Cincinnati Reds: Dilson Herrera is getting chances, but he’s not capitalizing

The Cincinnati Reds were criticized for not giving Dilson Herrera a chance to play more often. He’s now had that chance but hasn’t made the most of it.

Dilson Herrera was brought up to the big leagues back on July 6th. Herrera’s played in 31 games for the Cincinnati Reds since being called up but has yet to make the most of his opportunity. Outside of a game-winning on July 23rd against the St. Louis Cardinals, Herrera’s bat has been pretty quiet.

When Herrera was called up from Triple-A Louisville, it was understood that his starts at his primary position, second base, would be few and far between. After all, Scooter Gennett had been hitting the cover off the ball and still is. One of the three Reds All-Stars, Gennett is having a career year hitting .310 with 19 home runs and 75 RBIs with a .358 on-base percentage.

Of late, Reds interim manager Jim Riggleman has tried Herrera at a variety of different positions. Two days last week, Herrera manned the hot corner at third base while Jose Peraza and Eugenio Suarez each received a day off.

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Riggleman has also given Herrera some time in left field, as he did last Sunday against the San Francisco Giants and just yesterday against the Chicago Cubs. Though not an outfielder by trade, putting Herrera in left gives Riggleman a chance to get another right-handed bat in the lineup.

Herrera’s calling card isn’t so much his defense, he’s an average fielder at best. It’s his work at the plate. Herrera, who came to the Reds in the trade that sent Jay Bruce to the New York Mets, has been referred to as a “professional hitter” by Riggleman. Unfortunately for Herrera and the Reds, we haven’t seen much of that since he’s been called up.

In 49 at-bats, Herrera is hitting .184 with a .286 on-base percentage. When he’s in the starting lineup, he’s usually batting eighth. Herrera has 3 home runs and 6 RBIs on the season. He’s walked only 6 times (8% of his plate appearances) while striking out 21 times (43% of his at-bats).

In Herrera’s 10 starts, he’s 6-of-32 (.186) with only 1 RBI. Those kinds of numbers will not keep you in the starting lineup, and with September call-ups right around the corner, Herrera may see his playing time squeezed even more.

Dilson Herrera is not alone. Brandon Dixon and Preston Tucker have both done very little to prove their worth heading into the 2019 season. Phillip Ervin, on the other hand, has shown what can happen if you excel when given the opportunity. Herrera has another month to the show the Cincinnati Reds that he can be a big part of the team in 2019.