Shocking stat reveals Reds are failing in the one area Terry Francona values most

Cincinnati Reds manager Terry Francona entered the 2025 season with a focus on the fundamentals. In some respects, the emphasis on baserunning, good at-bats, and solid defense has paid off. The Reds have substantially improved their on-base percentage and batting average on balls in play over last season; however, one key situation — the one most important to winning baseball games — still flummoxes Cincinnati hitters.

Since the start of May, the Reds have been the worst team in the majors with runners in scoring position. Their .587 OPS reflects a league-worst slugging and on-base percentage, meaning Cincinnati is neither extending the inning through patient at-bats nor hitting for power. It comes as no surprise, then, that the Reds are 14-18 since the cold streak began.

If the Reds expect to win, they need to hit with runners in scoring position

Of most concern is the fact that only three Reds players rank in the top 150 major leagues (with at least 30 plate appearances) in terms of OPS with runners in scoring position: Austin Hays, Elly De La Cruz, and TJ Friedl. The Cubs, for example, have six in the top 25. Hays leads Cincinnati with an. 859 OPS, but his near-constant injuries have limited his playing time. Friedl, the leadoff hitter, is less likely to find himself with runners on, but he successfully extends the inning with an on-base percentage of .393.

That puts a lot of pressure on De La Cruz to come through in the clutch. The slugger has had more plate appearances with runners in scoring position than everyone in the majors other than Pete Alonso and Rafael Devers. Unfortunately, the Reds’ star has been significantly worse than other sluggers in that situation. He has struck out in nearly a third of his RISP opportunities, and his .246/.361/.464 line is pedestrian compared to Devers’ .361/.495/.681.

If this trend continues, it may spell doom for the Reds’ season. Last year’s worst OPS with RISP was .605 by the Chicago White Sox, and we all know what happened to them. Perhaps there is a glimmer of hope here. No team has finished the regular season with a sub-.600 OPS with RISP since at least 2015, and even with the poor results lately, the Reds’ season OPS is still .702.

Getting Hays back will help, of course. So would a return to 2023 form from Matt McLain, who slugged .726 with RISP, and Christian Encarnacion-Strand, who had a .993 OPS in that situation. Regardless of who steps up, it’s clear that the Reds need to improve this aspect if there is any hope for the 2025 season.

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