Reds handling of Noelvi Marte is quickly becoming impossible to justify

The Cincinnati Reds have taken an odd approach with outfielder Noelvi Marte to begin the 2026 season, and Friday's series opener against the Texas Rangers was just the latest example.

The Reds penciled Marte into right field despite the fact the Rangers were sending left-handed starter MacKenzie Gore to the hill. Marte has historically struggled against left-handed pitching — something manager Terry Francona cited during spring training. But there's no way he's going to improve against southpaws unless he's given the opportunity, right?

Marte, slotted in the No. 8 spot in the batting order, went 0-for-2 against Gore with a strikeout. Curiously, however, Francona decided to lift Marte in favor of Will Benson during the seventh inning after Gore was replaced by Rangers' right-hander Cole Winn.

One look at Marte's splits would suggest that the impending at-bat against Winn would've given him a far better chance to record a hit than if Gore were still in the game. Marte has reverse splits for his career, hitting .257/.295/.434 against right-handed pitching and .230/.285/.281 against lefties.

Marte is 0-for-10 with two walks and six strikeouts to begin the season. But a deeper look into how the Reds have deployed Marte this season will surely raise some eyebrows.

The Reds aren't setting Noelvi Marte up for success

Marte was in the starting lineup for the Reds' Opening Day contest against the Boston Red Sox with left-hander Garrett Crochet on the bump. Marte went 0-for-2 with two strikeouts, but was removed from the game in favor of Benson after Crochet was replaced by right-hander Justin Slaten.

During Game 2 of that series, Benson was pulled during the bottom of the ninth and replaced with Marte despite the fact that the left-handed throwing Aroldis Chapman was on the mound for Boston. Marte struck out. Another Red Sox lefty, Connelly Early, started the series finale, and once again, Marte was in the starting lineup.

Marte finally got a start against a right-hander when Bubba Chandler took the ball for the Pittsburgh Pirates this past Tuesday in Cincinnati. The Reds' outfielder had his best game of the season so far against Chandler, drawing a pair of walks and scored a run.

Reds fans are seemingly growing impatient of Marte, but he's hardly faced a favorable matchup this season. Left-handed pitching has proven to be his kyrponite, and while giving him opportunities versus southpaws should be part of the equation, removing him once a right-hander enters the game seems rather foolish.

The Rangers will send a pair of righties to the hill on Saturday (Kumar Rocker) and Sunday (Jack Leiter), so it'll be interesting to see how Francona fill out his lineup card.