Terry Francona's undeniable lineup trend has inquisitive Reds fans grasping at straws

Cincinnati Reds fans, like every other fandom throughout professional sports, has a tendency to overreact to some of the smallest news possible. After Terry Francona's lineup for Monday's game against the Miami Marlins was revealed, that's exactly what the Cincinnati faithful did.

Jeimer Candelario was absent from the Reds starting lineup for the second game in a row. Many Reds fans took to social media assuming that Francona had finally seen enough of Candelario's struggles this season and benched the veteran infielder just 22 games into the season.

While there may be a kernel of truth to that notion, it's highly unlikely that Cincinnati's second-highest paid player has been benched not even a month into the 2025 season. Though Candelario's .130/.228/.246 slash line is utterly nauseating, assuming he's been benched is little more than wishful thinking on the part of exhausted Reds fans who are tired of seeing him in the lineup.

Terry Francona's lineup trend has inquisitive Reds fans thinking Jeimer Candelario has been benched

There's a couple logical explanations for Candelario beginning Monday's game on the bench. First and foremost being the performance of Noelvi Marte on Sunday. The Reds former top prospect had a breakout game of sorts, going 5-for-7 with seven RBI against the Baltimore Orioles. Francona may want to ride Marte's hot hand and see if his trip to the minor leagues at the start of the season provided the necessary spark to help reenergize one of Cincinnati's biggest X-factors.

Another reason for Candelario's absence could be Spencer Steer's return to first base. The Reds coaching staff may be trying to see how well Steer responds to playing the field on back-to-back days after being restricted to DH duty for the first three weeks of the season.

Perhaps the most obvious reason, however, could be Candelario's splits against right-handed pitchers this season. It's a small sample size to be sure, but Candelario's OPS is nearly 400 points higher against lefties than righties this season. Marlins' starter Max Meyer is a right-handed pitcher, and plugging Candelario into the lineup knowing his shortcomings would seem to be a rather unwise choice.

Whatever the reason, those Reds fans who are doing backflips thinking Candelario has finally been benched may want to temper their expectations. Bob Castellini is not going to dump one of the highest-paid players on the team. While Candelario has struggled this season, his numbers have taken a slight uptick over the past few games. Maybe an extra off-day and some more swings in the batting cage will help Candelario get back on track.

More Cincinnati Reds News and Rumors