It’s Spencer Steer’s chance to salvage optimism for the Cincinnati Reds

Jonathan India and Tyler Stephenson have, by all accounts, had lost seasons due to injuries wrecking their would-be routines. Nick Senzel has been healthy (!!), but he’s performed about as poorly as one could hope given that he’s finally been able to suit up every day.

Jose Barrero struck out while typing this, while each of Hunter Greene and Graham Ashcraft are stuck on the injured list, too. Joey Votto, meanwhile, just had his entire body stitched back together.

To say this already transitional year for the Cincinnati Reds has been an abject disaster might be discounting things, really. They’ve managed to flip pieces and re-stock the farm, yes, but along the way they have learned next to nothing concrete about what the next wave of Reds and would-be Reds can accomplish at the big league level despite this entire season being mostly devoted on-paper for just that.

Enter Spencer Steer, perhaps the top piece pried from the Minnesota Twins at the deadline in the deal that sent Tyler Mahle to the north. The versatile infielder and former 3rd round pick bashed his way up the prospect lists for the Twins, mashed his way into the All-Star Futures Game, and kept right on bonking balls all over the yard when assigned to AAA Louisville post-trade. With the roster expansion given to teams as the calendar turned to September, Steer has earned his call-up with the Reds, and will officially get the chance to play the role of ‘at least he looks like he can mash for the next few years as the Reds get outta this rebuild’ for the remainder of the 2022 season.

Steer will hit 7th tonight in his big league debut, doing so as the 3B despite having the ability to play just about everywhere on the diamond. The Reds welcome lefty Kyle Freeland and the Colorado Rockies to town to open a weekend series, and will send reliever-turned-rescue-starter Luis Cessa to the bump to open it. First pitch tonight is set for 6:40 PM ET.

Welcome, Spencer. No pressure.

Reds Lineup

Rockies Lineup