One Reds player is testing the team’s patience in all the wrong ways

Christian Encarnacion-Strand has no plate discipline. The Cincinnati Reds slugger returned to the lineup after a prolonged stint on the injured list and, at first, looked as though he could be the answer to the team's offensive woes. But after seven games, Reds fans are seeing clear signs that Encarnacion-Strand belongs at the bottom of the batting order, not the top.

Encarnacion-Strand returned to the Reds on June 6 and gave the club exactly what they needed — some pop from the right side. During the team's three-game sweep of the Arizona Diamondbacks, Encarnacion-Strand went 7-for-13 with four extra-base hits, including three home runs.

In the four games since, however, Encarnacion-Strand is just 2-for-18 and is swinging wildly at pitches that are sometimes more than a foot off of the plate. Both of Encarnacion-Strand's hits over the past four contests have been singles and he's struck out eight times without drawing a walk.

Christian Encarnacion-Strand is testing the Reds' patience in all the wrong ways

This is nothing new for Encarnacion-Strand. Prior to his placement on the IL, Encarnacion-Strand was hitting just .158/.183/.298. While his 21.7% strikeout over those 60 plate appearances wasn't horrible, his 1.7% walk rate was. He struck out 13 times during that 15-game stretch and only drew one walk. Obviously Reds fans aren't expecting Encarnacion-Strand to mimic the plate discipline of former first baseman Joey Votto, but a little patience at the plate would be appreciated.

Because of his limited number of appearances, Encarnacion-Strand's 46.8% chase rate doesn't rank among qualified MLB hitters, but he'd be among the worst in league according to Baseball Savant with only Lenyn Sosa (48.2% chase rate) coming in ahead of him. Reds fans often cite Elly De La Cruz's lack of discipline in the batters' box, but his 26.7% chase rate is miles ahead of Encarnacion-Strand.

During Friday's game against the Detroit Tigers, Encarnacion-Strand went 1-for-5 with two strikeouts and his first two at-bats were noncompetitive. The Reds already have a void atop their lineup with Santiago Espinal occupying the No. 2 spot in the batting order, and can't afford for their cleanup hitter to be another blackhole.

Encarnacion-Strand has the potential to be an impact bat in the middle of the lineup, but the Reds slugger must take a more patient approach at the dish. Reds manager Terry Francona is struggling to find the right mix at the top of the lineup with Austin Hays on the IL, and perhaps Encarnacion-Strand is better suited to be hitting sixth or seventh until he cuts down on the strikeouts.

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