Steer grabbing start in center field on Friday

After trailing 6-1 in the seventh inning, Steer’s two-run shot in the eighth brought the Reds within one run before they fell just short. Nevertheless, Steer had been ice cold over his last 30 games with a .186/.288/.382 slash line over his last 30 games entering play Wednesday. Funny enough, three of his last four hits – spanning 11 games – were home runs.

Benson is hitting just .188/.310/.333 in 114 plate appearances this season with a 33.3 percent strikeout rate. Now 28 years old and with a 33.3 percent career MLB strikeout rate in 405 games, you have to wonder if Benson’s time in Cincinnati may be drawing to a close. Noelvi Marte could also be pushed off of right field if the Reds want to play Spencer Steer out there with Elly De La Cruz back.

Spencer Steer takes over at the keystone to face Yankees rookie starter Elmer Rodríguez with top prospect Edwin Arroyo at shortstop for his eighth consecutive start since June 12. The big question for fantasy managers is whether Arroyo, who is hitting just .255 (12-for-47) through 17 games since being called up, will remain in the big leagues once Elly De La Cruz (hamstring) is ready to return from the injured list in a couple days.

Steer capped off a four-run uprising in the fifth inning with a 407-foot (102.3-mph EV) three-run shot that increased the Reds’ lead to 6-1. That would be his only hit on an afternoon that included a pair of strikeouts. The versatile 28-year-old is now hitting .240/.323/.429 to go along with 12 homers, 31 RBI and three stolen bases.

Lowe takes a seat with Spencer Steer at the cold corner and rookie Sal Stewart at DH to face Mets starter Tobias Myers. The 30-year-old first baseman has cooled off recently, hitting .222 (6-for-27) with zero extra-base hits in 12 games since the start of June.

Steer’s home run was a two-run shot off Michael King in the fourth inning, his 10th of the season. He has a decent chance at eclipsing his career high of 23, set back in 2023. The steady accumulator has hit between 20 and 23 homers in each of the past three seasons, and now he has the best barrel rate of his career. The Reds are set to return to Great American Ballpark for a six-game homestand that begins Friday.

Arroyo has started just three of five games since being called up from Triple-A Louisville earlier this week, going 2-for-10 with one run scored during that span. The 22-year-old top prospect’s path to regular at-bats is partially obstructed by Cincinnati’s overflow of veteran infielders, but he should see enough time at second base to make an impact in deeper mixed leagues. Matt McLain is at shortstop with Spencer Steer getting into the lineup at second base on Saturday afternoon at Busch Stadium.

Steer’s two-homer game gives him nine home runs on the season. He hit a solo shot off Noah Cameron in the fifth inning, which was the only hit allowed by the Royals’ starter. Steer also hit a solo blast off Matt Strahm in the eighth inning. He’s hitting .277 with 23 RBI and an .812 OPS.

No surprise with crafty southpaw Martín Pérez toeing the rubber for Atlanta. Lowe will open this contest on the bench with Sal Stewart getting a turn at DH and Spencer Steer at first base. The 30-year-old veteran has been on a tear with three homers in his five games. He’s gone deep nine times over his last 30 games while hitting .293 (29-for-99) during that span. There are times where Cincinnati will keep him on the bench, mostly against left-handed starters, but Lowe has shown enough over-the-fence pop that he needs to be rostered in deeper fantasy leagues as a viable corner infield option.

This isn’t a big surprise, as Suárez was just activated off the injured list Friday after missing 25 games with his oblique strain. He’ll get the second half of the twin-billing off with JJ Bleday in the lineup as the designated hitter. Spencer Steer and Tyler Stephenson are also out of action with Nathaniel Lowe and P.J. Higgins getting the starts in their absence.