Jonathan India's grand slam is resounding proof that he's ready to lead the Reds into the future

Cincinnati Reds second baseman Jonathan India nuked his first career grand slam into the upper deck at Great American Ball Park. That shot, which registered 104 mph off the bat according to Baseball Savant, was resounding proof that India is back!

It's always very easy to overreact to a player's performance during his rookie season. Oftentimes, players can struggle mightily and get discouraged only to sort things out in the coming year and play up to the potential that saw them selected to The Show in the first place.

Other times, players can have great success during their first year in the league and set the bar extremely high. Then, during their sophomore campaign, the road gets quite bumpy. That's what we've seen from Jonathan India in 2022, but the 25-year-old is showing signs that he's ready to play up to last year's NL Rookie of the Year status.

Injuries slowed Jonathan India's 2nd season with the Reds.

Jonathan India was the runaway winner of the National League Rookie of the Year last season. Once India was inserted atop David Bell's starting lineup, the former University of Florida infielder took a gator-sized bite out of opposing pitching.

India cemented himself as Cincinnati's leadoff hitter heading into 2022, but just seven games into the season, the Reds second baseman suffered a hamstring injury. A quick stint on the IL was not enough, and it took nearly two months for India to return to the Reds lineup.

After missing all of May and half of the month of June, India returned on June 14th in Arizona. During his first 19 games back, India hit just .145/.244/.246 and looked like a shell of the player that was so dominant in 2021.

But, ever since playing Game 2 of the Cincinnati Reds doubleheader against the New York Mets on July 6th, the Reds second baseman has gone a tear. Jonathan India is hitting .315/.383/.611 with four doubles, four home runs, and 11 RBIs during that 13-game span.

While it seems unlikely that India will maintain that torrid pace, it's good to see him return to form. India will be, along with Tyler Stephenson, one of the key players for the Reds franchise moving forward. After what's likely to be a sell-off at this year's trade deadline, India could be one of the more experienced players on this Reds team.