It's getting harder for the Reds to justify playing Blake Dunn over this impact bat

It's difficult to understand why Blake Dunn has remained in Cincinnati since Opening Day. Unfortunate injuries and outfield inconsistencies are likely causing Dunn's pitiful performance with the Reds to be overlooked. The 26-year-old outfielder is batting .150 and currently 1-22 since April 26 with 11 strikeouts.

His stay in Cincy has dragged on far too long. The ailing Reds lineup desperately needs help against lefties, and Dunn isn't the man.

The rookie batted .204 against lefties in Triple-A Louisville last season while his former teammate Rece Hinds mashes southpaws. The former Reds top-10 prospect is batting .394 against lefties in Louisville this season, and historically hits them better. Hinds also provides power, which the Reds desperately need. The 24-year-old is top five in home runs, RBI and stolen bases in Triple-A thus far.

The struggling Reds lineup is ranked in the bottom half of the league in homers and RBI in the last 17 days, proving a clear need that Hinds could help fix. The Reds are fifth in strikeouts in 2025 and Hinds' historically high K% kept him in Triple-A the majority of last season, but he's improved. The outfield prospect holds a 29.7 K%, which is near his career low.

Since Hinds is on pace to break career highs in multiple offensive categories, why wouldn't the Reds give him more of a shot? Reds fans were certainly concerned after Tyler Callihan's unfortunate injury, which prompted the team to recall Jacob Hurtubise, who's hitting .194 and consistently batting 9th in Louisville. This promotion over Hinds was disrespectful, but he ended up getting the nod when Noelvi Marte went down. And he delivered, hitting the go-ahead home run on Thursday night before the Reds blew it.

Dunn earned his roster spot after posting a .340/.404/.574 slash line in spring training, but it's time for a demotion for him when the rest of the roster gets healthy. Other than leading MLB in HBP, he hasn't contributed much. Even his blazing speed (99th percentile) has only produced one stolen base (followed by some controversy on Thursady night). Hinds' high ceiling is what the Reds need, especially after scoring 2 or less runs 12 times since April 1.

It's been feast or famine for a mediocre offense, and change is necessary. Dominant pitching has led the 2025 Reds through tough times in the early going, but that won't hold forever. If the Reds front office is serious about winning this season, they'll take risks and give Hinds another shot. After all, he produced the best first week in MLB history last July. That's gotta count for something.