Spencer Steer’s slow start is over, but the Reds need him to take the next step now

Spencer Steer was pressed into duty this season before he was ready. Only a few days after proclaiming Steer would begin the 2025 season on the injured list, Cincinnati Reds manager Terry Francona reversed course. The team placed outfielder Austin Hays on the IL and Steer was part of the Reds Opening Day roster.

But after receiving little to no reps during spring training, Steer scuffled mightily at the dish. One of the Reds' top run producers in 2024, Steer looked like a shadow of himself, hitting just .185/.264/.285 with a 50 wRC+ through his first 34 games of the season.

But since May 11, Steer has turned a corner. He's is hitting a more respectable .295/.347/.398 with a 105 wRC+. Steer is also back on the field after being restricted to DH duty for the first month-plus of his 2025 campaign.

Spencer Steer’s slow start is over, but the Reds need him to take the next step now

The Reds, however, need Steer to turn up the heat. Cincinnati's bats are struggling. Outside of Elly De La Cruz, TJ Frield, and Austin Hays (who's on the IL), nobody is hitting. Matt McLain has been one of the worst offenders, and Reds manager Terry Francona has bumped the budding star all the way to No. 9 in the batting order.

Steer needs to take up the mantle. While the former Minnesota Twins farmhand has turned into the one of the better defensive first baseman in the game, the Reds need his bat to follow suit. Steer has a good eye at the dish and doesn't chase pitches outside the strike zone, but all of his advanced batted ball metrics are lower than they were in 2024.

The 27-year-old is among the 22nd percentile or lower in average exit velocity, hard hit rate, barrel rate and expected slugging percentage. All those numbers were considerably higher in 2024, and his overall slugging percentage (.330) has dropped nearly 100 points.

Unless the Reds make some trades before the July 31 deadline (which looks less and less likely), Cincinnati will be relying on the likes of Steer, McLain, and Christian Encarnacion-Strand to provide the pop in the middle of the batting order. Steer has seemingly put the shoulder injury behind him, and it's now time to become a force in the lineup over the second-half of the season.

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