Nathaniel

Lowe

It’s merely a procedural move as Lowe was assured a spot on Cincinnati’s season-opening roster over the weekend when JJ Bleday and Rece Hinds were jettisoned to the minors. The 30-year-old first baseman will serve in a bench role for the Reds but his odds of syphoning at-bats away from Sal Stewart and Spencer Steer on a consistent basis are extremely low.

Bleday’s option is a little surprising, as it appeared he was on his way to being on the strong side of a platoon in left. It appears this opens a spot Nathaniel Lowe on the bench to open 2026. There’s a very good chance he’ll be the first name up when Cincinnati needs a replacement, but obviously Bleday is nathnot someone who needs to be on fantasy rosters right now. Hinds and Maxwell are just organizatonal depth, even with Hinds’ possessing impressive power.

Hayes is 6-for-30 with one extra-base hit this spring, and it’s going to be interesting to see just how committed the Reds are to him at third if he doesn’t hit early in the regular season. They have four theoretical alternatives at third in Eugenio Suárez, Sal Stewart, Spencer Steer and Noelvi Marte. Suárez started there three times before leaving for the WBC, suggesting that he might be Francona’s preferred choice. Stewart has played there just once, while the other two haven’t been used there at all. Christian Encarnacion-Strand also got three starts at third before being sent down. Most likely, Hayes is going to be the everyday guy at the beginning of the season, but the Reds might be tempted to keep Nathaniel Lowe on the roster if they want to think of Hayes as more of a part-timer.

Steer played first base in his previous six starts this spring, suggesting that Terry Francona might prefer to keep him there and move Sal Stewart around at the beginning of the year. Really, though, if Steer is part of the Reds’ best lineup against righties — and that is questionable — it’s probably as the left fielder ahead of JJ Bleday and Will Benson. One thing seems clear anyway; if Steer is going to start at first base a lot of the time, there’s no way Nathaniel Lowe is going to make the Reds.

Lowe did his former Rays teammate dirty as both try to make teams while on minor league deals this spring. Lowe doesn’t really make any sense for the Reds unless they send Sal Stewart down, and they really should not do that. Still, another team might want him as a first baseman against righties, depending on how the spring shakes out.

Stewart’s playing-time storyline feels less like a minor subplot and more like a central theme this spring, as Cincinnati simply may not have everyday at-bats available for him alongside Eugenio Suárez and Spencer Steer. The Reds also have veteran Nathaniel Lowe in camp as another first base option. The 22-year-old power-hitting prospect is expected to focus primarily on first base during camp as he competes for a starting role at the cold corner. His occasional appearances at second base appear to be less about a permanent positional shift and more about expanding his defensive résumé.

The 30-year-old hit .228/.307/.381 in 153 games for the Nationals and Red Sox last year with 18 home runs and 84 RBI. He is probably closer to his .264/.347/.424 slash line than last year would suggest, but it’s hard to see a fit here in Cincinnati. With Ke’Bryan Hayes at third base, and Eugenio Suarez at designated hitter, first base already is a competition between Sal Stewart and Spencer Steer. It’s hard to see Lowe sticking in Cincinnati.

Lowe was designated for assignment Tuesday, and it would have been weird if they tendered him a contract after that. They didn’t. The 30-year-old will hit free agency and likely see interest from a team looking for a starting first baseman without breaking the bank.

It was expected that Lowe would be non-tendered, but the Red Sox needed his 40-man roster spot now. Lowe hit a fine .280/.370/.420 in 119 plate appearances after the Nationals released him and the Red Sox picked him up last season, but he was still, on the whole, a below average hitter for a second straight season, and no one is going to be interested in him at his projected $10 million-plus salary in arbitration. He’ll likely become a free agent and sign a modest deal as a starting first baseman for another team.

Lowe made up for Sunday’s performance, when he struck out three times with a combined eight men on base in the loss to the Rays. He’s hit .286/.386/.429 with two homers and 15 RBI in 29 games since joining the Red Sox.