One Reds roster spot suddenly looks far less secure after adding Nathaniel Lowe

With Nathaniel Lowe now in the Cincinnati Reds clubhouse, there's a fascinating competition brewing for their final bench spot between outfielders Will Benson and JJ Bleday.

Lowe is on a minor-league deal, so there's no guarantee he cracks the Reds Opening Day roster. But as a former Gold Glove winner and a righty-mashing mentor for Sal Stewart, he's probably got an inside track on one of the bench jobs.

Assuming the same is true for backup catcher Jose Trevino and fourth outfielder Dane Myers — a specialist at crushing left-handed pitching — that will leave Benson and Bleday to duke it out in spring training. So, which of those left-handed hitting outfielders will win the competition?

Nathaniel Lowe's arrival creates competition between JJ Bleday, Will Benson for final Reds bench spot

Part of Lowe's appeal to the roster (beyond his championship experience) is that he'll allow Spencer Steer to focus exclusively on playing second base and left field, the latter of which figures to be his primary starting spot in 2026. If that's the case — and assuming Myers does indeed break camp with the team — the role of Bleday or Benson would be to fill in against difficult right-handed pitchers for either Steer or Noelvi Marte.

And truthfully, that's a role that would suit either player just fine. Bleday has a .660 OPS against southpaws in his career, while Benson is sitting at an even uglier .495 OPS.

Between the two, Benson is a far better defender, having accrued -6 Outs Above Average (OAA) and -2 Defensive Runs Saved (DRS) through more than 2,300 career innings in the outfield. Bleday, meanwhile, has been responsible for -17 OAA and -38 DRS in his 3,144 frames of work.

But it's a different story in the batters' box, where the Reds' incumbent owns a career 93 wRC+ (101 vs. right-handed pitchers). On the other hand, Bleday was signed specifically for his bat; his 99 wRC+ (103 vs. righties) doesn't fully acknowledge the tremendous upside he showed in a 20-homer campaign in 2024.

If it comes down to a tiebreaker, Benson is the bigger threat on the base paths (37 career steals compared to Bleday's 12), though in truth he may win the job because of Lowe's presence anyway. The 30-year-old first baseman owns a career .266/.351/.437 (121 wRC+) against right-handed pitchers, and it remained a blue-chip skill for him even in a down year in 2025.

Seeing as Myers will be relegated to the short side of a platoon and is more or less a league-average defender, the Reds' need for better glove work could lead to them favoring Benson over Bleday. Since both have an option year remaining, though, expect this roster battle to be won or lost in spring training.