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Reds keep dodging the most obvious roster move they could ever make

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Drew Koch
Drew Koch

Blog Red Machine

Cincinnati Reds prospect Sal Stewart / Jamie Squire/GettyImages

What more can Sal Stewart do to convince the Cincinnati Reds that he's ready to help them make a playoff push? On Saturday, Stewart did his best to remind the Reds' brass that he's ready for big leagues, going 2-for-4 with two home runs and four RBI during the Louisville Bats' 13-4 victory over the Nashville Sounds.

It's almost comical at this point, isn't it? The Reds are receiving little to no production from half the hitters in their lineup, and yet the hottest bat in the organization is wasting swings down in the minor leagues.

Enough is enough. Following his display against the Sounds on Saturday, Stewart's bags should be packed and he should be on a flight to LA. If the Reds open their three-game series against the Los Angeles Dodgers and Stewart isn't in the lineup, president of baseball operations Nick Krall needs to have his head examined.

The Reds must call up Sal Stewart ahead of their series against the Dodgers

The Reds dropped the series finale earlier this week to the Los Angeles Angels, and after losing the first two of a three-game set to the Arizona Diamondbacks, have fallen 2½ games back of the New York Mets in the NL Wild Card race. During those three games, Cincinnati has been outscored 18-6.

While both Zach Littell and Andrew Abbott struggled against the D-backs, it's been the Reds' lineup that has been the team's Achilles heel of late. Noelvi Marte, Ke'Bryan Hayes, and Miguel Andujar have been the most consistent bats in the Reds' lineup, but they can't carry this team all by themselves.

TJ Friedl is hitting just .190 over his last 15 games and his on-base percentage has dipped below .300 during that stretch. Cincinnati cannot afford those types of numbers from their leadoff hitter. Matt McLain's struggles have been well documented, and he's hitting just .118 over his last seven games. Santiago Espinal, who got the start over McLain on Saturday, is 6 for his last 29. Are you telling me Stewart wouldn't be an upgrade over any one of these hitters at the moment?

At this point, the Reds are just delaying the inevitable. Their lineup is begging for a boost, and Stewart can certainly provide it. At this point, what do they have to lose?

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Drew Koch

Drew Koch

Drew Koch has been an MLB Staff Writer since January 2024 and part of the FanSided Network since June 2018. Drew's contributions have been published on Blog Red Machine, Friars on Base, BoSox Injection, Lombardi Avenue, Wildcat Blue Nation, Motor City Bengals, and many other sites within the FanSided Network. When he's not cheering wildly for the Cincinnati Reds or the Kentucky Wildcats, Drew enjoys fishing, golfing, playing cribbage and other card games, listening to country and classical music, and spending time with his family and friends.