TJ Friedl's Struggles Open Door for Offseason Acquisition to Crack Reds Roster

The Cincinnati Reds haven't had the best outfield around the league for the last few years. To make matters worse, their top prospects have all seemed to be infielders, with players like Elly De La Cruz, Sal Stewart, Spencer Steer, Noelvi Marte, and Matt McLain all cracking into the big leagues for the Reds as infielders over the last few seasons.

Since then, Steer and Marte have been moved to the outfield. The Reds have still struggled to find consistent production out of their three outfield spots, but they attempted to address it by adding Dane Myers and JJ Bleday during the offseason. But that hasn't helped the Reds struggles in the outfield.

Reds Outfielders Continue to Struggle

Pittsburgh Pirates third baseman Nick Yorke (38) tags out Cincinnati Reds center fielder TJ Friedl (29) in the ninth inning of a MLB game between the Cincinnati Reds and Pittsburgh Pirates, Tuesday, March 31, 2026, at Great American Ball Park in downtown Cincinnati. Reds lost 8-3. | Frank Bowen IV/The Enquirer / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Reds haven't gotten much production from their outfield this season, and that starts with leadoff man TJ Friedl, who's off to the coldest start of the bunch.

Friedl is slashing .100/.270/.100 through nine games this season. He has three singles and nothing else to show for it. He hasn't been the best defender in center field, but has looked better when moved to left field. On Saturday night, Friedl made an excellent play despite slipping on the foul line.

TJ Friedl somehow makes this play as he's falling down 😮 pic.twitter.com/N4vuKaB542
— MLB (@MLB) April 5, 2026

Marte has been used in a weird way, as a platoon outfielder, but he hits righties significantly better than lefties. Still, he's been playing against lefties more often than anything.

Steer has struggled a bit, too, but he's hitting the ball harder than the other struggling outfielders. He seemed primed for some luck to fall his way going forward.

JJ Bleday is Crushing the Ball in Triple-A

Cincinnati Reds right fielder JJ Bleday (22) is embraced by teammates in the dugout after hitting a homer in the third inning of a Cactus League game between the Cincinnati Reds and Chicago White Sox, Wednesday, Feb. 25, 2026, at | Frank Bowen IV/The Enquirer / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

With all these struggles at the big league level, it's important to look at the Triple-A level to see who could be in position to come up to Cincinnati and get the next chance with the Reds. Former top prospect Rece Hinds is as scorching hot at the plate as any minor leaguer in the game. But if the Reds want to add a lefty outfielder to their roster, it's the aforementioed Bleday who has jumped off the page early in the season.

Bleday is slashing .333/.486/.593 with a home run, four doubles, and the same amount of walks as strikeouts across the first eight games of the season with the Louisville Bats.

He's hitting the ball hard, but more importantly, he's not chasing. His out-of-zone swing percentage is right around 10 percent, which ranks at the top of the league in Triple-A. He's also posting elite numbers in walk percentage, zone swing percentage, and launch angle sweet spot percentage. The simple way to view these numbers is that Bleday is swinging at good pitches to hit while taking the bad pitches. When he puts the bat on the ball, which is often, he's hitting it hard and at the right launch angle.

The Reds can't deny him forever.

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