Key Pieces of the Reds’ Lineup Have Turned a Corner

The Cincinnati Reds are fighting hard to stay in the National League Wild Card race through the next couple of weeks to guarantee they will be buyers at the July 31 trade deadline.

Coming away from an offseason in which the Reds made supposedly small additions offensively in Austin Hays, Gavin Lux, and Jose Trevino, this front office was banking on its young guys to return to health and take a jump in order for this offense to really improve.

We know the story with Matt McLain missing all of 2024 and Spencer Steer having a down year, seeing an almost 100-point drop in his OPS. This front office put a lot of stock in those guys being big-time contributors to work alongside young star Elly De La Cruz (and the hope that De La Cruz himself could take another step towards superstardom).

Through the first two months of the season, those beliefs did not come to fruition. But, luckily for this squad, the last month or so has been a different story for McLain, Steer, and De La Cruz. One that, should it continue, should lead to the Reds buying at the end of the month.

All stats taken before play on Friday, July 11.

Matt McLain

After his incredible rookie season in 2023, losing McLain for all of 2024 was a real heartbreaker for the Reds. 2025 was supposed to be his emphatic return, to hopefully set up one of the best middle infield duos in all of baseball.

However, the 25-year-old spent the first two months of the season putting together the worst stretch of his young career. Through the first 50 games of the year, McLain slashed .178/.273/.300 while striking out over 30% of the time.

As a McLain truther, my confidence was really starting to dissipate as June approached. But, it shouldn’t have. McLain never seemed to get too down on himself, and his elite defense at second base continued.

On June 6, the Reds started a series against the Arizona Diamondbacks that turned out to be the start of a five-game winning streak. That series seemed like a great turning point for this ball club in the moment, and it has proven to be so for the players as well.

Since June 6, the UCLA product has slashed .250/.339/.393 while cutting his strikeout rate down to 22%. McLain’s 59 wRC+ from his first 50 games has more than doubled, as he has posted a 104 wRC+ over his last 31 games.

The Reds cannot afford for McLain to regress. He has jumped to hitting second in the order for the Redlegs, and they need him there. If McLain continues to right the ship over these next couple of weeks, the team should be in good shape.

Spencer Steer

A shoulder injury from the end of 2024 continued to linger throughout the entire offseason to the point where Steer was not set to open the 2025 season on the active roster. Well, I think we can all agree that the shoulder injury really hampered him at the beginning of the season.

Through his first 56 games of the year, Steer slashed .222/.288/.329 with a 69 wRC+. Things just weren’t right for him, and it was easy to see. Certain swings just felt off, and certain balls weren’t leaving the yard in the way we had become accustomed to seeing. But, I think it is safe to say that is behind him now, and he appears to be fully healthy.

Since June 6, Steer is slashing .311/.345/.575 is good for a 149 wRC+. In that time, no. 7 has left the yard seven times and driven in 20 runs, becoming the crucial piece to the middle of this lineup that the Reds so desperately needed.

A bonus to Steer’s 2025 has been his defensive improvements at first base. A traditionally below-average defender, Steer has been an above-average defender at first, seeing his Outs Above Average jump from -5 in 2023 to +4 in 2025.

The Spencer Steer that this club needed has arrived.

Elly De La Cruz

Elly De La Cruz had a really good 2024. However, there is no star running mate for him like other stars on top teams have. He is a star alone. Because of that, to reach the postseason, the franchise needed him to truly enter superstardom.

It seems like he is on his way there, as we speak.

The All-Star shortstop is having a great year as he is slashing .280/.351/.488 with 18 home runs, 63 RBI, and 23 stolen bases.

However, since June 6, De La Cruz has been an MVP-level player.

In that time, he is slashing .325/.377/.558 to go along with six homers and a wRC+ of 154. The question I have been asking myself all season long is, “Can Elly lead this team to the postseason by himself?” The answer, as is the case most of the time in baseball, is no. However, if he keeps this up and the front office does its job, there should be reinforcements on the way come the end of July.

Final Thoughts

Since these June 6 surges, the Reds have gone 18-13 and positioned themselves just a few games out of a Wild Card spot. I never want to look at Wild Card standings too early, but as we approach the trade deadline, it is certainly justifiable as the Reds decide whether to go for it.

What does “going for it” look like? That remains to be seen. But, fans envisioned this offense riding the backs of McLain, Steer, and De La Cruz this season. And now, that vision is starting to come true.