Sal

Stewart

He’ll also mix in at second base, with the intention that he would slide over there on days when Matt McLain is off or Elly De La Cruz is off and McLain moves over to shortstop. Francona wants the majority of Stewart’s emphasis this spring though to be at first base. As long as his bat finds its way into the Reds’ lineup on a regular basis, fantasy managers won’t care where he’s lined up defensively.

Francona seems committed to keeping TJ Friedl first and Elly De La Cruz third ahead of new cleanup man Eugenio Suárez. That means the No. 2 hitter pretty much has to be a righty. Marte is one, but he hit just .232/.288/.274 against lefties last season, compared to .275/.305/.516 against righties. There isn’t much reason to think that’s something that will stick going forward, but it might mean Marte hits fifth or sixth going forward. Sal Stewart seems like the best alternative to Marte, but it’ll probably take Francona some time to warm up to that idea. Matt McLain might get his old spot back if he has a nice spring.

The deal also includes a $16 million mutual option for the 2027 season. The 34-year-old slugger previously played for the Reds from 2015-2021. He clobbered 49 home runs and drove in 118 runs in 657 plate appearances between the Diamondbacks and Mariners in 2025 despite slashing an underwhelming .228/.298/.526. His arrival could push Sal Stewart out of an everyday role to start the season.

Stewart has reportedly lost over 20 pounds this offseason and is expected to focus primarily on playing first base this spring with defensive stalwart Ke’Bryan Hayes occupying the hot corner in Cincinnati. The 22-year-old power-hitting prospect has a chance to be an immediate four-category impact fantasy producer after slashing a robust .309/.383/.524 with 20 homers and 17 steals in 494 plate appearances between Double-A Dayton and Triple-A Louisville last season. He’ll compete with incumbent Spencer Steer for the starting job at first base but there’s a clear path to everyday at-bats at DH after the Reds jettisoned Gavin Lux earlier this month. Stewart projects as an immediate 20-homer, 10-steal threat, which makes him an intriguing late-round selection in fantasy drafts this spring. He’s a top-20 overall prospect for dynasty purposes.

The Rays would seem to be giving up some upside here, but the 27-year-old Lowe just hasn’t shown the same ability the last two years that he did in 2023. In his place comes Lux, who showed very little power last year but can provide on-base ability and fit at second. This trade seems like good news for Chandler Simpson, as a left-handed bat has been removed from the outfield mix. It’s also good for Sal Stewart in Cincinnati, not that Stewart really should have been blocked by Lux for infield or DH at-bats. Lowe will probably get to step in as the Angels’ center fielder against right-handers, and he still might have some mixed-league value with his stolen base ability.

Krall told MLB.com’s Mark Sheldon that the organization has no plans to move De La Cruz off shortstop despite the dynamic 23-year-old leading the majors in errors during each of the past two seasons. Cincinnati has shortstop prospect Edwin Arroyo on the verge of ascending to the big leagues, but it sounds like the plan is to transition him to another spot eventually. The Reds are going to have another roster logjam on their hands at some point next year — barring an offseason overhaul — with top prospect Sal Stewart ready to join the big-league corner infield mix.

Not bad for a rookie deemed unworthy of starting the first game of the series. We don’t know that the Reds will play any additional postseason games these next few years, but if they do, we’re pretty sure Stewart will be in the lineup for any and every one of them.

Stewart will get an opportunity in the heart of Cincinnati’s lineup to face Dodgers co-ace Yoshinobu Yamamoto after coming off the bench during the late stages of Tuesday’s series opener. The 21-year-old top prospect adds some serious thunder to the middle of the order in a win-or-go-home spot for the Reds after homering five times in 18 regular-season contests after being called up in early September. Here’s the full lineup: TJ Friedl (CF), Spencer Steer (LF), Gavin Lux (DH), Austin Hays (RF), Stewart (1B), Elly De La Cruz (SS), Tyler Stephenson (C), Ke’Bryan Hayes (3B) and Matt McLain (2B).

Stewart opened the scoring in the ballgame with an RBI single off of Robert Gasser in the third inning that plated Noelvi Marte. He then crushed a 387-foot (102.3 mph EV) solo shot off of Grant Anderson in the sixth inning that increased the Reds’ lead to 7-2. The 21-year-old slugger has done a nice job in his limited time with the Reds, slashing .255/.293/.545 with five homers and eight RBI in only 58 plate appearances.

Spencer Steer heads out to left field with top prospect Sal Stewart covering first base with Hays still out of the lineup due to a lingering back issue. The 30-year-old corner outfielder hasn’t played since last weekend. It’s a pivotal matchup for the Reds as they control their own destiny for the final NL Wild Card playoff spot heading into the final weekend of the regular season.