The Cincinnati Reds made three roster moves today. Two of them we knew were coming – Elly De La Cruz has been activated from the 10-day injured list after recovering from a hamstring injury and Hunter Greene’s rehab has been moved from the Arizona Rookie League to Triple-A Louisville where he will start tonight at 6:35pm ET. The move we weren’t sure about was who would be moved on the active roster to make room for De La Cruz. That was answered this morning when the team announced outfielder Will Benson was optioned to Triple-A.
Let’s start with Will Benson. The 28-year-old outfielder is in his 4th season with the Reds and he’s struggling to hit for the 3rd year in a row. After breaking out in 2023 where he hit .275/.365/.498 he’s struggled to hit his body weight ever since. In 2024 he hit .187, last season he hit .226, and this year he is hitting just .188/.310/.333.
Benson has struggled to make contact this season, striking out 38 times in his 114 plate appearances. He’s walked at a good rate, drawing 16 free passes in his 51 games with the Reds this year and that’s given him a not terrible .310 on-base percentage. Unlike 2025, he’s not showing much power when he does find the occasional hit as he’s managed just three doubles, a triple, and three home runs this season. He’s only driven in six runs all season.
This is the final option year for Will Benson, so he’s going to have to perform well and get things going in the right direction if he’s going to want to remain on the 40-man roster going forward.
Hunter Greene is also heading to Louisville. He will be making his second rehab start, but his first with the Bats. Last week he pitched for the rookie-level club in Arizona and threw 4.0 shutout innings where he allowed two hits and a walk while striking out six batters as he faced off against the Chicago Cubs rookie-level squad.
Greene is making his way back from the injured list after missing the entire season to this point after having bone spurs removed from his elbow in March during spring training. He’s expected to start tonight for Louisville and make at least one more rehab start with Louisville.
Elly De La Cruz is back with Cincinnati to face the Milwaukee Brewers tonight. He was with the Reds in the dugout last night but was not activated. The shortstop spent Friday through Sunday rehabbing in Triple-A with the Bats. He went 2-9 with a single, walk, and a home run during his time there.
Good decision on Benson, I like him but he does not belong with the big league club.
Long overdue!Very surprised he was on the roster a couple years ago when spring training was over,nothing more than Triple AAA talent,hope we don’t see him in Cincy anymore
That’s awful to say sounds really hateful. A decent person says hopefully he gets better and figures it out down there and when called upon again he lives up to his own standards because any professional athlete worth a damn will always have high expectations for themselves!! Be better bruh.?
Sitting in the Scout seats last night, I was looking into the dugout waiting to see Benson appear in the 9th or 10th to pinch hit, as the Reds needed one swing. I never saw him. Today’s move is no surprise.
Was shocked Francona didn’t pinch hit Benson for McLain.late in the game. Knew Benson likely going down after that. But he always seemed to hustle. Figured he might wrangle a walk or hit one out.
Think that would have made some sense. I was also surprised.
Glad Arroyo gets some more MLB experience, if he or Benson was the decision.
Me too.
Agreed about Benson. My question is what about Matt McLain? He is not getting any better and frankly I would rather see Arroyo at second. In my opinion, McLain should also go down and work on whatever his problems are. I do not want him sitting on the bench. He will not improve there.
I would have sent Matt down too. Arroyo can just have 2nd for now. Rodriguez up for another LH bat. Bleday gets some rest. Just not Matt against RH again and again.
Totally agree!
It will be interesting to see how they divvy up the playing time at 2B. Also, EDLC may get an occasional day off for injury prevention. As for McLain, I tend to agree. That said, he’s hitting better than Arroyo based on OPS+, and he’s been league average as a hitter for the last month, including the tough week he’s coming off of. He’s also an excellent defensive 2B. For these reasons, I expected the decision would come down to Arroyo or Benson. Since Arroyo remains, it will be important to get him sufficient playing time to allow his continued development, something I believe will be tough to accomplish for Francona if he rightly prioritizes winning games.
League average for the last month lol. This is where these stats can get silly, who was watching McClain the last month and thinks he has hit the ball well short of a game or 2? Trust your eyeballs. He hurts the team at the plate more than he helps.
@JustinT You may want to see an optometrist. Matt McLain has an wRC+ of 121 in June. As BK notes, his defense adds enough to be the most productive player via WAR this month. These stats as you call them are an accounting of what happened on the field in June.
It’s fine to say you don’t believe he will keep it up, but to say “he’s not getting any better” as stated above is flat wrong.
And stop clowning yourself by deliberately misspelling his name.
