The Cincinnati Reds have a few massive holes in their roster this season. At times, the outfield has been a problem with TJ Friedl and Gavin Lux being the only two who consistently put together quality at-bats, but neither is a solid bat against lefties. Spencer Steer has moved from the outfield to first base to fill the biggest hole on the roster.
The hole at first base is massive in Cincinnati. It's an even bigger issue than fans realize. Steer has been the top option with Jeimer Candelario and Christian Encarnacion-Strand on the injured list.
Steer began the season hitting right around .100 for the first month, but has slowly ticked up near .200. His slash line is still concerning as he's slashing .199/.271/.333 through May 14, but he's trending upward.
Still, when the top option at an offense-first position has an OPS of around .600, it's concerning. Especially when Steer is supposed to be a utility man in Cincinnati. To make matters worse, the Reds don't have many reinforcements coming, unless they swing a trade.
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The Reds have little to no reinforcements coming at first base
The aforementioned Encarnacion-Strand and Candelario are likely to return in the coming weeks, but are they an upgrade?
Candelario has been one of the worst players in baseball this season. Most Reds fans seem to want him gone rather than back on the roster when he's healthy and it's hard to blame them. On the season, Candelario is slashing .113/.198/.213 with an OPS+ of 13. He's near the bottom of the league in every statistical category on offense.
Encarnacion-Strand isn't much better, though there's a lot more to be excited about with the younger first baseman. He's slashing .158/.183/.298 on the season following a disappointing campaign last year, too. But he's been battling injuries, so there's a chance that when he gets healthy, he'll return to his rookie year form.
Cincinnati doesn't have any top first base prospects surging up the minor leagues either. At this point, there's a chance the Reds try to slide Tyler Stephenson or Gavin Lux to first base. They could also explore a trade for somebody like Ryan Mountcastle. But it's hard to imagine the Reds will be able to push through the entire season with Steer, Encarnacion-Strand, and Candelario as the many trio of third basemen.