Noelvi

Marte

Marte has crushed Triple-A pitching since being demoted, hitting .369/.409/.575 in 176 plate appearances with eight home runs and nine steals. Yes, he had struggled with the Reds to begin the year, but it was only 31 plate appearances over 11 games. This is still a 24-year-old who hit 14 home runs and stole 10 bases in 90 games last year while hitting .263. Marte has been playing center field in the minors and is coming up for TJ Friedl, so we have to assume the Reds are going to give him a look in center field. He deserves to be added in all formats based on what he showed last year.

Marte isn’t hitting for a ton of over-the-fence power with just four homers in 26 games, but he’s hitting .365 since being demoted to Triple-A back on April 13. The 24-year-old former top prospect’s path to fantasy relevance continues to be blocked by Cincinnati’s logjam at several spots at the highest level, especially with both Spencer Steer and JJ Bleday playing well. It’s possible injuries or ineffectiveness create a pathway to at-bats later this summer. He seemingly has nothing to prove playing everyday on the doorstep of the majors.

In 10 games at Triple-A, Marte is hitting .452/.500/.714 with two home runs, three RBI, six steals, and an 8/4 K/BB ratio. The Reds continue to play him only in the outfield, but with Ke’Bryan Hayes continuing to struggle with the bat, you have to wonder if Marte’s time in Triple-A might be better served getting him more reps at third base again to see if he can be a long-term solution there for the Reds.

Initially it was reported that the 34-year-old slugger was being held out of the lineup on Friday due to mid back pain, but it’s actually the dreaded oblique that he’s dealing with. The Reds are hopeful that he’ll only have to miss a couple of weeks’ worth of action. It’s unclear what the corresponding move will be on Saturday, though it could mean the return of Noelvi Marte from Triple-A Louisville.

This is now two straight days with a home run for Marte, who is slashing .370/.433/.741 in seven games at Triple-A with two home runs, two steals, and a 7/3 K/BB ratio. We know he struggled at the MLB level to begin the season, but he doesn’t belong in Triple-A.

This isn’t a huge surprise if you’ve been tracking Marte’s playing time, but it is pretty big news considering where he was going in fantasy drafts. The 24-year-old is hitting just .138/.194/.138 in 11 games with a 10/2 K/BB ratio. He has played league-average defense in the outfield, which is a small win, but not one that seemed to matter enough for the Reds. He will head down to Triple-A to try to rein in some of his over-aggressive tendencies and figure out why he is pounding the ball into the ground so much to begin the season.

Marte has started just three times in five contests to open the season, which is a bit perplexing considering how he finished last year as one of Cincinnati’s core offensive contributors. It’s notable that he’s in the lineup to face Pirates right-hander Bubba Chandler in this one. The 24-year-old former top prospect will continue splitting time with Will Benson, who is in left field on Tuesday night with Spencer Steer on the bench. The emergence of Sal Stewart and return of Eugenio Suárez has created a logjam for the Reds with Marte drawing the short straw for now.

Marte has now sat against both righties the Reds have faced this season, which is a bit confusing considering he had reverse splits last year. To start the year, it seems like Will Benson will be starting against right-handed pitchers, which makes it hard to roster Marte in shallower formats right now, especially considering the Reds are set to face right-handed starters in eight of their next nine games.

It’s kind of funny that after specifically taking issue with Marte’s troubles hitting against lefties last year, manager Terry Francona lifted him against a right-hander today. It was Will Benson stepping in, so that’s not a bad switch. Benson, though, should have been starting over Spencer Steer in the first place, and he went on to strike out anyway. Marte’s strikeouts today both came against Garrett Crochet, so they probably shouldn’t be held against him. Sal Stewart excepted, no one else in the Reds lineup did anything, either.

There was a little speculation that the Reds might send down Marte in order to open up time for others, but he’s set to return to his spot as the team’s everyday right fielder. The 15/1 K/BB this spring is ugly, but he’s hit .255 and slugged .569 with his four homers and four doubles. A 20/20 season is possible, though he hasn’t attempted a steal this spring after going 10-for-13 in his 90 major league games last year.