Can These Three Reds Have a 2026 Renaissance?

The 2023 Cincinnati Reds were a team of magic and promise. A core of electric young players transformed the team from a 62-100 club in 2022 one that won 82 games and remained in the National League Wild Card race until the final weekend of the season. They stole bases, had clutch hits, and showed the city that they were a team on the cusp of achieving big things.

Injuries, suspensions, and fate conspired to derail the subsequent seasons of several promising young players that helped power the 2023 team. Those include Matt McLain, Noelvi Marte, and Christian Encarnacion-Strand. And Cincinnati simply can’t afford to write them off.

This is because the Reds’ front office has yet to make a move to add a significant power bat or impact hitter. That seems unlikely to change prior to opening day, and so finding a way to improve on one of the league’s most handicapped offense will fall on these three batters. They are banking on a turnaround and it’s up to McLain, Marte, and CES to deliver.

But can they?

Matt McLain

After the Reds called Matt McLain up to the majors in May of 2023 all he did was slashed .290/.357/.507 with 16 home runs, 50 RBIs, 23 doubles, 4 triples, and 14 stolen bases in 89 games that year. Despite the limited games he amassed a 3.7 WAR before being shut down due to an oblique injury. Unfortunately that was a sign of what was to come for the Reds second baseman.

In March of 2024 he attempted to make a diving catch and came up with what appeared at first to be a simple shoulder strain. Later it was revealed that it was much worse and he was shut down after he underwent surgery to repair a labral tear and cartilage damage. Though he tried to make a comeback, a further rib stress reaction in the midst of it officially ended his season before he took a swing at the major league level.

In a short stint in the Arizona Fall League afterwards he hit .314 showing a glimpse of the promise for the following season, but it just didn’t work out that way. He played what amounted to his first full season in the majors appearing in 147 games and registering 577 plate appearances. But he was not able to recapture the magic from 2023. He finished last season with a .220 batting average, 15 home runs, and 18 stolen bases. And to be fair, McLain simply had some back luck at the plate, as he often hit the ball as hard as you could want, but was simply the victim of some great plays in the field.

Despite his noticeable batting struggles, he was well above average defensively. This led him to a total 1.4 fWAR, meaning that he was good for a win over replacement. That was good for third on the Reds team, despite being the player most fans were the most disappointed in.

McLain is once again slated to be the Reds starting second baseman. Given the trade of Gavin Lux, he is going to be the primary option there and will see the same, if not more at bats in 2026.

It’s no secret that this was a Cincinnati ballclub that struggled to hit for power or score runs last year. In fact, they became the first team in MLB history to qualify for the postseason without a single hitter recording a .270 batting average or 25 home runs. Their batters were comfortably in the bottom third of the league in nearly every power or offensive category.

That’s why finding a way to energize Matt McLain’s bat is so important for next year. He’s already focused on getting better, reportedly putting on 12 pounds this offseason in order to better fight off the injuries that have plagued him. If he could drag his numbers to at least league average, cut down on his strikeout rate (he was the 11th worst with a rate almost 29%) and put the ball in play more, he could be an important piece of the Reds push to return to the playoffs in 2026.

Noelvi Marte

Marte’s sample size when he was called up was significantly smaller than McLain’s (as he wasn’t called up until August of 2023) but the results were no less encouraging. Over 35 games and 123 plate appearances, he posted a .316 batting average with a .366 on-base percentage while slugging .456. Unfortunately, just like McLain, his future was destined to be rockier than anyone expected.

In March of 2024 the MLB dropped the hammer on Marte, suspending him for 80 games without pay after he tested positive for Boldenone, a banned anabolic steroid. While he maintained that he did not know how the substance entered his system, he sat out the games and officially returned to the Reds' active lineup in June of that year. But in a reoccurring theme for Cincinnati, Marte simply wasn’t the same player he’d shown capable of being.

In the 66 games he played after the suspension he slashed just .210/.248/.301 with only four home runs, and 18 RBI, struggling mightily to return to form. His woeful 31% strikeout rate showed just how rusty he’d become and he had little impact on the team that year.

2026 was supposed to be a fresh start for him, with the suspension in the rearview and an entire offseason to prepare. And though he was limited to 90 games and missed time with a grade 2 oblique strain he was one of the few Reds who did look markedly better than in the prior season. He batted .263 and slugged .448 (nearly as good as his rookie season).

Last year also saw a surprising defensive development for Marte. After committing 12 errors in just 55 games at third base, the Reds moved him into the outfield in July. It was a move that raised quite a few eyebrows as he’d never played there before. But he took to the new assignment with gusto and handled the switch well. Although he was far from a natural at the position his defense did improve overall. And with more time to acclimate to playing in the outfield his 2026 outlook should improve defensively as well. What’s more is that the change also helped him at the dish as he hit .297 in the month following this transition.

Marte wasn’t an all star but he is one of the Reds that trended up in 2025 and surprised many fans with his positive play. It’s the main reason why there is a lot of expectations that he will continue to improve next season. There is more reason to believe that he will do so than perhaps any other player discussed here, and he’s one that Nick Krall and management are counting on more than most.

Christian Encarnacion Strand

CES was another 2023 call up that wowed fans with just how well he played and immediately. In 63 games he hit .270 with 13 home runs, 7 doubles, and 37 RBI. He stood out as a supreme clutch hitter as well, with three walk off hits in his rookie year. But once again, an injury robbed Reds fans of what could have been for Encarnacion-Strand in 2024.

After a brutal start to the year where he managed just .190/.220/.293 with two home runs through 29 games at the plate it was revealed that he had a right ulnar styloid fracture and subsequent ligament damage in his hand/wrist that eventually required season-ending surgery. Returning for the 2025 season, something was still off for the former rookie slugger, and he played just 36 games at the major league level before being sent down. In those games he could only muster a .208 batting average which led to his option to Triple-A Louisville in mid-July. Encarnacion-Strand was not called up again for the remainder of the year.

Even facing minor-league pitching he failed to live up to prior numbers, batting just .246 over 236 plate appearances. He was still below league average in almost every category. And now there is a real question whether he has any true place on Cincinnati's roster. He is extremely limited defensively and so could only realistically play at first or third base. Those positions are effectively locked up between Ke'Bryan Hayes and Spencer Steer, respectively. And it's been a priority for the Reds to get young Sal Stewart as many at bats in the DH spot as possible, where he showed flashes of the power this team has been craving.

Encarnacion-Strand will undoubtedly begin 2026 in the minors, absent a titanic performance in spring training. And he may very well remain there for the entirety of the season unless something drastic changes.