Can Noelvi Marte Provide Spark the Reds Desperately Need?
The 2024 season is not quite half over, but it’s already gut check time for the Cincinnati Reds.
Just when it appeared the club had new life after an ugly month of May, the pendulum of momentum has swung back in the other direction and has David Bell’s club staring down the likely possibility of a lost season.
Cincinnati's seven game winning streak that had them knocking on the door to a .500 record—
and even briefly clinging to a National League wildcard spot—has been squandered by four consecutive series losses.
Three of them to divisional opponents with a critical four game set against the St. Louis Cardinals getting underway Thursday night at Busch Stadium.
To make matters worse, the losses are starting to pile up beyond the standings.
Nick Lodolo found himself on the injured list after developing a poorly located blister on his left
hand, just days after Brandon Williamson suffered a setback in his recovery from a left shoulder sprain.
The good news is that Lodolo is expected to be activated almost as soon as he’s eligible and that’s just about the extent of the good news on the injury front.
TJ Friedl has hit the injured list for the third time this year after suffering a hamstring strain. He’ll remain there for at least the next two weeks before he’s re-evaluated according to the Enquirer’s Charlie Goldsmith.
The incredibly bizarre saga of Christian Encarnacion-Strand and his injured wrist took a turn for the worst this week. The Reds’ infielder has opted for surgery to repair the damage and is likely done for the year.
Thankfully Tyler Stephenson was able to avoid a stint on the injured list after taking a few games
off with an undisclosed injury.
He was back in the lineup on Wednesday, but Jake Fraley and Jeimer Candelario were not. Both missed the game with leg injuries. Fraley left due to a contusion, Candelario left with hamstring tendonitis. Bell was even more shorthanded than usual against the Pirates.
After an offseason chock full of stories about how deep the Reds roster was heading into spring training, that depth has been tested time and again. Nick Martini, Santiago Espinal, Levi Jordan, Livan Soto and Stuart Fairchild all made their way into the lineup on Wednesday. None of those guys were locks to make the roster in spring training.
The results were what you’d expect. Those five hitters combined to go 2-for-15 in a 6-1 loss to Pittsburgh. Although, to be fair, no one outside of a white hot Jonathan India did any damage at the plate.
The Reds desperately need a spark. They need something to go the organization’s way. They need Noelvi Marte to be the catalyst to saving a season that started off with promise
and playoff ambitions.
In 35 games last year, Marte emerged as arguably the best hitter in a crop of talented young prospects for the Reds. A future All-Star bat in the middle of Bell’s lineup. Marte slashed .316/.366/.456 with three home runs, 15 runs batted in, six stolen bases and he still boasts an active 16-game hitting streak.
The optimism surrounding Marte and his contributions to a contending club in 2024 took a major hit in March when he was suspended 80-games by MLB after he tested positive for a banned anabolic-androgenic steroid.
“It just appeared in my system,” Marte told beat writers earlier this month through interpreter Jorge Merlos. “I really don’t know how it came about, unfortunately.”
Whether or not the 22 year-old is telling the truth is honestly irrelevent. What’s done is done. Now it’s all about how Marte responds. Can he keep himself clean and avoid taking another step toward a life-time ban? Can he build off the impressive start he had to his big league career in 2023?
This is a Reds team that needs Marte to hit the ground running.
The organization and fans may want to temper their expectations. Marte struggled to get his timing down while rehabbing at Triple-A Louisville. In 12 games for the Bats he slashed .151/.151/.170, while striking out in over 28-percent of his plate appearances.
He’s also been handed the tough draw of returning to the team on the road. Playing his first four games back in front of a potentially unforgiving St. Louis Cardinals’ fanbase.
Even if Marte doesn’t hit right away, he does offer Bell some much needed roster flexibility.
Noelvi should be penciled in as the starting third baseman everyday moving forward, allowing Jeimer Candelario a greater chance to play through his troubling tendonitis by getting more starts at first base and as the designated hitter.
"We can’t wait to have him, not only as a player but the human being he is. He always has a smile and a good atmosphere. A great kid who likes to work," Candelario told MLB.com’s Mark Sheldon.
The return of Marte to the lineup could also allow Spencer Steer to be used in the outfield more frequently. It's an area where the Reds’ offense really needs a boost, especially with Friedl out of action for the next few weeks and Fraley battling his own injury problems.
The Reds were hoping Will Benson would take the next step this year. He has all the athletic tools to be a great player, but the results just haven’t been there.
Bell remains confident in his abilities, but it’s not as though he’s had much of a choice with the Reds’ depth issues at the position. Benson was given a mental day of rest on Wednesday after collecting just one hit since June 8.
Marte's return is not going to be enough to fill the Reds’ current roster holes, but he represents the lone in-house candidate to help turn things around in the immediate future.
The expanded playoff format is likely to keep the Reds within striking distance of a wild card spot, but with Matt McLain not expected to return to the lineup until late August at the earliest, President of Baseball Operations Nick Krall is likely going to have to add pieces ahead of the trade deadline to keep Cincinnati in contention.
Between now and then, it’s up to the pieces the Reds currently have in the clubhouse to battle through the upcoming dog days of Summer.
RICK UCCHINO
Rick is a lifelong Cincinnatian and his media career in the Queen City has spanned more than 15 years. He has been a news anchor and talk show host for iHeartRadio Cincinnati for the last decade, covering local and national politics, the Reds, Bengals, FC Cincinnati and the University of Cincinnati Bearcats. He's also spent the past several years on the professional wrestling beat, for a number of outlets. Rick is a former student of WWE\WCW Cruiserweight Jimmy Wang Yang and even has a couple of matches under his belt. Sadly, back issues (among a myriad of other reasons) keeps him out of the ring these days. When he’s not working, Rick enjoys spending his precious free time with his wife and their two adorable children. And the occasional round of golf.