Reds fans hope David Bell's lineup adjustment vs. Pirates will be permanent

The Cincinnati Reds take the field against the Pittsburgh Pirates on Friday night looking for retribution following the 7-0 drubbing from the night before. Prior to the game, the Reds announced that Andrew Abbott would be placed on the 15-day IL with a shoulder injury and Buck Farmer would be Friday's starter.

But once the lineup was released, fans could see that manager David Bell made a small change. Noelvi Marte was in the starting lineup, but on Friday, he'll be acting as the team's designated hitter.

After a disastrous defensive play on Thursday night, that essentially opened the door for the Pirates, Bell had no choice but to move Marte off the hot corner. Santiago Espinal will start the game at third base.

Noelvi Marte moved off 3B as Reds manager David Bell makes lineup adjustment vs. Pirates

Jonathan India, Elly De La Cruz, and Tyler Stephenson will occupy their normal spots in the Reds batting order. TJ Friedl, however, will get the night off and Spencer Steer will be batting cleanup for Cincinnati.

Hitting fifth is first baseman Ty France and he'll be followed by centerfielder Stuart Fairchild. Newly added utility player Amed Rosario will be back in right field for a second straight night, and the aforementioned Espinal will bat eighth and man the hot corner. Marte is all the way down at No. 9 in the batting order.

A number of fans have advocated for the Reds to send Marte down to the minor leagues. While that's certainly an option, with the season all but lost, why not give him at-bats against major league pitchers? Marte should still be viewed as a long-term piece of the Reds roster, but his defense has been egregious since returning from the 80-game suspension.

Marte has nine errors in less than 40 games this season and a major league-worst .900 fielding percentage among all players with at least 300 innings played. Marte has proven that he has no business grabbing a glove and stepping onto the dirt at any point throughout the rest of the 2024 season.

The Reds, instead, need to regroup this offseason and decide what Marte's primary position should be moving forward. Given what he's done this season, and how the Reds roster is constructed, a move to the outfield next spring could be on the docket. But one things for sure, the Reds defense is tenfold better when Espinal, not Marte, is at third base.

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