What Does Spencer Steer’s Role Look Like on the 2026 Reds?

Spencer Steer has become an absolute fan favorite with the Cincinnati Reds. Since being acquired in the Tyler Mahle trade in 2022, he has been a solid contributor for the ballclub.

In his career, Steer has slashed .243/.329/.421 while slugging 20 or more homers and driving in 75 or more runs in each of the last three seasons. Not too shabby.

A utility man since the beginning of his time in Cincinnati, Steer really honed in on one position in 2025, playing an above-average first base. As someone who was never really great at one position when he was playing many, he showed what he could do when solidifying himself at a single position. He finished 2025 with strong defensive metrics and was named a Gold Glove finalist.

Heading into 2026, howeer a wrench has been thrown into Steer’s plans, as the Reds signed old friend Eugenio Suárez to a one-year deal.

Bringing in Suárez, a guy who the Reds faithful already love and who has the chance to hit 50 homers in Great American Ball Park, is a tremendous boost to the prospects of what this season could be for this team.

Yet, before the signing, it was expected that Steer would share first base and DH duties with rookie slugger Sal Stewart. Stewart, who made his debut last season, felt like the best bat in the lineup at times down the stretch last year and figures to be in the everyday lineup.

Stewart has played a mix of third base, second base, and first base throughout his time in the minor leagues, and he played a mix of third and first in his first taste of the show. With Ke’Bryan Hayes and his Gold Glove manning the hot corner for manager Terry Francona, who loves defense, Stewart’s reps at third are likely to be limited.

At second, the Reds are in dire need of a major bounce back from Matt McLain, and they are going to give him every opportunity to do so. That leaves first base and DH for Sal. And after the Geno signing, the veteran figures to slot into the DH role almost every day. So who plays first between Stewart and Steer?

The answer to begin the year will probably be Stewart. Not because Steer is a bad player. But, as I said earlier, Steer has a history of being a utility guy. A large portion of his reps have come in left field. He has logged 158 games played in left in his three full seasons in the big leagues.

While he’s not a great defender at the position (-7 Defensive Runs Saved and -8 Outs Above Average across three seasons), the Reds’ other starting options in left field are two newcomers: JJ Bleday and Dane Myers.

Myers figures to settle into a defensive backup role; he may platoon with TJ Friedl in center field at times. The real threat is Bleday. The Reds are hoping for Bleday to regain his magic of 2024 that saw him post a 120 wRC+. That came after posting 66 and 91 wRC+ marks in the two years prior. He had a 90 wRC+ in 2025.

Based on his full body of work, right now, it would be unrealistic to expect Bleday to fully get back to that 120 mark. However, at the plate, Bleday and Steer are not wildly different players.

When comparing their quality of contact, they each have similar track records – each was below average in 2025 – yet both have a good approach at the plate, as they do not chase pitches outside of the zone and put up good walk rates.

The positive for Bleday is that he would be a lefty in an ultra-righty-heavy lineup. The positive for Steer is that even though Bleday is an outfielder by trade, he has not put up substantially better defensive metrics than Steer.

Steer is going to have every opportunity to win the everyday job in left field this spring. While he has been solid overall, he just needs to kick it up a notch.

After posting an .820 OPS in 2023, the 28-year-old has posted an OPS just above .720 each of the last two seasons. Again, those are respectable numbers, but the Reds need to see more if he’s going to solidify himself in that everyday role.

Some might say platooning Bleday and Steer could be the answer to this battle, but I don’t think it is. For his career, Steer has put up a .797 OPS against left-handed pitchers and a .734 OPS against right-handed pitchers. The problem is, Bleday, who should be hoping to be the guy who faces righties, has posted just a .713 OPS against righties in his career, leaving Steer as the better option.

Now, the caveat to all of this is: What if McLain doesn’t bounce back? McLain posted an abysmal 77 wRC+ in 2025, albeit while recovering from a shoulder injury that held him out of the entire 2024 season. McLain’s rookie campaign in 2023 saw him post a 129 wRC+. If McLain is anything close to that in 2026, it will be a huge boost for this club.

But what are the options if he performs closer to his 2025 than 2023? Well, if Steer is playing as we all expect him to, the competition could boil down to: Who is better, JJ Bleday or Matt McLain? Obviously, certain players’ abilities to play different positions could lead to some moving parts.

This offseason, Stewart reportedly has lost about 25 pounds in an attempt to make himself a better defender. If that comes to fruition, a move to second base for him with Steer returning to first would make a lot of sense. That would allow Bleday to slot in in left.

Beyond that, if the Reds prefer Steer at second (he only has 28 career games played at that position) over Sal, that could be an option as well.

If Hayes has such a poor bat (I do not expect this at all) and becomes unplayable, Stewart could also move back to third, allowing Steer to play first once again.

All in all, there are a ton of moving pieces here. The baseball season is long, as we all know, and there are countless scenarios that could result in guys playing different spots. But, as things stand now, with everyone healthy, the everyday left field job should be Steer’s to lose.

It is up to him to make sure that doesn’t happen.