1 Reds player whose playing time is sure to increase in 2023

The Cincinnati Reds allowed several young players to receive playing time during the lost season that was 2022. Spencer Steer, Fernando Cruz, and TJ Friedl all received a favorable number of opportunities last season.

However, there are a handful of players who probably deserve some more playing time heading into the 2023 season, one of which is outfielder Stuart Fairchild.

Fairchild was actually drafted by the Cincinnati Reds in the second-round of the 2017 MLB Draft, but was traded to the Arizona Diamondbacks along with Josh VanMeter during the 2020 season. Fairchild made his way back to the Queen City via waiver claim and found a nice niche to close out the 2022 campaign.

Reds OF Stuart Fairchild is sure to receive more playing time in 2023.

Stuart Fairchild began the 2022 season with the Arizona Diamondbacks, but was designated for assignment on April 19th and eventually traded to the Seattle Mariners for cash considerations. But after less than a month, Fairchild was DFA'd again and traded to the San Francisco Giants.

After being designated for assignment for a third time in three months, Fairchild finally found a home with the Reds in mid-June. After about a month in the minors, Fairchild was recalled to the major leagues and hit his first major league home run in his first plate appearance with the Reds.

In 38 games that saw him gather 86 at-bats, Fairchild hit .279/.374/.523 with five home runs, and OPS+ of 141, and wRC+ of 146 according to FanGraphs.

Stuart Fairchild also showed off speed on the base paths and above-average defense in the outfield. The 26-year-old is not an everyday player by any stretch of the imagination, but with the left-handed hitting duo of Jake Fraley and TJ Friedl, the right-handed hitting Fairchild could form a nice platoon in the outfield next season.