignments without burning through bench substitutions.

In-Game Adjustments:
Francona can pinch-hit or pinch-run in the 6th or 7th inning without triggering a defensive crisis, as players like Steer can instantly move mid-game to balance out the lineup.Pitcher Confidence: Groundball-heavy pitchers can attack the lower half of the strike zone with total confidence, knowing that the range of McLain, De La Cruz, and Hayes will erase potential mistakes.Platoon Optimization: Francona can exploit daily pitching matchups seamlessly, sliding defensive pieces around like chess items to ensure the hottest bats stay on the field.

A Masterclass in Adaptability:
Ultimately, the Reds have constructed an infield defense tailored precisely for the realities of modern baseball. By prioritizing pure athleticism, high baseball IQ, and positional adaptability over rigid, traditional roles, they have created a self-healing defensive ecosystem under Terry Francona.It is an environment where Steer can start a game saving runs at first base, shift to the middle infield to cover an injury, and finish the night tracking down a flyball in left field. Supported by the historic range of De La Cruz and the elite multi-positional coverage of McLain, Stewart and Steer, the Reds possess a defensive unit that is rarely out of position, unlike the last two seasons.

Francona manipulates his first base and designated hitter positions like a highly strategic chess match, transforming what could be a roster logjam into a weaponized “matchup machine”. Rather than locking players into rigid everyday roles, the Reds deploy a multi-headed rotation featuring Spencer Steer, Eugenio Suárez, Sal Stewart, and Nathaniel Lowe. This fluidity maximizes run production, accounts for dynamic pitching splits, and preserves defensive excellence across the diamond. Francona is also the master motivator. He’s allowed the likes of JJ Bleday, Blake Dunn and Lowe to earn playing time, even with the return of Suarez to the lineup.