Reds may have done Noelvi Marte a favor with recent roster call

Noelvi Marte's time with the big-league club was rather abbreviated to begin the 2026 season. Though Marte was part of the Cincinnati Reds Opening Day roster, he was optioned to Triple-A Louisville after just 10 games.

Since landing in the Derby City, Marte has been reminding everyone why he's so highly regarded within the Reds organization. He's currently hitting .397/.479/.635 with three home runs, eight RBI, eight stolen bases, and a 193 wRC+.

With numbers like that, several Reds fans were surprised when the team decided to recall Blake Dunn instead of Marte to take Rece Hinds' spot on the active roster. While Dunn's minor league numbers were admirable (.277/.365/.353), his production was nowhere near as good as his outfield counterpart.

Noelvi Marte wasn't going to receive everyday reps with the Reds

But the Reds didn't need a starting outfielder; they needed a short-side platoon bat. Dunn fits that role perfectly, which is why he's up with the big-league club and why Marte is still fine tuning his approach with the Louisville Bats.

On the surface, Marte's numbers look fantastic. But Reds fans have seen that type of production from the former top prospect before. Marte has a history of being a streaky player, and his work ethic has been questioned on occasion. In other words, it's going to take more than two week's worth of at-bats to convince the Reds to give Marte another chance to stick in the majors.

In the meantime, Dunn is a great fit for what Terry Francona is looking to do with the 26th spot on the roster. A former 15th round draft pick, Dunn is arguably as fast as Elly De La Cruz and can play all three spots in the outfield. Francona has already used Dunn as a pinch-runner twice he was recalled, and he'll probably receive a handful of starts in the outfield when a left-handed pitcher in on the mound.

Marte is still just 24 years old and has multiple minor-league options remaining. Cincinnati paid a high cost to secure the Dominican native back in 2022 — he was part of the Luis Castillo trade — and the Reds will want to make sure all the wrinkles are ironed out before calling Marte back up to the big leagues. Until there's an everyday spot available in the outfield, don't expect to see Marte back in a Reds uniform.

Add us as a preferred source on Google

Follow