The Cincinnati Reds Opening Day Injury Situation is Better This Year

Reds in better spot for this Opening Day than last year

Cincinnati Reds infielder Matt McLain (9) during the annual team picture day at the Cincinnati Reds Player Development Complex in Goodyear, Ariz., on Tuesday, Feb. 18, 2025. / Sam Greene/The Enquirer / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Cincinnati Reds have had a couple of unfavorable injury updates over the past week. Is this situation worse than last year’s, though?

The Reds will hit Opening Day with Tyler Stephenson (oblique), Austin Hays (calf), Andrew Abbott (shoulder), Rhett Lowder (elbow), and Alexis Diaz (hamstring) on the IL. Not to mention a few players who will miss all of the season due to Tommy John Surgery in Brandon Williamson, Julian Aguiar, and Tejay Antone.

No one can blame a Reds fan for being jaded when it comes to any sort of injury news, but I would urge you to consider the IL picture for Opening Day last year.

Matt McLain, TJ Friedl, Nick Lodolo, Brandon Williamson, Ian Gibaut, Sam Moll, and Alex Young were all on the shelf. Add in the suspension to should’ve been third baseman Noelvi Marte and the Reds were down quite a lot.

I think with some perspective, we can see that the Reds are in a better place than last year at this time, when looking at this injury situation. Many see the names on this year's list and believe it to be a reason that they will have another disappointing season. I don't buy that.

Of the players currently on the shelf who didn’t get Tommy John, the longest we can currently expect anyone to be out is a month. That is speculating a short IL stint for Hays.

Compared to last year, that is a gift. McLain never played, Friedl was limited to 85 games, and Lodolo started just 21 games (or about 2/3 of what we can expect from a healthy starter). You’d be forgiven if you forgot the two innings that Gibaut pitched last year (I had to look it up to make sure he actually did) which made Moll the healthiest of the bunch.

On top of who is hurt is who is not, this year. McLain is healthy and just hit a three-run homer to the opposite field in Dayton on Tuesday night. Christian Encarnacion-Strand has looked strong this spring and is ready to prove his scouting report was not a fluke. Friedl is healthy and ready to lead off, and Lodolo looks strong and ready to go.

The Reds can weather the current injury storm and remain on course for a winning season.