3 biggest takeaways from the 1st half of the Cincinnati Reds 2022 season

The Cincinnati Reds are not a good team. We're at the midway point of the 2022 season and the Reds have the worst record (28-53) in the National League and as many wins as the lowly Oakland Athletics.

I'm not sure anyone expected a winning season after watching the front office trade away the likes of Eugenio Suárez, Jesse Winker, and Sonny Gray. Cincinnati also failed to re-sign Nick Castellanos and allowed Wade Miley to walk for nothing.

But I don't think in anyone's wildest dreams they would have been predicted that Cincinnati would be occupying last place in the NL. That means that the Reds have a worse record than the Washington Nationals, Chicago Cubs, and Pittsburgh Pirates.

While it's painful to look back on what can only be described as a lost season, let's examine the three biggest takeaways at the midway point of the 2022 season.

1. Injuries have crippled any chance the Reds had to compete in 2022.

According to Spotrac, no team in Major League Baseball has seen more players miss more time due to injury than the Cincinnati Reds. It's honestly not even close. The Reds have seen 26 players miss a combined 1,227 days while on the Injured List. The next closest team is the Chicago Cubs who've seen 26 players miss 1,097 days of action.

It's not just that the Reds have suffered injuries. Every team deals with injuries. But Cincinnati has seen some of their best players miss weeks and sometimes months. There've also been players who've spent two or even three separate stints on the IL.

Justin Dunn and Tejay Antone have yet to set foot on a major league field this season. Antone, perhaps David Bell's best reliever, is out for the season following Tommy John surgery. Dunn is expected to return later this month.

Jake Fraley, Donovan Solano, Daniel Duarte, Lucas Sims, Tony Santillan, Connor Overton, Max Schrock, Justin Wilson, and Mike Minor have all spent time on the 60-day IL. Sims and Wilson are both out for the remainder of the 2022 season.

Jose Barrero began the 2022 season on the IL and has yet to return from Triple-A Louisville. Jonathan India and Tyler Stephenson have both seen two separate stints on the IL. Tyler Naquin and Mike Moustakas have been on the IL three different times this season.

Injuries are never an excuse for poor performance, but it can definitely give insight as to why the Cincinnati Reds have struggled so mightily this season. The 1,227 cumulative days on the IL have also accounted for $15.1M in salary.