3 Reds players who are forcing tough questions nobody wanted to answer this soon

The Cincinnati Reds are off to a fine start in 2026, and yet, the fanbase seems somewhat disappointed. While it's difficult to look at an 8-5 record through the first two weeks as anything other than a success, those Reds fans who are a bit disgruntled have a point.

The Reds pitching staff — though there's been a few hiccups along the way — has been outstanding to begin the year. Cincinnati's rotation is without both Hunter Greene and Nick Lodolo, but the starting staff still owns a respectable 3.88 ERA. The Reds' bullpen (2.66 ERA) has been even better.

But the Reds offense has failed to produce. Cincinnati's run differential (-9) is the lowest among any team with a winning record. In other words, the Reds have allowed more runs than they've scored, but are still three games above .500 on the season. It'll be difficult to maintain a winning record if the bats don't pick up the pace.

How much longer can TJ Friedl bat leadoff for the Reds?

TJ Friedl has gotten off to a slow start. The season is barely two weeks old, so it's much too soon to panic. But Friedl's struggles — both in the outfield and in the batter's box — will have Reds fans on edge about his role moving forward.

It's been painfully obvious that Friedl lacks the physical tools to be an effective centerfielder. He's clearly lost a step and his arm is just average. Terry Francona's early substitution patterns would seem to indicate that he's aware of those shortcomings, which is why Dane Myers is seeing considerable time in center field. It's also why Noelvi Marte was receiving reps there this spring.

But more problematic than Friedl's defensive limitations have been his failures at the plate. Through the first two weeks of the season, he's hitting just .167/.286/.167. That last number is arguably the biggest problem. Friedl has eight hits on the year and they've all been singles. If he doesn't start racking up some extra-base hits, Francona may have to remove him from the leadoff spot.

Is Ke'Bryan Hayes' defense enough to keep him in the Reds lineup?

Ke'Bryan Hayes is arguably the best defender in all of baseball. He's also arguably the worst hitter in all of baseball. Is Hayes' outstanding defense enough to offset his poor performance at the dish? This is a question that's already being asked, and we're not even 15 games into the season.

But it's a fair question. Hayes has played in 10 games this season and he's already worth 2 defensive runs saved (DRS) and 2 outs above average (OAA). By the end of the year, it's a good bet that he will lead all third baseman — and perhaps all MLB players — in one or both categories.

But Hayes is hitting just .097 with a -30 wRC+. He has just three hits on the year, and all of them are singles. At some point, that superb defense won't be able to override Hayes' putrid offensive performance. The Reds need Hayes to give them something (anything) out of the No. 9 spot in the lineup, otherwise fans might see a lot more of Eugenio Suárez at the hot corner as the season progresses.

Should the Reds send Noelvi Marte back to the minor leagues?

At this point, it's fair to wonder why Noelvi Marte is still on the Reds active roster. Maybe they're just waiting for his bobblehead promotion to pass this week before optioning the 24-year-old back to Triple-A. Marte's hitting just .150/.227/.150 and has only started eight games this season. Moreover, he's striking out nearly 40% of the time.

Even more curious has been the Reds' strategy to insert him into the starting lineup against left-handed pitching. Francona acknowledged Marte's shortcomings against southpaws during spring training, and even cited it as a reason fans shouldn't expect to see him slotted between Friedl and Elly De La Cruz in the lineup.

Marte should not be viewed as a platoon player, but with the way the Reds roster has been constructed, that's how he's being used. With players like Rece Hinds and Blake Dunn — either of whom would be great platoon options alongside Will Benson in right field — hitting the cover off the ball in the minor leagues, the most logical step seems to be sending Marte down to Triple-A to get things right.