JJ Bleday Is Giving the Reds Exactly What They Needed

The Cincinnati Reds have struggled to find a combination that makes up a formidable outfield for a number of years. Whether it be a collection of fourth-outfield prototypes, players with glaring red flags, or failed prospects, the outfield has felt like it was always missing something.

When the offseason started, the primary needs in Cincinnati were clear. Atop the list was a lefty bat to balance out a lineup that was absurdly right-handed heavy. The Reds also needed more pop in their lineup after finishing 21st in both home runs and slugging percentage in 2025.

The easiest path to finding playing time for these needs was clearly in the outfield.

TJ Friedl had proven to be a solid option but came with a limited ceiling. The same could be said for Spencer Steer, who started to play more first base. Will Benson was yet again trying to prove he could make enough contact to transition his power from mythical to majestic. We are still waiting on that transition.

The Reds ultimately landed on adding Dane Myers to fill a short-side platoon role and JJ Bleday to give competition to Benson and others. It’s a combination that felt fine for depth but underwhelming for fixing the Reds’ shortcomings.

After starting the season proving Triple-A was no competition, Bleday finally got an opportunity to show his 2024 season was not a fluke. Although it has only been 20 games, Bleday is showing he can be the offensive lift that the Reds needed.

Stats were taken prior to play on May 19.

A Lefty To Balance the Lineup

By now, everyone is rather familiar with platoons. The idea of platooning has taken over the game and become something that nearly every team leans heavily into with the Reds being no exception.

However, the Reds’ roster quickly became righty dominant with the Opening Day lineup consisting of one lefty (Friedl), one switch-hitter (De La Cruz), and seven righties.

Cincinnati missing on Kyle Schwarber and adding Eugenio Suarez made the unbalance that much more complicated. Is having too many righties the end of the world? Of course not, but it can make for playing matchups more difficult.

Nathaniel Lowe started to hit and quickly inserted his lefty bat into the lineup, giving the Reds a little more balance. But it wasn’t until Bleday arrived when it started to feel more normal.

Bleday started off in the bottom third of the lineup, hitting seventh, but that did not last long. Manager Terry Francona bumped him up in the order and put him in the two hole, where he found a comfort, slashing .259/.333/.630 with three home runs batting behind leadoff.

The move made sense. Bleday not only offers power but he puts together great at-bats, often working counts, driving up pitch count, and finding a way to be a tough out time and time again. But, when Francona finally spared Friedl of the leadoff spot, the trickle-down effect pushed Bleday to the middle of the order, flip-flopping between fourth and fifth.

This allows the middle of the lineup to have a power boost while Lowe has hit a wall. It gives the Reds a chess piece that they can plug in, allowing for the other pieces to fall in where they fit better.

Cincinnati needs a player like this. Someone who can put up a great at-bat no matter where they are penciled in. This gives Francona the freedom to shift players around until he finds something that clicks. Having a lefty bat sandwiched between tough righties changes the way the opponent attacks the Reds’ lineup.

Before Bleday — and even Lowe — became regulars, the Reds had a string of righties. Late in the game, a team could set up their bullpen in a way to line up righties and force Francona to go to his bench perhaps before he was ready to.

With Bleday, he delays that decision and make the opposing manager think twice about his bullpen move.

While the lineup construction piece is important, the only way it matters is if the player offers a threat of impact. So far, Bleday has been that threat.

Needed Power From the Left Side

In theory, the Reds had two lefty power options to start the season in Lowe and Benson. In reality, they didn’t have any. At least none that you felt confident in.

Lowe was coming off a season where he posted a .381 slugging percentage and had not topped 20 home runs since 2022. And while Benson’s best attribute is power, his lack of contact has made the power more of an idea than a practice.

When he does hit a home run, it is usually a loud one. But, we have yet to see him hit more than 14 in a single season, and I would not say he is a feared hitter in the box.

But wait, Bleday isn’t know as a true power hitter, either.

While that is true, what we have seen in 2026 is a different Bleday. In Triple-A, he launched six home runs in 24 games before matching that total in only 19 games since joining the Reds.

His launch angle has not changed in a dramatic manner, but he’s making better contact which has helped him drive the ball. Likewise, his pull-side approach has helped. Power is not only home runs, though. Its a collection of extra-base hits, and Bleday has amounted five doubles and one triple along the way.

Again, it comes down to quality of contact. We have seen Bleday post a career-best 92.1 mph average exit velocity, which is nearly four ticks better than his career average. It’s a small sample, sure, but he was also posting these numbers in Triple-A.

We are now over 100 batted balls for the sample, which is enough to start considering it a trend and not just luck.

Will the trend continue? If he continues to put together patient at-bats and earn more pitches he can do damage on, I don’t see why it can’t.

Final Thoughts

The Reds do not need JJ Bleday to be an All-Star or a savior for their lineup. They need him to be a steady contributor and offer a baseline that is above average, which is something they have struggled to find over the past few seasons.

The front office has made a number of embarrassingly bad moves the past few seasons. Overpaying mediocre talent to long-term deals only to be burned right out of the gate. As much as we all like to give them flak, we should give credit where it is due. Adding Bleday is looking like a savvy move that could help the Reds not just for this season, but beyond.