Reds Starter Reaching New Low as 2026 Struggles Continue

The Cincinnati Reds came into the season with a lot of guarantees in their lineup, which is always a good thing. Manager Terry Francona knew that TJ Friedl was going to be his leadoff hitter while Matt McLain, Elly De La Cruz, Eugenio Suárez, and Sal Stewart would slot in from the No. 2 spot to the No. 5 spot in the order, though it wasn't clear who would hit where. Early in the season, the lineup has been Friedl, McLain, De La Cruz, Stewart, and Suárez, in that order.

But Friedl, one of Francona's guarantees, is off to one of the worst starts imaginable.

TJ Friedl is Off to a Very Bad Start in 2026

Cincinnati Reds left fielder TJ Friedl (29) fouls off a pitch in the third inning of the MLB Interleague game between the Cincinnati Reds and the Boston Red Sox at Great American Ball Park in downtown Cincinnati on Sunday, March 29, 2026. The game was scoreless after three innings. | Sam Greene/The Enquirer / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Through six games, Friedl is two for 22 with five walks and eight strikeouts. He's slashing .091/.259/.091 with a strikeout rate way higher than his typical rate. He doesn't have an RBI and he's scored twice.

While early-season stats are very hard to read into because the sample size is so small, Friedl doesn't pass the eye test this season either. He looks slower than he ever has, which is supported by the fact that his sprint speed is as low as it's ever been. In 2023, Friedl was running at over 28 feet per second. Now, he's down near 26 feet per second. The speed has also resulted in poor range in the outfield, which has been showcased on numerous occasions. Friedl seems to be struggling to get to very catchable fly balls, which has resulted in him having -1 outs above average early in the season.

Earlier this year, Friedl had a ball hit to him with a 90 percent catch probability, but instead of making a routine catch, he needed to slide to secure it, which allowed the runner on third base to tag up and score. During the showing of the game, this looks like a great play, but the overview of the plays shows that it should have been a routine catch.

This ball had a 90% catch probability.

Friedl had to slide for it, which allowed the runner to tag up.

I am a bit worried about his defense. It hasn't gotten better after he struggled in CF last season. pic.twitter.com/VgtUzNtP4D
— Reds Daily (@RedsDaily4) March 31, 2026

The bat speed is down below 70 miles per hour, and he's yet to record a barrel. There are slumps, which happen in the game of baseball. And then there are the struggles that Friedl is seeing right now, which have never happened in his big-league career.

Reds Should Consider Role Change or Even Demotion if Struggles Continue

Cincinnati Reds center fielder TJ Friedl (29) slides into second base in the first inning between the Cincinnati Reds and Boston Red Sox at Great American Ball Park in Cincinnati on Saturday, March 28, 2026. | Albert Cesare/The Enquirer / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

To begin this section, I want to preface that Friedl is unlikely to be demoted right now or any time in the near future. He's one of Francona's favorite players, for good reason, so it's unlikely he'll spend any time in Triple-A unless these struggles continue for well over a month.

But it might be time to slide him over to left field. He could use a role change to a less stressful outfield position. This would allow Friedl to platoon with Spencer Steer in left field, while Dane Myers and Will Benson platoon in center field. Both of those two have better potential as defenders in the outfield.

Something has to change with Friedl. He needs to get on base and play sound defense to bring value to the Reds.