BK, misplace reply below.
A McLain apologist calls a realist a clown. I love the humor. Go ahead, tell another one.
A realist recognizes the value of defense.
Yes, that’s what we call a late-inning defensive replacement.
Late inning replacement might be reasonable, depending upon whom he’s replacing, but defensive value isn’t only limited to late innings. Taking Richard’s point a little further, if McLain is relegated to late innings, I’d hope that Arroyo (or whoever is playing 2nd) would produce more value than McLain does.
Only works for Arroyo if he gets a 20 or 30 game tryout at second base.He has nothing to learn by watching or going back to AAA.Benson was a fan favorite because he played hard and what’s not to like about that.He just hasn’t hit for 3 years.
I think Arroyo still needs more ABs against LH pitching in the minors. He’s had 475 PAs against LH pitching so far, and 1,463 against righties. But as a switch-hitter, he needs to learn two swings, and having only 475 PAs hitting right-handed is not enough. (In a tiny sample size of 11 PAs, he has a .482 OPS in Cincinnati hitting RH.) He also chases outside the zone hitting LH more than he should.
So, I think Arroyo still has plenty to learn in AAA.
Arroyo has a higher ceiling than McLain, so the Reds’ goal with Arroyo should be to help him hit that ceiling, and not just win maybe one more game this year, by playing him intermittently in MLB.
McLain is certainly not getting the job done. He looked overmatched last night against Woodruff, but Woodruff is an excellent pitcher. In the long run, though, both the Reds and Arroyo will be better off with Arroyo having more seasoning in the minors. He’s had 1,900+ MiLB plate appearances. Joey Votto had about 3,000 when he came up for good, and Votto didn’t have to learn two swings.
If Arroyo sticks, then they simply have to play him regularly. I suppose for now that they will ease Elly back by having him DH some, which opens some playing time for Arroyo and McLain.
And let’s face it, Suarez and Steer have both been useless for several weeks now, so they might use Arroyo at 3B, especially against RH pitching.
NO. Arroyo does not need to go back to AAA when he has proven beyond a doubt he is a better fielder and much better hitter – with a much better eye – than McLain. I was afraid they’d do the wrong thing AGAIN and send down Arroyo, because this admin’s player development philosophy seems utterly clueless, seemingly intent on crushing the souls of prospects. I applaud Dunn for making it through intact and am hoping Marte can recover.
McLain still needs to be gone. For good.
Just curious as what are the stats for Elly in the minors against left handed hitting? He hasn’t hit lefties in the majors until basically this year.
Interesting. I think that McLain is elite or nearly so at 2nd base. I haven’t seen enough of Arroyo to rate his defense there, but McLain sets a high bar.
One question, Ed, is whether Arroyo will face enough LH pitching in AAA to get a sufficient number of plate appearances. We know the NL Central likes to throw LH vs the Reds, ie turn EDLC around, so Arroyo can see them here. Could be just as prudent to leave him be and get his opportunities in the ML’s.
A second factor is whether the Reds (like me) have decided McLain is no longer the answer at 2B and is best suited as a utility player (and/or to be moved). Even if they want to platoon Arroyo and McLain for a while, the former’s LH bat might offer more than McLain does currently.
If you’d asked me a month ago if we’d be having this discussion in June, I’d have said, No, Sept. But it’s upon us.
@justinT. Richard just stole your lunch money
Good stuff OBE and Dave CT so let me add another factor in about Arroyo.Elly is on record as saying he being Arroyo should have been already been up here when he was called up and that he reminded him of me with me being Elly.Could it be the Reds said nope we aren’t going to send Arroyo down after Elly said that.Benson was an easy second choice and to be honest that should have happened a long long time ago.A roster with 6 outfielders is just bad.
I remember Suarez saying that, after his return from rehab assignment at Louisville.
Elly and Arroyo do have a relationship, though, which was highlighted a bit in 2024 spring training with some jousting over who was the better SS.
That said, I’d think Elly has no influence, and would want none, on personnel decisions. This decision probably reflects Matt McLain’s poor showing much more.
“Let’s start with Will Benson. The 28-year-old outfielder is in his 4th season with the Reds and he’s struggling to hit for the 3rd year in a row.”
Looks like “the cat” is finally running out of lives. Wouldn’t be surprised if he is the next one to go when a 40 man roster spot is needed.
Glad they kept Arroyo up.
HRod is coming on strong.
I would like to see HRod at least get his average over .300 and OPS above 900. I mean everybody who has been recalled or given a chance has done that in a weak league. Yeah Hinds is terrible but even he hit over .300 in that league. Even Friedl last time I checked was over 300.
