Cincinnati Reds: 3 players on the hot seat heading into the 2021 season

1. Aristides Aquino, Reds outfielder

It may be a bit unfair to say that Aristides Aquino is on the hot seat heading into the 2021 season given that he only lost his job in right field last season due to the opportunistic signing of Nick Castellanos. However, thee bottomline is, Aquino needs to prove this season that he belongs in the big leagues and isn’t just a one-trick pony.

Aquino burst onto the scene in August of 2019 following the trade of Yasiel Puig to the Cleveland Indians. Aquino, who’d been punishing baseballs at Triple-A Louisville throughout the 2019 season, brought that same level of performance to the Cincinnati Reds during his first full month in the major leagues.

Aquino hit his first big league homer on August 3, 2019 and didn’t look back. The Punisher hit .320/.391/.767 with 14 homers and 33 RBIs in August of 2019 and took home the Player of the Month honors. Unfortunately, for Aristides Aquino, the league figured him out and he’s failed to adjust.

During the month of September, Aquino hit just .196/.236/.382 with five home runs and 14 RBIs. Combined with his statistics from 2020, Aquino is 28-for-149 (.187) with just seven round trippers. Given the crowded Reds outfield, Aquino is going to have to make the most of his opportunities in 2021.

The Reds are likely to trot out Nick Castellanos, Nick Senzel, and Jesse Winker on a regular basis with Shogo Akiyama seeing time all over the outfield. When Aquino gets his opportunities, whether starting or coming off the bench, he must excel or he’ll find himself back at Triple-A Louisville.