Reds may have surprise problem after monster spring breakout

Spring training stats can be decieving, but it's hard to ignore what Cincinnati Reds outfielder Rece Hinds has done through the first couple weeks of Cactus League play. Hinds has appeared in eight games and is 5-for-10 with three extra-base hits and a 1.683 OPS.

While few fans may see Hinds as a legitimate threat to crash the Reds Opening Day roster, if he keeps hitting, it's going to be difficult for Terry Francona to leave the slugger in Arizona while the rest of the team is on a plane bound for Cincinnati at the end of the month.

For all intents and purposes, the Reds starting outfield is set. Noelvi Marte will be Cincinnati's everyday right fielder and TJ Friedl — though he's been receiving reps in left field — will be the team's Opening Day centerfielder. Spencer Steer is likely to see a lot of time in left field, and former Miami Marlins outfielder Dane Myers figures to be Francona's top platoon option against left-handed pitchers.

Rece Hinds' breakout could land him on the Reds Opening Day roster

If it's assumed that Myers, Jose Trevino, and Nathaniel Lowe make up three-quarters of the Reds Opening Day bench, that puts Will Benson and JJ Bleday in a battle for the final spot among all position players. But based on the early-spring results, Hinds may have just thrown his hat into the ring.

Benson and Bleday have been given equal opportunities to impress the Reds coaching staff this spring, and the former Athletics outfielder holds a slight edge at the moment. Bleday is hitting .417 with a 1.250 OPS through five spring games while Benson has a .231/.333/.462 slash line in 13 at-bats.

Spring training stats rarely tell the whole picture, but it's all fans and coaches have to go on at this stage of the game. That's why Hinds breakout is so impressive. And though he has struck out four times already this spring, he's balanced that out with two walks — something he began doing more of at the tail-end of the 2025 minor-league season.

Hinds spent a handful of games with the big-league club in 2025, but logged over 100 games with the Louisville Bats. His second-half surge in the Derby City was quite impressive. Hinds hit .306/.351/.570 with a 138 wRC+ over his final 50 games in the minor leagues last season, and it would seem that he's carrying that level of play over to the Cactus League this spring.

Because he's a right-handed hitter, Hinds inclusion in the Reds Opening Day roster feels like a long shot at the moment. Nevertheless, if he continues to crush the opposition over the next couple of weeks, Hinds is going to give Francona and the coaching staff something to think about.