Cincinnati Reds: How the outfield looks after roster shakeup
Apr. 15—When Cincinnati Reds outfielder Rece Hinds met with manager Terry Francona and general manager Brad Meador at the start of spring training, Hinds stressed that he has more standout tools than the elite raw power that he has displayed previously in the big leagues. He told them that he had been working to become an elite defender.
The Reds were optimistic about Hinds entering 2026 because of the power, speed and strength that he brought to the table. But in just about every area, especially on defense, he had to become more consistent. McCoy: Reds survive on power and pitching in 2-1 victory over Giants Hinds showed enough in spring training that he nearly made the team.
He ended up opening the season in Triple-A, but his growth encouraged the Reds to call him up two weeks into the season to give him a shot to show what he can do. "It's a different Rece," Hinds said. "I've always tried to prove to someone else that I'm this player.
Over the past year, I've proven I'm an all-around player. " Last Monday, the Reds optioned Noelvi Marte to Triple-A and called up Hinds. Marte was one of the Reds' most important players in 2025.
But this year, he was struggling badly with pitch selection and hit . 138. "When it comes to decision- making and specifically in Marte's case, with the ability to play every day, you can give so much more feedback of what you swung at today knowing you'll be in the lineup the next day," hitting coach Chris Valaika said.