Reds OF prospect Rodríguez homers again

Rodríguez did great work over the final 10 days of August and first week of September, hitting .368 with five homers over a 14-game span. However, this .045 stretch has put him back down to .230/.281/.389 in 121 plate appearances as a major leaguer. We worry there’s a slight chance the Reds might send him down in the next couple of days, as doing so would preserve his rookie eligibility for 2027. That opportunity would be lost this weekend.

It’s a different-looking lineup from Reds manager Terry Francona as he mixes things up with rookie Carlos Jorge in the leadoff spot against Dodgers ace Yoshinobu Yamamoto. Rodríguez will get a look towards the middle of Cincinnati’s lineup after leading off against most right-handed starters for the past couple weeks.

After a slow start to his MLB career, Rodríguez came into this game hitting .283/.345/.547 in his last 15 games with four home runs, nine runs scored, and 10 RBI. The 22-year-old was an intriguing prospect with a 42 percent hard-hit rate and .274/.347/.533 slash line in 455 Triple-A plate appearances with 27 home runs and six steals. He has been starting every day and leading off against righties, which gives him a decent amount of fantasy value in most league types.

San Diego had 18 total bases to Cincinnati’s 10 tonight, but the Padres went 0-for-10 with RISP, compared to 3-for-8 for the Reds. Rodríguez’s two hits were liners that left the bat at 107 and 105 mph. He’s a full-timer right now, so he looks like a decent play in mixed leagues.

Rodríguez is one of the more tantalizing power/speed combo talents to enter the fantasy landscape this season and appears to finally be finding his footing after experiencing some initial turbulence at the highest level. The 22-year-old rookie is leading off for the third time in the last five games after launching a three-run homer during Sunday’s lopsided game against the Cubs. He’s homered four times in his last seven games and is hitting .370 (10-for-27) during that span.

Rodríguez was benched for four straight games, three of them against righties, a week into his major league career, but two weeks later, here he is starting five games in a row, including two against lefties. He has a chance to be useful in mixed leagues in September if Terry Francona keeps him in the lineup.

Rodriguez hit a solo shot in the third inning to tie the game at two, and he homered again in the ninth on a ball that left the bat at 115.3 mph. Cincinnati began that inning down six and came all the way back to take the lead. Rodriguez hasn’t been playing every day since he was called up on August 4, but he hit leadoff on Wednesday. With their season not going anywhere, one figures the Reds will give the 22-year-old some runway down the stretch.

The 22-year-old outfielder had started each of the team’s previous four games, so he’ll get a breather to accommodate a crowded outfield mix in Cincinnati. He’s just 2-for-23 (.087) with a 6/3 K/BB ratio in his first 26 plate appearances with the Reds. Noelvi Marte will start in his place in right field and bat eighth against Sandy Alcantara and the Marlins on Friday night.

Cincinnati failed to resolve their crowded outfield situation at the trade deadline earlier this week, but made the decision to promote Rodríguez anyway. The dynamic 22-year-old went 0-for-2 with a walk and scored a run against the Athletics in his big-league debut on Tuesday night. He possesses a fantasy-relevant skillset and is worthy of a speculative roster spot in deeper mixed leagues. The big question is whether he’s able to carve out an everyday role over the next few weeks with JJ Bleday, Noelvi Marte, Dane Myers and TJ Friedl still in the mix.

This move was reported yesterday and is now official. We like Rodríguez, but are surprised by this decision since the Reds didn’t actually trade away an outfielder at the deadline. We assume Rodríguez will play nearly every day between outfield and DH, and the DH spot could be used as a rotation for the extra outfielders. The 22-year-old is an aggressive hitter, and his 42 percent hard-hit rate and 89.2 mph average exit velocity don’t suggest tons of power, but he is hitting .274/.347/.533 with 27 round-trippers and six steals in 455 plate appearances for Triple-A Louisville. He’s worth a flyer in most fantasy formats.