The Reds unveiled a new wrinkle in their lineup for today’s game against the Mets, as Noelvi Marte is batting seventh as the starting right fielder. This marks the first time in Marte’s pro career that he has played in the outfield, as he has primarily played third base in the majors and second base in the minors, with some additional action at second base.
Reporter Charlie Goldsmith shared some background on the rather sudden position change, as the Reds started working Marte out in the outfield just yesterday. The idea is that playing the outfield will both add some versatility to the 23-year-old’s skillset and give Cincinnati more flexibility in setting lineups.
“Especially against a lefty, it gives us a chance to put [Santiago] Espinal at third and get all of our righties out there [in the lineup],” outfield coach Collin Cowgill said. “You’ve seen [Marte] play, he’s a good enough athlete to get it figured out. He has a cannon. He has all of the physical attributes. Now, it’s about practicing.”
Cowgill further noted that Marte’s arm strength in particular makes him an asset in right field, and creates more margin for error in throwing accuracy than Marte found at third base. Ten of Marte’s 22 career Major League errors have come on throws, all from the hot corner. By comparison, Espinal has made 13 errors total in 1749 2/3 career innings as a third baseman, while Marte has logged only 929 2/3 frames at third.
Espinal has himself seen some time in both corner outfield spots this season as the Reds continue to look for some steady right-handed balance within an outfield mix that tilts heavily to the left side. TJ Friedl, Jake Fraley, Gavin Lux, and Will Benson are all left-handed hitters, and the team’s plan to have the right-handed hitting Austin Hays as a regular corner outfielder has been limited by Hays’ injuries, as Hays is now getting a lot of DH action. Connor Joe is another righty-swinging outfield option, but putting Marte into the outfield picture opens up more avenues for manager Terry Francona.
It could also help Marte cement his place in the Reds’ lineup after a number of ups and downs at the start of his big league career. Formerly a star prospect, Marte performed well in 35 games during his 2023 rookie season, but his 2024 campaign was marred by an 80-game PED suspension and then poor results in the majors once he was activated. The Reds began Marte at Triple-A to begin the 2025 season, and after he was called up, faced another lengthy absence when an oblique strain led to a two-month IL stint.
When he has been able to play, however, Marte looks to have found his hitting form, batting .272/.327/.515 over 103 plate appearances this season. Obviously the Reds want to get that bat into the lineup, and getting Marte regular playing time in the outfield allows both Espinal more time at third base, but it also gets Lux back into more regular duty at the hot corner. As Goldsmith observes, Lux has been struggling defensively in left field, and would likely benefit from a return to his natural infield position.
Elly De La Cruz and Matt McLain have the middle infield spots spoken for in Cincinnati, leaving Marte with third base as his most logical pathway to big league playing time. With top prospect Sal Stewart now looming as a third baseman of the future (and even perhaps as early as a 2025 MLB debut), the outfield could become Marte’s more regular position going forward. Cowgill even suggested that Marte has the athleticism to handle center field, which would give the Reds extra depth at the position behind Friedl.
The Reds are solidly in the wild card race with a 52-47 record, and are known to be looking for hitting help at the deadline. The exact nature of their position-player targets is yet to be determined, as if Marte can hold his own in right field, Cincinnati might not need to look specifically at the outfield market.
Get Eugenio Suarez for the short term with Sal Stewart being the long term option at 3B, Marte would fill the Red’s RH hitting OF need without any cost.. Even if they don’t obtain Suarez, this is the route to take.
I cant see Cincinnati parting with any if their young pitchers for a rental. Nick Martinez could be traded at the deadline but no way the D’Backs take on an expiring contract.
Reds could add a bat or a bullpen arm by trading Martinez. Petty and Lowder both will be needed when they trade Greene, Abbott or Lodolo in the off season.
None of those guys are getting traded in the off season unless it is for a legit, controllable mlb bat and I am not talking about a one year rental for Taylor Ward or someone similar. Petty has shown absolutely nothing in his few starts except the ability to walk every other batter and Lowder needs to prove he is not going to be injury prone.
It would certainly be for a legit controllable bat or two. Id imagine they would get a nice haul for any one of those pitchers and they cant afford them all long term.
Could trade Singer, he wont bring as much back but you’d have a rotation of aces with Lowder at the five.
Reds will get Williamson back throwing and have Petty as depth. I can certainly see the case for keeping all the starters and making due with whats in place offensively for another season or two but can have your pick of MLB ready prospects across the league and can likely leverage a team in a trade that could heavily be in the Reds favor.
They’re not trading Greene, you don’t trade your All Star, and Lodolo leads the team with 12 quality starts and has been solid.. they aren’t going anywhere. Burns replaces Martinez next year, and Lowder is your fifth starter.
I watch Lodolo pitch, he is a great pitcher, maybe your best.
Greene has a nice contract in place and Abbott has been great all season. Three aces, Burns makes four. Could keep them all and trade the depth but they will be looking for extensions sooner than later.
lol they’re not trading Greene or Abbott
More likely Singer, if any.
one TJ, twoTJ, three before you know it your pitching depth is toast and you didnt cash one in while they had peak trade value.
I like the Reds this year to make a run at it, I think Sal Stewart is a going to be a good player but you’re telling me that with all that pitching depth the Reds wouldnt entertain a trade for a player like Jasson Dominguez or a propsect package of Spencer Jones, Roderick Arias, Ben Hess and Henry LaLane in the off season? Thats a similar return to the Crochet trade, gives you a bigtime hitter in Jones and adds a pair of good arms to your farm.
Couldn’t have stated it better.
Suarez makes 15 million this season of which at least half has been paid. The Reds would pay around 7 1/2 million for the rest of the season
Check that. 2 months should be around 5 million which is affordable.
