TJ Friedl sits once again on Friday evening

Friedl, formerly the Reds’ starting center fielder, is batting just .158/.242/.234 in 253 plate appearances this season. He’s owed only about $750,000 for the rest of this season, with no commitment beyond that (though a team could keep him in arbitration). That might entice some team to pick him up as a bench guy. If that happens, the Reds could recall Noelvi Marte to help out in the outfield.

Marte performed poorly in his two-and-a-half month stint back in the big leagues with a .189/.229/.321 slash line through 201 plate appearances. What started out as a near full-time role drifting into a part-time one over the last few weeks as Marte ceded playing time to the newly promoted Hector Rodríguez. In a corresponding move, the Reds promoted Will Banfield to be the third catcher on their roster. Marte’s stock has fallen dramatically over the last few years and he shouldn’t be considered much more than organizational depth at this point. He could really use a change of scenery.

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.

Johnson went 0-for-5 in four games in his first MLB stint earlier this season. The 27-year-old is hitting .278/.373/.474 in 61 games at Triple-A with 10 home runs and 11 steals. He will be on the bench on Monday with TJ Friedl starting in left field and JJ Bleday moving over to right field. That could be the regular lineup against right-handed pitchers for the next few weeks.

Marte had one nice liner tonight, but it was caught in center. He’s just not making very good contact for the most part, with a 27.6 percent hard-hit rate that’s down from 38 percent for his career. Given that the Reds didn’t seem to think much of him even at the start of the season, when there was more reason for optimism, it wouldn’t be surprising to see him traded at the deadline, even if he’s probably not someone contenders would pursue.

Steer receives a breather after being hit by a pitch in the ribs during Monday’s contest. It doesn’t sound like a significant concern. It’ll be Noelvi Marte taking over in right field. Fantasy managers should consider him day-to-day heading into Wednesday’s series finale in Seattle.

Freidl had been 0-for-7 since being recalled when Blake Dunn got hurt. It’d be for the best if Matt McLain proved to be strong enough in center to play over Friedl, but Friedl will likely continue to start against righties for now. He’s batting .181/.259/.271 in 51 major league games this season.

Friedl was optioned out at the beginning of June after flailing to a miserable .179/.259/.256 slash line with just two homers and five steals through his first 178 plate appearances. He appears to have gotten back on track at the Triple-A level where he hit .271/.370/.471 with three homers, five RBI and a pair of stolen bases over 81 plate appearances in 18 games. He’ll have a chance to see every day at-bats against right-handers with Blake Dunn (elbow) landing on the injured list on Sunday. He’s starting in center and batting eighth against Mitch Keller and the Pirates on Sunday afternoon.

Marte broke a 4-4 tie in the top of the eighth inning when he took Pirates reliever Mason Montgomery deep for a two-run homer. It was the fourth homer of the season for Marte, with all of his homers coming this month. Marte has been a different player since being recalled by the Reds earlier this month. He’s slashing respectable .250/.316/.558 on the month with eight of his 13 hits going for extra bases. Marte continues to be a player worth rostering in all formats where available.