I became a big Benson fan after that 2023 breakout season, so I hate to see him get sent down. However, maybe he’s goes to L’ville and figures it out. The guy brings a lot of positive energy to the game. Fingers crossed he rebounds!
Satan just slipped on the ice. Good move by the Reds FO. If nothing else, it keeps the pressure on McLain. AND if Arroyo can stick, maybe it renders Hayes irrelevant and he can be moved, for something.
Alternate possibility—if the Reds flounder, they flip Geno at the deadline to a contender and give Hayes his job back?
@SoS, yep that’s certainly a Reds’ FO type move. But, realistically, now that they have Geno, they should hold on to him. Yes, he’s not what he has been in the past, even last year. But, Hayes will never match him even on a down year.
Get rid of both of them. Geno is only getting older and homers will go down and strikeouts go up.
? Get 6-4-3 the – out of 5-1-3
Not familiar with that aphorism, LDS. What’s its meaning? A favorite of mine is: if you sup with Satan, bring a long spoon.
Arroyo needs to play, he brings an energy I haven’t seen lately. Having him sit on the bench while McLain continues to disappoint is non productive.
Like Will Benson, and hopefully he finds his swing again. Will be interesting to see how Francona handles the lineup and playing time. Reds are still in it and anything can happen. Tigers two years ago got hot and into playoffs as did the Guardians last season. I am still hopeful of the Reds winning the next two. The record against this division is mind blowing to me.
Lineup is out. Steer and Mclain on bench to start the game at least.
If only Suarez could sit?
It’ll be interesting to see which one of Benson, Friedl, or Hector Rodriguez is the next call up for the outfield whenever the need arises.
This offensive lineup is essentially at full strength now so it’s time for them to put up or be shipped out. This 10 game stretch starting last night isn’t make or break, but a 2-8 or 1-9 stretch will be a back breaker.
BK, in the last two weeks (half month), however, McLain has had just 5 hits and 6 BBs over 43 plate appearances. That’s good for .139/.279/.194 (OPS .474). I am uncertain whether that qualifies as trending downward in the phalanx of baseball analytics, but it’s not good.
I agree with the opinion of Arroyo needing to play now that’s he’s still here. I think it’ll be interesting how he and McLain are used. If i were making a projection, I’d think it’s a good time to reconsider McLain as a utility player or part time starter. That is actually how he was projected by BA in his last prospect report. Looking ahead more, McLain may have trade value to a team needing a utility player who has solid competencies at short.
The Reds need to follow the blueprint of the Cardinals. They have only 2 players over 30 on their 40 man roster. The 2 are relievers with the Cardinals. Their payroll is under $100M and for next year, they have 2 players with mutual options, which the club usually doesn’t pick up , a player with a club option that the club can decline based on performance and a player that will reach FA. The other 36 are arb or pre arb players. Their payroll will probably be less next year or they will have more to spend on FA if they need to. They are currently 42-34, 5 games ahead of us in the standings and clearly in a better position to make the playoffs. At the deadline, we can try to trade players that would move us in a similar direction. They are trying to create a roster that will have them consistently contending over a longer period of time. The Reds should be doing the exact same thing. Trading away players that will become FAs and players with mutual or club options to try and get younger talent in return. We’ve hit and miss on these type of opportunities in the past. The Naquin-Diehl trade to the Mets for HRod and Acuna is the best example in recent memory. Also have to look at players that are 1-3 years away from FA. Lodolo will become a FA after next season. If he has a good stretch leading up to the deadline, he should also be considered to be moved. We could potentially get a better return this deadline than next when he will be seen as a 2-3 month rental before hitting FA. And lastly, the potential blockbuster trades. Greene with his team friendly contract and EDLC, who will leave in FA. The farther out from FA, the better the haul in return usually. The Reds should at least be listening to what they can get in return for these 2. If it’s a deal that they can’t pass up, move them in these deals. Of course, selling high is the best scenario, but the Reds cannot let Greene and EDLC get to FA without getting something in return. We have held on to players in the past too long and have gotten nothing in return.
