Disturbing Reds lineup decision reeks of front office meddling or managerial lunacy

Thankfully Santiago Espinal was back at third base on Tuesday night, but the Cincinnati Reds had taken an interesting strategy of late. Sunday's series finale against the Pittsburgh Pirates at PNC Park and Monday's return to Great American Ball Park against the Oakland A's both saw Espinal starting in right field.

Espinal has certainly earned the increase in playing time. The Reds' offseason acquisition has arguably been Cincinnati's best player for the past month. Espinal maintains an incredibly low strikeout rate, consistently puts the ball in play, and is a fine infielder defender. So why in the world are the Reds sending Espinal into the game as an outfielder?

Prior to this season, Espinal had never logged a single major league inning in the outfield, and yet David Bell has now reshuffled his lineup and moved the 29-year-old to a position he's never played. In the meantime, Cincinnati is encircling Elly De La Cruz with the below-average defensive efforts of Jonathan India and Noelvi Marte. What is going on?

Why is Santiago Espinal in the Reds' outfield?

Wasn't India supposed to be transitioning to the outfield this year? Back in February, India said, "I'll show my versatility, and it helps me in free agency, and it helps me down the road." Bell had plans to move India all over the diamond, including first, second, and third base as well as left field. What happened to that plan?

Of course, the injury to Matt McLain and Marte's suspension happened. That flipped the idea of India being a utility player and instead thrust him into the role of everyday second baseman. But according to Fielding Bible, India grades out as the second-worst defender on the Reds with -10 defensive runs saved (DRS). Since making his big league debut in 2021, India is worth -31 DRS. Yikes!

Marte hasn't been much better with -5 DRS this season. The rookie has also made a number of errors throughout his first 41 games. Marte was 10 miscues and a fielding percentage of .894. That's absolutely atrocious and there's no reason that Marte should be logging time at the hot corner (in the major leagues) while Espinal is on the roster.

Is the Reds' front office meddling in David Bell's business?

Getting Marte out of the everyday lineup and giving India more reps as the team's designated hitter seems like a no-brainer to most Reds fans, right? So why isn't Bell making these ridiculous lineup decisions? Though some will argue that Bell doesn't know what he's doing, the man has been around the game of baseball since he was a child. While he may not say it during interviews, he's knows what he sees on the field.

Are these decisions coming from the top down? This feels like a situation where Bell wants to reward Espinal for his play, and yet Nick Krall and Reds front office want to see more of Marte at the hot corner. If that's the case, it's a recipe for disaster.

The Reds need to stop these shenanigans and put Marte on the bench or send him back to the minor leagues to receive regular at-bats. Espinal can then supplant Marte as the Reds everyday third baseman and sparingly give India a break from the keystone. Regardless of the reason, this foolish iteration of the Reds' lineup needs to go away. At least Tuesday's lineup offered a return to normalcy.

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