The We Love Joey Votto section on the Red Reporter homepage isn't going anywhere, but it may soon have company in the form of a We Love Elly De La Cruz hub. Fans have been captivated by the rising Cincinnati Reds star, and his incredible start to the 2024 MLB season has been nothing short of spectacular. Since April 8th, he has posted an impressive .302/.429/.667 slash line with a .467 wOBA across 19 games. His 1.095 OPS and wOBA rank among the top four offensive marks in all of baseball.
However, while De La Cruz has thrived, the Reds' offense as a whole has hit a major slump since April 9th. Their team wOBA of .285 is tied with the struggling St. Louis Cardinals for the fifth-lowest in the league, and their wRC+ of 75 is even worse, with only the Pirates (70), Rockies (70), and White Sox (72) ranking lower. While the April 9th cutoff might seem arbitrary, it effectively highlights how much the team's offense has struggled over the course of the season.
Among the 307 MLB hitters who have recorded at least 50 plate appearances, Stuart Fairchild (38), Santiago Espinal (40), and Christian Encarnacion-Strand (42) rank in the bottom 26 league-wide in wRC+. Additionally, Nick Martini (58) and Jeimer Candelario (61) have also underperformed, making it clear that several of the Reds' regular starters are producing at well below league-average levels. Overall, the Reds’ 87 wRC+ is currently the sixth-worst in MLB.
Even Spencer Steer, who was red-hot to start the season, has cooled off considerably. After earning National League Player of the Week honors on April 8th, his performance has nosedived. Since April 14th, Steer has managed only a .407 OPS over 14 games, with his 25 wRC+ ranking fourth-worst among 123 qualified hitters during that stretch.
Candelario's struggles have been especially glaring. Signed as a veteran presence to help stabilize the offense, he has been unable to find consistency. Since returning from an illness during the Seattle series—where he did hit a home run—he has gone just 2-for-24 with a 6/14 BB/K ratio in eight games. His last six games have been even worse: 0-for-19 with 12 strikeouts, a performance he'd likely prefer to erase from memory.
At this point, the Reds' lineup appears overwhelmed and overmatched, though it’s hard to place all the blame on them given the circumstances. The team was designed to rely on platoon strategies and versatility, with TJ Friedl leading off and Matt McLain and Noelvi Marte adding depth. However, injuries and suspensions have disrupted those plans, forcing manager David Bell to field a depleted and inconsistent lineup. The prolonged absences of Jake Fraley, Candelario, and Jonathan India have only added to the struggles.
Next up for Cincinnati is a three-game series against the San Diego Padres, a team whose pitching has been just as inconsistent as the Reds' offense this season. This could be the perfect opportunity for Cincinnati’s lineup to regain its rhythm, as the past few weeks have been anything but smooth.
