2 Reds players moving up the depth chart and 2 moving down

With this year's Cincinnati Reds roster, the depth chart is going to be ever-changing. One week, a certain player may be riding a hot streak only to fall into a slump just a few days later. That's baseball.

Just last year, Brandon Drury used a hot-start to propel him to a career-year and land a multi-year contract the Los Angeles Angels this past winter. TJ Friedl needed a reset in Triple-A after a rough start to begin his 2022 campaign got him sent back to the minors after about month-and-a-half in the big leagues.

After starting the season at 4-5, it may be a good time to take a look at which two players are moving up the depth chart, and which two players are tumbling down. Seeing as how several Reds players are currently rehabbing in Triple-A, if you're in the latter category, you should be worried.

Reds outfielder TJ Friedl is moving up the depth chart.

Speaking of TJ Friedl, the outfielder isn't off to a slow start in 2023. Friedl has been, arguably, the Cincinnati Reds best player since Opening Day. The strikeouts have been a little higher than you'd like to see, but other than that, there's not much to complain about. Friedl is 10-for-32 with four extra-base hits.

Friedl has had success, not just against right-handed pitching, but manager David Bell is giving the 27-year-old at-bats against southpaws as well. Friedl has consistently been batting just behind leadoff hitter Jonathan India when there's a right-hander on the bump and further down in the lineup when a left-hander is toeing the rubber.

Not only has Friedl showed off some power, but he's also been extremely sneaking and laid down a few bunt base hits as well. This combination has to be nightmarish for opposing mangers, as it's nearly impossbile to game-plan for a hitter like Friedl.

TJ Friedl was a fringe roster player prior to spring training, but has turned himself into a rather indespinnsable piece of this year's team. Friedl has surged up the depth chart and will things tough on Nick Senzel to find an everyday role when he returns from the IL.

Reds outfielder Will Benson is moving down the depth chart.

Just because Will Benson hasn't yet lived up to the hype doesn't mean that the Cincinnati Reds made a bad trade earlier this year. The Reds received Benson in exchange for pitcher Steve Hajjar and outfield prospect Justin Boyd. However, Benson's slow start could spell a trip to Triple-A for the 24-year-old outfielder.

Benson has some loud tools. The left-handed hitter has plenty of pop and great speed. Fans also saw Benson make a tremendous defensive play in left field during the last homestand. But the fact of the matter is that Benson has a massive hole in his swing.

Benson is slashing .056/.105/.056. The outfielder has 10 strikeouts in 18 at-bats and only one walk. While he's looked more comfortable at the plate lately, the results just aren't there yet.

Benson is occupying the bottom of the Reds batting order on a regular basis and is a strikeout waiting to happen. With the likes of TJ Friedl and Jake Fraley playing so well, at-bats will be hard to come by once the Reds are fully healthy.

Joey Votto (left-handed hitter) and Nick Senzel (outfielder) are currently on rehab assignments down at Triple-A Louisville. Unless Will Benson starts putting up solid numbers at the dish, he'll soon be at the bottom of the Cincinnati Reds depth chart and could even be back in the minor leagues.

Reds pitcher Connor Overton is moving down the depth chart.

Connor Overton has pitched better than the numbers would indicate, but they're still not very good. Through his first two starts, Overton has a 10.13 ERA with nine strikeouts in eight innings pitched.

It's that last number that sticks out. Overton hasn't made it past the fourth inning in either of his starts so far, and it would appear as though David Bell is very reluctant to allow the right-hander to go through the opposing team's lineup for a third time.

Overton looked shaky in his first start, but his most recent outing was much more promising. Perhaps most concerning for Overton is the recent news that Luke Weaver began a rehab assignment with Triple-A Louisville.

Weaver went four innings in his first rehab start for the Louisville Bats. The right-hander will get at least one more start in Triple-A, so that means Connor Overton will get one last chance to make a good impression.

It's not yet known if Weaver will make his Reds debut as part of the rotation or come out of the bullpen. If Overton wants to remain with the big league club, he'll have to put forth an outstanding performance in his next start. Right now, Overton looks to be last on the depth chart when it comes to starting pitching.