Spencer Steer and the Cincinnati Reds got some bad news on Friday. The infielder/outfielder was re-examined on Friday in Phoenix and found out that he would miss the remainder of the 2026 season, as first reported by Gordon Wittenmyer of the Cincinnati Enquirer.
While Steer will miss the rest of the season he does not yet know if he is going to need surgery or not to have his wrist repaired. Wittenmyer’s reporting says that decision will likely come in another few weeks when another exam to check in on the wrist takes place.
Back in late July Spencer Steer tore the sheath in his right wrist. The tear wasn’t a full tear, so the hope was and is that it would heal itself without the need for surgery.
If the season is truly over for Spencer Steer, he will finish the season with a .238 batting average, a .319 on-base percentage, and a .421 slugging percentage. In his 98 games played he added in 14 doubles and 16 home runs. His slash line is nearly identical to what he put up in 2025 where he also hit .238, but had a .312 on-base percentage and a .411 slugging percentage. Steer played in 146 games that season, though, and had 21 doubles, two triples, and 21 home runs in what was a longer season for him.
Hope he can heal soon but if he needs surgery to repair his wrist it could be in a reasonable time so he will be able to recover and get ready for 2027 (supposing there will be some baseball next year). Maybe he could play a month in Triple-A as rehabbing if a stoppage arises…
He will not be playing in the minor leagues if there’s a lockout. 40-man roster players can’t play during a lockout.
Question for you Doug. Obviously we don’t know what is going to happen yet with the CBA negotiations. If there is indeed a lockout in the MLB will minor league games still be played as normal?
If minor leagues get to play during a strike, you boys be careful driving south on I-71 to Louisville. Remember Will Benson, Noelvi Marte, and Chase Petty?
Big loss for Reds. His 1B/2B/OF versatility was valuable.
This is a shame but hopefully Spencer can get the treatment he needs to be ready to go next Spring.
Cursed season.
Before the season began, I said something like “If the Reds are going to have any chance of competing, they are going to need to be very lucky in the health department.”
I would say that definitely did NOT happen. But counting on your team to remain almost totally healthy in order to compete is also likely to fail more times than not.
Either way, hope Steer can bounce back from this. He’s a dependable, solid player.
A lot of even devoted fans seem to underrate Steer’s importance to the team. Just look at how they’ve played since he’s been out.
Steer needs to get his wrist fixed and hopefully the Reds sign him for next year.
As someone who had a sheath surgery I can tell you at best he’ll get back to 85-75 % of what it was before … it isn’t painful but it’s much more tight and rigid once repaired.