Cincinnati Reds Failing to Meet Expectations as 2026 Season Nears Halfway Point

The Reds were supposed to be on the rise, but so far this season, it hasn't looked anything like those expectations.

Cincinnati Reds catch Jose Trevino (35) grounds out in the ninth inning of the MLB National League game between the Cincinnati Reds and the New York Mets at Great American Ball Park in Cincinnati on Wednesday, June 17, 2026. The Mets won the final game of the series, 9-1. | Sam Greene/The Enquirer / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Cincinnati Reds have a massive series this weekend. After besting the New York Mets in a three-game series at Great American Ball Park, the Reds traveled to the Big Apple to take on the New York Yankees in a series expected to start on Friday night.

The series win over the Mets was one the Reds desperately needed. It was the first in the month of June the Reds won, and the first time they've won back-to-back games since they visited the Mets back at the end of May.

Expectations were high for the Reds after the team managed to steal a Wild Card spot last season. However, as Kerry Miller of Bleacher Report writes, the team has failed to live up to those expectations.

Downward Trend

Jun 10, 2026; San Diego, California, USA; Cincinnati Reds starting pitcher Brady Singer (51) throws a pitch during the first inning against the San Diego Padres at Petco Park. Mandatory Credit: David Frerker-Imagn Images | David Frerker-Imagn Images

Miller's piece highlights that the Reds' preseason expectations were for this team to be around 80.5 wins at the end of the season. Currently, the team is on pace to be around 77.6 wins. One thing Miller focused on was how the Reds expected more from starting pitcher Brady Singer.

"The Reds gave up former NL Rookie of the Year Jonathan India to acquire Singer last winter, and he immediately led the team in innings pitched with a solid 4.03 ERA. And with this being his final season before free agency, Cincinnati was hoping Singer would be better than ever in 2026," wrote Miller. "Instead, he has been serving up home runs left and right and striking out opponents at a career-worst rate en route to a 5.32 ERA."

Jun 17, 2026; Cincinnati, Ohio, USA; Cincinnati Reds pitcher Chris Paddack (56) throws against the New York Mets in the seventh inning at Great American Ball Park. Mandatory Credit: Aaron Doster-Imagn Images | Aaron Doster-Imagn Images

Ask any Reds fan under the age of 35, and they'll tell you this has long been the expectations in their lifetime. The long-running joke of this team being out of postseason contention before the MLB All-Star break is seared in the minds of a depressed fan base.

But if we're pumping sunshine, the Reds are technically not out of the postseason running. The team is just three games out of the final Wild Card spot in the National League. Getting back injured stars Hunter Greene and Elly De La Cruz could change the entire second half of the season.

Now, if we're pumping rain clouds, it's also fair to say that even with all the injuries, the Reds should still have been in a better place than they actually are. Plenty of time left to right the ship. However, is there enough talent to actually do it?