It only took one red-hot week for Spencer Steer to change the Reds playoff outlook

Cincinnati Reds first baseman Spencer Steer has been on the quite the heater of late. After a horrendous start to his 2025 season, Steer appears to have finally turned the corner. Over the past seven games, Steer is hitting .481/.483/.852 with three home runs, seven RBI, and two stolen bases.

Though he won't get credited with the walk-off winner in Sunday's come-from-behind victory over the San Diego Padres, it was Steer's RBI knock in the bottom of the ninth inning that tied the game and helped propel Cincinnati to the 3-2 win.

Steer has been red-hot for the past week, but his bat had been picking up steam since the calendar flipped to June. Since the month began, Steer has posted a .315/.333/.543 slash line with five homers, 15 RBI, and a 135 wRC+. Steer's presence in the middle of the lineup is a huge reason for the Reds' recent turnaround and has Cincinnati squarely in the middle of the playoff race.

Spencer Steer's red-hot bat has helped to change the Reds playoff outlook

It was TJ Friedl who helped keep the Reds afloat in May, but over the last 30 days, Cincinnati's centerfielder has fallen on hard times. Friedl is hitting just .237 with a .728 OPS over the last month after having posted a .344/.451/.505 slash line in May. Thankfully, Steer has picked up the slack, and along with Elly De La Cruz, has been leading the Reds' offense for the past month.

Steer has been shuffled up and down the batting order, as high as No. 4 and as a low as No. 7 over the past week. But no matter where the 27-year-old finds himself — in the lineup or on the field — he's been producing.

Steer got off the blocks extremely slowly at the start of the 2025 season. A shoulder injury during spring training limited his ability to even get on field while the team was at Goodyear, and Steer was only able to act as Cincinnati's DH once the season got underway. Steer spoke about his struggles to be a bat-only player during an appearance on the Jim Day Podcast, and his return to the field as the Reds' first baseman seemed to reenergize him.

But Steer's performance over the past week is something entirely different, and Reds fans are hopeful it continues once the calendar turns to July. Cincinnati has won six of their last seven series and their playoff odds have nearly doubled over the last seven days.

According to FanGraphs, the Reds have a 16% chance of making the postseason after seeing just an 8.1% chance to play October baseball back on June 23. The Reds are heating up at just the right time, and Steer's red-hot week has them in prime position to make some noise going forward.

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