Our first look forward at the March 27th lineup vs. Cleveland.
The Cincinnati Reds will play host to the San Francisco Giants on Opening Day of the 2025 Major League Baseball season. They’ll do so on March 27th, meaning today – January 27th – is exactly two months until the regular season begins.
There’s a lot left to happen between now and then, of course.
The Reds could, believe it or not, actually go out and make some acquisitions to bolster their projected offense.
Injuries, as they are wont to do, could severely impact the available queue, as they did so frequently this time last year.
There could be spring breakouts, or spring failings, and we’ve already seen one potential piece unveil a swing change.
The same can be said for the Giants, of course. They may well make a series of moves in the run-up to the regular season starting, but as of right now it sure looks like righty Logan Webb will get the nod as their Opening Day starter. Should that end up being lefty Robbie Ray, we’ll need to tweak our lineup outlook, since the Reds and manager Terry Francona would surely react accordingly to facing a southpaw.
Given what we know today, what we’ve been told (and not told) by the front office in the media, and what just makes sense given the moves that have been made this winter, here’s our first crack at the Cincinnati Reds Opening Day lineup (and defensive positioning).
1) TJ Friedl – CF
2) Elly De La Cruz – 3B
3) Matt McLain – SS
4) Jeimer Candelario – DH
5) Tyler Stephenson – C
6) Gavin Lux – 2B
7) Spencer Steer – 1B
8) Jake Fraley – RF
9) Will Benson – LF
SP: Hunter Greene
It’s lefty-heavy. It’s got Jeimer Candelario, who’s hopefully healthy, hitting lefty as a switch-hitter breaking up the righties in the middle of the order. It’s got Elly at 3B and McLain at SS, something we saw a lot of in 2023 when both were last in the lineup together. It also features Gavin Lux, who I don’t think the Reds went out and acquired to simply a) not play most of the time when he’s got the platoon advantage or b) to play out of position.
It also doesn’t feature Christian Encarnacion-Strand against a tough RHP, something I think we might see until he falls into an offensive groove again.
Jeimer and Spencer Steer could well swap 1B/DH duties here, though I think that defensive alignment in the outfield means Steer would be relegated to one of just 1B/DH against RHP if everyone’s available. Featuring Jeimer in the field more often than at DH may well downgrade the overall defense, but it could also help prop up his trade value for later in the year (which the Reds will be cognizant of even if they’re actually still in the mix). Keeping Steer on the field at 1B, though, would allow for him to switch to the OF without losing the DH should Francona want to pinch-hit for pretty much any other position.
And yeah, Hunter Greene’s the Opening Day starter for the 2025 Reds.