Spencer Steer could be forcing a decision Reds fans didn’t see coming

Cincinnati Reds utility player Spencer Steer began the 2026 season in similar fashion to last year — slowly. While last year's drought was much worse, Steer began this season 1-for-20. But since the Reds' visit to Arlington, Texas back on April 3, he's been one of the hottest hitters on the team.

Steer racked up a pair of RBIs during Thursday's series finale against the Colorado Rockies to bring his season total to nine. During this 23-game stretch, he's hitting .271/.341/.524 with five home runs and a 133 wRC+.

Reds fans have enjoyed the red-hot starts from Elly De La Cruz and Sal Stewart, and lately Nathaniel Lowe has gotten in on the action. But Steer's performance can't be ignored, and it may soon cause manager Terry Francona to confront a problem he'd hoped was behind him.

Could Spencer Steer swap spots with Matt McLain in the Reds lineup?

Before the 2026 campaign got underway, Francona was hoping to solidify the No. 2 spot in the Reds batting order. Tito needed a right-handed hitter — who excelled against left-handed pitching — to slot in between TJ Friedl and De La Cruz.

Francona thought Matt McLain was the answer, and based on his performance during spring training, so did all of Reds Country. He put together quite the stat line in Goodyear, hitting .509/.559/.981 with a 287 wRC+ through 18 Cactus League games. In 30 regular season games, however, he's hitting .218/.338/.327 with a 90 wRC+.

It's probably a bit too early for Francona to make a drastic change to his everyday lineup. Despite McLain's early-season shortcomings, the Reds are leading the NL Central, thanks in large part to the standout offensive performance from De La Cruz and Stewart. McLain's still reaching base more than 33% of the time, and keeping Steer further down in the batting order brings a measure of balance to the Cincinnati lineup.

But as the calendar flips to May, the Reds need McLain to recapture that spring magic that helped him earn the No. 2 spot in the batting order. If he can't, it would seem that Francona has other options.

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