Noelvi Marte's Role Makes Little Sense for the Reds Right Now

Noelvi Marte's tenure with the Cincinnati Reds is quite the roller coaster. From debuting in 2023, looking to be the favorite for the NL Rookie of the Year in 2024, to being suspended in '24, starting 2025 in Triple-A, to saving their season. Not to mention moving to right field in the middle of the season.

Now in 2026, Marte started the season with the Reds, then was sent down in April after 29 at-bats, had a great showing with the Bats, and returned to the Reds after TJ Friedl was optioned to Louisville.

Noelvi has seen action in four games since getting called back up. Though the numbers aren't astonishing so far, you can see the improvements made during this last stint in the Minors. Marte's at-bats look significantly better, he's showing more patience at the plate working counts, and has the same number of walks as he does strikeouts. The problem is that with his call-up, he's not playing every day.

The Reds have seen multiple versions of Noelvi Marte since acquiring him from the Seattle Mariners as a prospect. Things felt coming off of last season that he would carry momentum into this season. Marte was 6th last season on the Reds in OPS with a .748, 10th in bWar with 1.4, and had a 101 OPS+. All encouraging signs heading into the future.

It's understandable why the Reds moved him back to Triple-A early in the season, though a tad premature. It did him some good, but the Reds need to figure out who he is and what he means to their organization.

You often hear the term "Quad-A" player. Someone who is too good for the minors but can't quite find their place in the big leagues. I don't believe Noelvi Marte fits in that category, and we can use 2025 to prove so, even if just in 90 games. Since he was called up last week, he hasn't played as much as we all had suspected. That is a failure on the Reds' part. Whether it's the front office or the coaching staff, the Reds need to know what they have.

Marte is a great athlete; the Reds likely wouldn't have given their approval to let him try right field after coming up playing shortstop and third base. Through the 2026 season, he is in the 91st percentile of sprint speed. He has shown a few plus tools as a hitter through his limited time in the big leagues through parts of 2023-26, and you can argue that he has the best arm strength of any of the team's current outfielders.

There is a lot to like about Marte's natural abilities, and he has shown promise at times as a hitter despite the inconsistencies. If you're the Reds, it's time to figure out if he is part of the core of the future or another player to move on from. The only way to figure that out is by penciling him in the lineup every day for the foreseeable future.

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