Terry Francona Doubles Down on TJ Friedl Decision Despite Early Struggles

The Reds' offense has been a major concern through the first 14 games of the season, despite the team starting the year 8-6.

A major point of discussion among fans on social media has been Reds manager Terry Francona's decision to hit outfielder TJ Friedl in the leadoff spot. When you look at who hits leadoff for the other contenders in the National League, it is guys like Shohei Ohtani, Corbin Carroll, Ronald Acuna Jr., Francisco Lindor, Kyle Schwarber, and Brice Turang. Friedl doesn't exactly match up with those guys. However, in fairness to Friedl, he's coming off a season in which he posted an on-base percentage of .364 and an OPS of .724.

But through the first 14 games of the 2026 season, Freidl has been one of the worst hitters in the league, slashing .154/.267/.154 with no extra-base hits.

Francona Isn't Ready to Move Friedl Down

Apr 7, 2026; Miami, Florida, USA; Cincinnati Reds manager Terry Francona (77) watches batting practice against the Miami Marlins at loanDepot Park. Mandatory Credit: Rhona Wise-Imagn Images | Rhona Wise-Imagn Images

Francona was asked by reporters ahead of Saturday's game against the Los Angeles Angels about Friedl and whether he'd thought about moving him down in the lineup.

"I've never been a big fan of lineup bingo, or however you want to call it," Francona told Mike Petraglia. "I think that leads to a lot of inconsistencies in everything. So, like with Friedel right now, (do) I think Friedel is a good hitter, yeah. Has he had a good first two weeks? No. So if you move him down to nine... He's gonna get hot. Well, let's just leave him where he is. And the other thing is, when you move people, you got to move other people. I'll always try to do what I think makes sense. I just don't know that bouncing people around makes the most sense."

The Metrics Don't Look Any Better

Cincinnati Reds center fielder TJ Friedl (29) fields a hit in the fourth 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

While Francona remains confident in Friedl, his underlying metrics haven’t shown much to suggest a big turnaround is coming anytime soon.

Friedl has never been a power bat, but he's hitting the ball softer than he ever has before. His average exit velocity of 84.2 mph is the lowest of his career and ranks in the bottom seven percent of Major League Baseball. His expected batting average is .149, which is lower than his actual batting average, so there is no reason to suggest he's getting unlucky.

The 30-year-old has hit at least 13 home runs in each of the last three seasons, largely because of his ability to consistently pull the ball in the air. That rate has been above 20% for his entire career, putting him among the better hitters in the league in that area. But in 2026, that number has fallen all the way to 2.7%, which sits near the bottom of the league and helps explain why he's yet to have an extra-base hit this season.

While I certainly hope Francona is right and Friedl can find his 2025 form, the numbers are concerning and the Reds don't have time to be patient. If another week or so goes by and Friedl continues to struggle, something needs to change.