Terry Francona’s gamble carries hidden consequence most Reds fans have overlooked

Not only did Terry Francona's gamble to start Brady Singer over Hunter Greene take the Cincinnati Reds' best starting pitcher off the mound on Tuesday night, it also removed one the team's hottest bats from the lineup.

Francona made the bold — and somewhat foolish — decision to start Singer over Greene despite the fact that Monday's off-day allowed the Reds' skipper to send his ace to the mound on regular 4-days rest. Instead, Tito rolled the dice, sent Singer to the hill, and watched the right-hander give up four runs in the second inning. The Reds lost by the final score of 4-2.

While much has been made about Francona's decision to start Singer over Greene, there's another link the chain. Jose Trevino has acted as Singer's personal catcher throughout most of the 2025 season, and Tuesday's game against the Pittsburgh Pirates was no exception. The problem, however, is that by sending out Trevino, Francona left Tyler Stephenson's bat on the bench (for the second game in a row).

Terry Francona’s gamble removed both Tyler Stephenson and Hunter Greene from the Reds must-win game vs. Pirates

Trevino has done an admirable job behind the dish for the Reds this season — especially when Stephenson was on the IL — but his bat has cooled off considerably since the early-part of the 2025 season.

When the Reds picked up Trevino from the New York Yankees this past offseason, most fans assumed he'd be a good defender, but few thought of the 32-year-old as an offensive weapon. Through June 30, however, Trevino was hitting .290/.329/.477 with a 116 wRC+. But since the calendar flipped to July, Trevino's numbers have fallen off a cliff. After an 0-for-2 performance versus Pittsburgh, he's hitting just .180/.209/.205 with an 8 wRC+ since July 1.

Stephenson, however, has a .200/.282/.514 slash line since returning to the Reds lineup earlier this month and has a 111 wRC+. Francona, by going with Singer over Greene, effectively took his best pitcher off the mound and one of his loudest bats out of the lineup.

Many Reds fans were perplexed by the decision to sit Greene in favor of Singer, but the more egregious move might've been playing Trevino over Stephenson. The Reds now trail the New York Mets by one game in the chase for the final NL Wild Card spot with just five games to play.

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