Reds Made Tough, But Correct Decision in Optioning TJ Friedl to Triple-A Louisville

The decision wasn't easy.

May 18, 2026; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Cincinnati Reds outfielder TJ Friedl (29) hits a sacrifice fly against the Philadelphia Phillies in the second inning at Citizens Bank Park. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Ross-Imagn Images | Kyle Ross-Imagn Images

On Tuesday night, Terry Francona brought in TJ Friedl in extra innings vs the Kansas City Royals. Friedl tried to lay down a bunt, then went on to strike out on an unhittable pitch. Thankfully, Blake Dunn brought in the game-winning run on the next at-bat. This is a perfect metaphor for where TJ Friedl is in his career.

On Wednesday afternoon, the Reds made the decision to option TJ Friedl to AAA Louisville and bring Noelvi Marte back to the MLB Roster.

Friedl's playing time has dwindled throughout the 2026 season. Between the Reds acquiring Dane Myers, Blake Dunn continuing to produce, and JJ Bleday locking down a corner outfield spot, opportunities became harder to come by. Ultimately, that was one of the biggest reasons the Reds decided to send him to Triple-A Louisville.

"He'll get a chance to play every day and try to rediscover being Friedl," Reds manager Terry Francona told Mike Petraglia on Wednesday. "He's not that far removed from being our lead off hitter, and our everyday center fielder and he's kind of fallen on some tough times."

Friedl has provided a lot of stability to the Reds during his career, and he has one of those ultimate underdog stories we all adore. The undrafted player who had to work his way through the system to make it to the big leagues, and also had the second-best season of his career in 2025 during the Reds' run to the postseason. But this year, he's off to the worst start of a season in his career.

Digging into His Numbers:

Cincinnati Reds center fielder TJ Friedl (29) high fives teammates after scoring on a Sal Stewart single in the sixth inning of the MLB Interleague game between the Cincinnati Reds and the Detroit Tigers at Great American Ball Park in downtown Cincinnati on Saturday, April 25, 2026. The Reds won the second game of the series, 9-2. | Sam Greene/The Enquirer / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Through 46 games this season, Friedl has a slash line of .181/.260/.258 with 2 home runs, 8 RBI, 13 walks, and 41 strikeouts. Now, to his credit, he is 5/5 on stolen bases, but 5 stolen bases isn't enough to overlook where the rest of his production currently stands. Friedl's bWAR is also the lowest it's ever been at -0.5.

Digging deeper into the numbers, it gets worse. Friedl is currently in the 4th percentile of Major League hitters in expected batting average, 1st percentile in expected slugging, 9th in barrel, and 11th in hard hit percentage. He is amongst MLB's best in Baserunning Run Value in the 84th percentile and 77th percentile in Outs Above Average, but he currently is not worth the conversation of a 4th outfielder.

Return of Noelvi Marte:

Mar 31, 2026; Cincinnati, Ohio, USA; Cincinnati Reds outfielder Noelvi Marte (4) runs the bases on a single hit by third baseman Ke'bryan Hayes (not pictured) in the third inning against the Pittsburgh Pirates at Great American Ball Park. Mandatory Credit: Katie Stratman-Imagn Images | Katie Stratman-Imagn Images

Marte is getting another chance with the Reds, and deservedly so. In 40 games with the Bats, he put together excellent production, hitting .369/.409/.575 with 8 Homers, 27 RBI, and started showing the patience he had struggled with, 12 walks. He was also named the International League Player of the Week on April 26th. Marte's MLB struggles and send-down can be justified as a tad premature, given he had just 29 at-bats before being sent down, but hopefully the improvements he made help him with this latest call-up.