The 2 most productive hitters are not even regulars in the Reds lineup

The Cincinnati Reds were active at the trade deadline. The front office not only dealt the team's two best starting pitchers, but also the Reds' best hitter. Brandon Drury, who was having a career-year, was traded to the San Diego Padres earlier this month.

David Bell is also without his starting catcher (Tyler Stephenson) and first baseman (Joey Votto), both of whom are out for the remainder of the 2022 season. But the Reds also traded Tyler Naquin and Tommy Pham.

Who is the Reds active leader in home runs? It's Jonathan India with eight. The team's RBI leader without Drury in the organization is Kyle Farmer (54). While fans have bemoaned the Cincinnati bullpen this season, and rightfully so, the Reds rank above only the Miami Marlins and Pittsburgh Pirates in OPS this season.

Donovan Solano and Jake Fraley are the Reds' best hitters.

When you look at who the best hitters are in the Cincinnati Reds lineup, the strange thing is that neither is an everyday player. Donovan Solano, because of the all the injuries and recent trades may be considered a regular in the Cincinnati lineup now, but that was not the intention prior to the start of the season.

Solano was on the IL for over two months while he was recovering from a hamstring injury. It was a little surprising to not see the infielder dealt at the trade deadline. But it would've been awful to think of what the Reds lineup would like without the veteran. Solano is the team's only active players with a batting average over .300 and an OPS over .800.

Jake Fraley has seen more playing time of late, but it's still not accurate to call him a regular. If there's a left-hander on the hill for the opposition, Fraley will be subbed out for either Aristides Aquino or Albert Almora Jr. But, when he's in the lineup, Fraley has been raking. Since returning from the IL, Fraley is hitting .370/.423/.674 with four home runs and nine RBIs.

Donovan Solano and Jake Fraley are the only two players on the entire Cincinnati Reds roster with an OPS+ above 100. What does that mean? Unfortunately, any OPS+ less than 100 is considered below league average. The next closer Reds player is Kyle Farmer with an OPS+ of 92.