3 Reds who've already won a roster spot for next year thanks to their September performance

Some eye-popping performances this September have these three Reds players locked in for 2024.

Cincinnati Reds pitcher Connor Phillips
Cincinnati Reds pitcher Connor Phillips | Dylan Buell/GettyImages
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3. Reds infielder Christian Encarnacion-Strand has already won a roster spot for next year.

With this likely being Joey Votto's final season in Cincinnati, it would appear as though the Reds already have a suitable replacement. Christian Encarnacion-Strand has a slugging percentage over .650 during the month of September and looks like the real deal.

Encarnacion-Strand arrived in the Reds organization last summer as part of the return for Tyler Mahle. Securing Encarnacion-Strand, along with Spencer Steer, shows just how shrewd of an operator Reds GM Nick Krall can be.

Encarnacion-Strand has not only hit for power, but for average as well. The 23-year-old is hitting over .325 during the month of September and has a wRC+ of 170 according to FanGraphs.

Having waved goodbye to the fans at Great American Ball Park last Sunday, all signs point to this being Joey Votto's last hurrah with the Reds. And while Encarnacion-Strand has seen some playing time at third base, most fans see CES as the Reds Opening Day starter at first base in 2024.

Christian Encarnacion-Strand has the potential, especially while playing half his game in the hitter-friendly confines of GABP, to hit 40-plus home runs per season. If Encarnacion-Strand can increase his walk-rate just a touch, he'll likely be the Cincinnati Reds cleanup hitter next season.

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