For those who want Duran from the Red Sox. He will cost a ton, while Eugenio Suarez arguably provides more offense for a lot less. I say go get Suarez.
If the cost is right
3B is Gavin Lux’s natural position? Wasn’t arm strength the big knock on him?
Sounds like this is just against LHPs. But to your point they could platoon Lux and Espinal at 3B if they want to keep Marte in RF.
That is one possibility, but it doesn’t inject a much needed RH bat into the lineup for this season.
This shows tgey will NOT get the needed outfielder. Instead, another damn experiment moving an infielder to the outfield. No surprise.
It could very well work and not gut the farm. I would get Suarez for a rental until Stewart is ready (likely next season).. Suarez might even be a fit next season. The money will be the problem. then. A less than half season rental not so much. This team desperately needs to inject some RH offense into the lineup.
Don’t you guys have a highly touted prospect for 3B named Lou Collier or something like that?
Cam Collier, but Sal Stewart just got moved to AAA. He’s a bit further ahead and plays 3B.
To be fair, Lou is Cam’s Dad.
So they come out of the break strong and have potential to sweep the Mets and they think now is the time for an experiment? And if it works even a little that’ll be the excuse for not adding a bat before the deadline…
I’m not sure how this does any of that. In reality they are just swapping him and Espinal against LHP. I don’t think he can play that much worse defensively in the OF than what was at 3B. They still need a RH bat that can play the OF, now possibly 3B.
They will look for any excuse in the book not to add then will cry poverty. The Candelario contract will be the built in reason for the next two years.
This will be interesting…
Solid fielding OFs tend to be long-striders; Marte is more the nimble/quick footwork type (thus 2b at the outset).
I’m not so certain that the Reds are set at SS. In 2024 EDLC ranked 10th in AAO (outs above average) and top-two among SS. In 2025 he ranks 194th overall and bottom 10% among SS…
Also, in 2023 EDLC ranked #1 in Sprint Speed, in 2024 he ranked 2nd. In 2025 he ranks 48th…
Maybe a move to 3b in the off-season, especially considering the number of solid SS prospects in the Reds system…
How does that footwork affect his base running? It doesn’t. Footwork can be taught. Defense can be taught. It isn’t that hard, right Wash!?
Research GM and the criteria they use. Not sure if you’re a long time Reds fan; the long-strider vs infield agility is exactly why the Reds kept. 6-2 Davey Concepcion at SS while having 6-0 Cesar Geronimo roam CF. That’s per the Reds GM at the time.
Geronimo threw lefty was why he was an outfielder. Concepcion was at short because he was the best in the MLB for many years.
If he can handle the position, which I seriously doubt, it may provide a short term solution. None of Lux or Espinal are the solution at 3B, hopefully Stewart will be promoted sooner than later.
Stewart doesn’t need to be rushed, which is why Suarez makes sense as a rental if not too costly. I still believe we have a chance this season if we add a quality RH hitter and maybe a reliever.
Suárez will absolutely be costly, I’d rather them get a controllable outfielder
That would be the cheaper option platooning with Fraley in RF. I don’t know if it is the best option, but at the same time, I am reluctant to trade the few high ranked minor league players we have. We are forgetting about Hector Rodriguez. Like Stewart, he is not likely to help much this season. Again, I would hang on to what few top farmhands we have (at least for the time being)..
If petty can get the conversation started for someone like soderstrom I wouldn’t be upset
He makes 15 million, so roughly 1/3 of that or 5 million for 2 months. He is affordable. It depends on what they want in the way of a return. 2 months on an expiring contract should not be that much.
With several teams (yankees included) needing a 3B with power the price will go higher than it should.
Reds need to acquire a RH hitting bat to play 3b or OF against Lefties. Espinal is a backup defensive only guy. He has a negative WAR, oPS under .600, no home runs and only 14 rbis in somehow 250 at bats. He should see see the batters box.
you could probably get castellanos back
Reds need to throw a package together of something like Chase Petty, Cam Collier and Rhett Lowder, and go get a young, controllable outfielder. (Jarren Duran, specifically) id throw nick Martinez in on the deal if the Sox are insistent.
Extend austin hays for 2 years, pay him good money….$25m. Now you have Hays, friedl, duran, maybe marte and fraley/benson. No more connor joe/stuart Fairchild/jacob hurtubise stuff.
Greene, Lodolo, burns, Singer, abbott… thats a formidable rotation.
Collier, Petty and Arroyo or one of the other 17 shortstops in their system should do it. Doubt they are dealing Lowder at this stage. Mainly because I’ll be surprised if Singer is around next year.
I would do that if the Red Sox would take that.
No need to trade away that much if Marte works out in RF. You will have Stewart at 3B next season with Collier on the way for 1B or DH.
Package Connor Phillips and Ty Floyd for Adonis Garcia for this season. Next season let Martinez walk and go strong for Alonso to play first and shift Steer back to the OF. Imagine Alonso hitting cleanup behind Elly in GABP.
Steer will probably stay at 1st from now on. I didn’t realize it it until they mentioned it on Saturday’s broadcast but Steer is behind only Matt Olsen in defensive metrics in the NL.. I would like Alonso though but I just don’t see him ever leaving the Mets.
The lack of offense bit them again in another one run game. Their record in one run games is abysmal.
Imagine where they would be if the problem was actually addressed in the offseason as it should have.
I think this just provides the Reds with the ability to do nothing at the deadline and say they filled their gaps internally. At the end of the day, Espinal, Fraley, and Lux aren’t starters on championship teams.
Maybe advertising him as versatile in order to set up a future trade?