Jay Bruce has been exclusively an outfielder in the majors and minors, playing there for each of his 1,257 professional games, but with first baseman Joey Votto likely headed to the disabled list Reds manager Bryan Price has Bruce starting at first base tonight against the Cubs.
Previously when Votto was sidelined the Reds used backup catcher Brayan Pena as their primary first baseman, but he’s currently on the paternity list. Once he returns it’ll be interesting to see if Pryce may also have realized how much that hurt the lineup considering Pena’s paltry offensive numbers.
For tonight at least the Reds are using Skip Schumaker in right field even though he actually has some past experience at first base. Schumaker isn’t much of a hitter either, but his lifetime .711 OPS is still 50 points higher than Pena’s career mark.
However, Bruce is considered an excellent defensive right fielder, so it’s not so clear if moving him to first base is worth whatever tradeoff comes with swapping Schumaker for Pena offensively.
