Jonathan India's return atop the Reds' lineup will take some pressure off Nick Senzel

Nick Senzel is a competitor. When you watch him play, you can see that the former first-round pick gives maximum effort on every single play. Unfortunately, the Cincinnati Reds centerfielder has struggled to put it all together since debuting back in 2019.

Jonathan India, on the other hand, has surpassed what most fans assumed they be getting from the University of Florida alum. After not playing above Double-A, India made his major league debut last season and won the NL Rookie of the Year Award.

Both players were former first-round selections of the Reds, but things have gone in drastically different directions for the former SEC infielders. With Jonathan India off the IL, he'll likely take his usual spot as the Reds leadoff hitter. This should be welcome news for Nick Senzel.

Jonathan India's return will bump Nick Senzel down in the Reds batting order.

In no way will I hide my fandom for Nick Senzel. I believe he's an incredible talent who, if he stays healthy, can be a difference maker for the Cincinnati Reds. Though illness, not injury, has been an issue this season, it's still kept Senzel out of the lineup.

Lack of consistent at-bats will negatively affect even the best hitter. Look at the difference regular playing time has made for Cincinnati's shortstop Kyle Farmer this season. Farmer has an OPS+ of 105 and a wRC+ of 111 according to FanGraphs. Both of those are career-bests for the former catcher.

I believe that Nick Senzel can have that same type of impact in the lineup, but he's got to stay on the field. Furthermore, Jonathan India's return will remove the need to have Senzel batting in the leadoff spot. That alone will help take some of the pressure off Senzel's shoulders.

It's a very small sample size when compared to how the 26-year-old performs as the leadoff hitter, but hitting in the eighth spot in the batting order has produced some of the best results in his career. When occupying the No. 8 hole, Senzel has hit .308 and posted a .357 on-base percentage.

When Cincinnati's roster is fully healthy, the Reds lineup should consist of Jonathan India, Brandon Drury, Tommy Pham, Joey Votto, Tyler Stephenson, Tyler Naquin, Kyle Farmer, and Mike Moustakas. That would allow Nick Senzel hit at the bottom of the order.

While that may seem like an insult to Senzel, it's not. Throughout his minor league career, Nick Senzel has been a player who reached base nearly 40% of the time. If Senzel can get on ahead of the likes of India, Drury, Pham, and Votto, good things are going to happen.

With this Cincinnati roster ravaged by injury, I don't expect David Bell to immediately move Senzel to the bottom of the Reds lineup. But I do believe it would benefit the team and Senzel if he were to find a spot in the bottom-third of the batting order.