Cincinnati

Reds

De La Cruz put together one of the most impressive individual performances of the entire season on Monday evening at pitcher-friendly loanDepot park as he tallied with four extra-base hits on four batted ball events with stratospheric exit velocities over 108 mph. The 22-year-old fantasy superstar kicked off the scoring with a two-run homer off Marlins starter Roddery Muñoz before tacking on an eighth-inning solo shot to record his second multi-homer effort of the year. He’s up to 20 round-trippers to go along with a staggering 57 stolen bases. He has a legitimate shot at joining Braves superstar Ronald Acuña Jr., who accomplished the feat last year, as the only members of the 40-70 club in baseball history.

Marte has had a tough couple weeks in the big leagues since returning from an 80-game PED suspension back in late June, batting .170 (18-for-106) with three homers, 11 RBI and four steals through 30 contests. The 22-year-old former top prospect’s ongoing struggles aren’t totally unexpected given how much time he missed at the outset of the year, so we’re hoping he’s able to get going over the final few weeks of the year, which would put him in position to excel next season as Cincinnati’s primary option at the hot corner.

Martinez drew the starting assignment for Monday’s series opener at loanDepot park and took care of business against a lackluster Miami lineup, scattering four hits over five nearly-flawless frames. The 34-year-old swingman could wind up getting the ball again on Saturday against the Brewers, but that remains to be seen.

It’s his first outright assignment, so he’ll have to accept it. Yang spent three games on the roster and got one at-bat for the Reds last week while both Luke Maile and Austin Wynns were out.

The three previous games were all against lefties, so it was a given that he’d start in those. Today, he’s in the lineup against a righty for the first time since joining the Reds. That Will Benson is on the paternity list is probably playing a role here. France is off to a 1-for-12 start for his new team.

The Reds’ offense had a lackluster game against Robbie Ray and San Francisco’s bullpen with Candelario’s blast accounting for exactly half of their runs. The home run was Candelario’s 18th of the season and the RBI his 51st as he very quietly has put together a solid season.

Spiers was on his way to a quality start before Lamonte Wade Jr. golfed a sinker just barely over the right field fence ending his day. It would have only been a home run in three other ballparks but alas, these are the breaks with Reds’ pitchers at home. Otherwise, Spiers did well to mix his fastball, sinker, and cutter along with his sweeper and changeup. He has a deep arsenal without a true out-pitch and varies his approach well to stay effective.

Wiemer was acquired by the Reds in the deal for Frankie Montas at the deadline. The outfielder is up while Will Benson is away on paternity leave. Wiemer has some long-term potential, but is a tough sell for 2024 fantasy rosters.

Benson will be away from the team for up to three days. The Reds recalled Joey Wiemer to take Benson’s place on the active roster.

Díaz served up a long ball to Matt Chapman in the ninth inning but was unscathed the rest of the way. He now has 22 saves and a 4.35 ERA in what has been a pretty inconsistent season.