I think the Reds are trying to build a consistent winner. I dont think they are that far away. The Cards or Pirates were picked for a losing record and last place by nearly every prognosticator. They have both overachieved and we have underachieved. We can debate the reasons but I suspect we would both have the injured bullpen and lack of offense near the top of our list. The injuries to Pagan and Ashcraft – 2 of our best – were longer term and not addressed other than about 12 guys from Louisville. Obviously that didnt work and cost us at least 5-6 games. I dont put that in the category of building a roster with youth. That could have been rescued by trading for a couple mid level relievers with 3-4 ERAs ….not 10-15 ERAs. No real cost there cause you could unload them in July if you didnt need them. (We would have still needed them.) As for the lack of offense, there was plenty of doubt about the offense of McLain, Benson, Hinds, CES, KeBryan, etc. before the season started. It was our GM who decided to roll with these guys believing that 2025 was an enigma. If he had done the Greene for Buxton trade (rumored) to help out the OF offense, we would be another 2-3 games better, at least for the 1H where Greene has had unforeseen surgery. He still would need one more offensive piece between 2B, 3B, and C. Marte would have worked and would have cost us Arroyo or Duno. But here we are with 2-3 starters hitting 200 ish and complaining about offense. No doubt in my mind that we would be right at the Cards level had we addressed the 2 bullpen injuries, and realized Day 1 the offense was deficient. No rebuild needed in my mind. We got money to pay Buxton, Marte, and a couple bullpen pieces via the export of Suarez, KeBryan, and Lowe. We certainly could get Buxton and Marte (just examples) via Greene, and Arroyo and Petty. Buxton is having an MVP type year and may require more than Greene today but that is the way the cookie crumbles. IMO, we are just a couple solid offensive pieces away from being in 2nd place in the NL Central…..allowing that we would have been responsible and managerial in replacing Pagan and Ashcraft.
I understand your frustration with the past FO decisions. I’m frustrated too. There could have been many different things done this past offseason. I’m looking at the future and what needs to be done from now and it starts at this trade deadline. Moving players in trades and getting back a mix of ML players, near ML prospects and mid- lower level prospects on an annual basis will reduce payroll, make signing journeymen less necessary, build roster flexibility for the Reds and make it more likely to build an annual contender. The way things have been done until now has not fit the frugal spending approach of ownership imo. I really like the way teams like the Rays, Guardians and now Cardinals run their organization. They continuously trade players and win on a consistent basis. Just one man’s opinion
Where I am concerned with the overhaul strategy is what is the definition of the future? 2028? 2029? It is important as far as decisions we make in 2026. Do we mortgage all the 2028-2029 guys for A/AA prospects? We went down this road in 2022-2023 with the payout expected to be 2025-2026. I really don’t think anyone has the appetite for that again.
I just sense we are headed for the same old, same old. We will probably dump some or many of the higher salaries (Pagan, Singer, Suarez, Hayes, Lowe, etc.) in exchange for younger and cheaper players and prospects. You are trading solid and good now for potential higher ceilings 3-4 years from now. And then next winter, you replace the outgoing with a new bunch of modest salary imports. You never get over the hump……until better players arrive from Louisville, or the situation we are in today, you spend a little more to get better talent. In the meantime, you roll the existing 220 hitters and hope for the best. Brilliant!
This transaction speaks volumes about the Reds and their future. Unfortunately, I think it says 1) that McLain is still in their future plans and 2) that there are no active discussions to improve the team via a McLain or Arroyo trade. Basically says that McLain and Arroyo will share a spot and one will be a utility player …..possibly not as good or versatile as Santiago Espinal and his 240 BA. Might also say that Spencer Steer may be spending more time in the OF as our 5th OF. Not good from a defensive perspective.
Last night was one of the more disheartening games I had witnessed as a Reds fan of many years. This wasn’t Cam Schlitter. This was an aged Brandon Woodruff on his first game back from the minors and rehab. 3 rather ordinary backend bullpen guys and 1 journeyman. 2 hits and teen strikeouts again.
This was an extremely important game if we are to put a stake in the ground as a contender over the next 9 games. We absolutely can not lose games where we shut out the Brewers for 9 innings on 3 hits. And lose to the bottom of their batting order with Joey Ortiz, Connor Pratt, and Sal Frelick. Not Yelich, Chourio, Turang, or Contreas. You have to win these type games if you intend to go 6-4 or 7-3 over the next 10. Now 6-3 or 7-2 and Miz and Skenes on the horizon. I am almost ready to conceed the Brewers are a better team than us AGAIN. Who is this on? Has to be Krall and his great prospects who arent that great. It sure looks like another year where we can’t keep up with the Brewers and their prospects. And I cant see anyway that the outlook for 2027 is going to be any different. Sorry – their poor plans or lack of plans just wearing me down.
2-37 vs the division
3-35 lately vs Milw
Tis only a scratch. Its just a flesh wound. The playoffs beckon my good man