Spencer Steer could quietly turn Reds’ growing roster debate into a no-brainer

Edwin Arroyo's rise to the big leagues was exactly what Cincinnati Reds fans wanted to see. Unfortunately, it came with a massive trade-off as what allowed for his arrival was a hamstring injury to Reds superstar Elly De La Cruz. Normally incredibly durable, De La Cruz is unsurprisingly ahead of schedule in his recovery, setting the stage for a hotly contested second base debate.

In De La Cruz's absence, we've seen more Matt McLain at shortstop, and Arroyo at second base. Terry Francona has praised Arroyo's energy and mentioned that, in addition to second, the top prospect will also get work at short and the hot corner. Whenever De La Cruz is ready to come back, though, there could be a crunch for playing time.

Naturally, either Arroyo or McLain will be affected, and as of now, it's a tough call. Despite his two home runs on Sunday versus the St. Louis Cardinals, McLain has disappointed ey again, but Arroyo has just a .200/.333/.200 line and a 50% strikeout rate; though that comes in a minuscule sample of five games and 12 plate appearances.

But rather than a debate between the two obvious candidates, the question should really be whether or not an out-of-the-box solution is the best course of action. This would involve sitting down and/or sending down Arroyo and McLain and inserting Spencer Steer at the keystone.

Spencer Steer might be the Reds' option at second base, but his viability depends on the outfield

Steer is quietly having his best season since 2023. Through 61 games, the 28-year-old has slashed .271/.352/.453. He's always drawn walks at an above-average clip, and that's continued with a 10.2% walk rate, and he's paired that with a solid 19.7% strikeout rate that would be the best mark of his career. With nine home runs, he's on pace for his fourth consecutive 20-plus homer season.

Above all else, the unsung veteran has provided another level of value to Cincinnati, as his positional versatility has turned him into a Swiss army knife that can solve any roster conundrum. This year, he's logged time at first base, second base, third base, and both outfield corners.

That might be the key to determining who deserves to serve as De La Cruz's double-play partner once the 24-year-old is healthy. Steer far and away deserves playing time over McLain or Arroyo. The only question is where he is needed most.

The Reds have a bunch of options in the outfield. JJ Bleday has left field locked down and might be the best value signing of the offseason. Blake Dunn has been fantastic over his first 24 games in Cincinnati.

Oddly, Dane Myers has been better this year against same-handed pitchers than against lefties, with an .827 OPS against righties and a .722 mark against southpaws. Either way, he's been serviceable at worst.

Then you have Noelvi Marte, who has only been back up for a few days, but is 2-for-7 over three games he's played so far. On the heels of a sizzling .369/.409/.575 line over 40 games down in Louisville. Also, Will Benson is still here.

So, the outfield has several options with varying levels of promise, while second base has a promising option in Arroyo, though we can't be sure he's ready, and a player we know will likely disappoint in McLain.

It seems clear, then, even if he's defensively inferior to the other two, that Steer should be playing second, and Arroyo would be best served continuing his development with regular playing time in Louisville.

One final caveat is that there is still time for Arroyo to change the narrative. Should he show out over the next couple of weeks while we await De La Cruz's IL activation, the conversation should change. What is for sure, though, is that Steer is a serious weapon for the Reds, and his deployment should be to solve wherever the team's greatest need is at any given moment.

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