Reds’ playoff chances might hinge on a player they continue to overlook

Prior to last week in San Diego, the last time Will Benson drew a start for the Cincinnati Reds came all the way back on August 1. Benson spent time at Triple-A Louisville during that stretch as well, but when he was on the Reds active roster, he was relegated to a bench role. After watching his performance this past week, Reds manager Terry Francona is probably wishing he had a mulligan.

Unfortunately, that's not real life and Francona — along with Nick Krall and the Reds front office — will have to live with the foolish decision of keeping Benson out of the starting lineup. After back-to-back games with a home run, Reds fans are hoping to see Benson back in the lineup for Cincinnati's series opener at Busch Stadium against the St. Louis Cardinals on Monday night. With left-hander Matt Liberatore on the hill for the Cardinals, however, that seems highly unlikely.

But when the opposition does not deploy a left-handed starter, Benson should be in the Reds starting lineup. With Noelvi Marte now fully entrenched as the Reds right fielder, fans have seen Benson in both center and left field. Regardless of where he plays, it's critical over the final two weeks of the season, to get Benson's bat into the lineup.

Reds’ playoff chances might hinge on a Will Benson's bat being in the lineup

Even with the jolt from Benson's power-packed performance against the Athletics over the weekend, the Reds still dropped three straight to the A's. Thankfully, both the New York Mets and San Francisco Giants only won one game in each of their respective series, so Cincinnati is still just 2½ games out in the chase for the final Wild Card spot with 13 games left on the schedule.

The Reds have lacked for power all season. Both Christian Encarnacion-Strand and Rece Hinds have been stashed away in the minor leagues, Elly De La Cruz has forgotten how to hit home runs, and Matt McLain along with Spencer Steer are nowhere near the power-threats fans thought they'd be.

Francona needs to ride the hot hand, and at the moment, that's Benson. Time is running out, and the Reds can't afford to take one of their best bats out of the lineup for fear of upsetting some veterans' feelings or stalling a young players growth. All that matters right now is winning.

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