Spencer Steer On The Bench Tuesday, Jeimer Candelario At First Base
Cincinnati Reds infielder/outfielder Spencer Steer will cede starting first base duties to corner infielder Jeimer Candelario on Tuesday. Steer had started the last two games at first for the Reds while Candelario was on the bench. Neither player has been very productive thus far, with Steer registering a .195 wOBA and 14 wRC+ over 70 plate appearances (PA), while Candelario has a .221 wOBA and 31 wRC+ over 70 PA. The switch-hitting Candelario will go up against the Marlins' RHP Edward Cabrera on Tuesday in Miami, with the 31-year-old going 3-for-4 with a double, home run, and no strikeouts in his career versus the righty. Despite his struggles this season, that type of matchup history could make Candelario a viable DFS play for this contest.
Cincinnati Reds manager Terry Francona said that infielder/outfielder Spencer Steer (shoulder) is getting close to being ready to play first base. "It won't be very long," Francona said. Steer is out of the starting lineup for Thursday's series finale against the visiting Seattle Mariners. Outfielder Austin Hays is serving as the designated hitter and is batting cleanup against Mariners right-hander Emerson Hancock. A right-shoulder injury has limited Steer to DH duties early this year, and he's hit just .120 (6-for-50) with a home run and three RBI in the early going. Fantasy managers will be hoping that the 27-year-old will come around offensively as his shoulder gets closer to 100%. With Christian Encarnacion-Strand (back) now on the injured list, using Steer at first base would allow the Reds to move Jeimer Candelario back to third base.
Cincinnati Reds outfielder/infielder Spencer Steer will begin Tuesday's game against the visiting Seattle Mariners on the bench at Great American Ball Park. Austin Hays (calf), who is making his season debut, will serve as the designated hitter and bat fifth against Mariners right-hander Luis Castillo. Due to a shoulder injury he dealt with in spring training, Steer has yet to appear on defense so far in 2025. However, the 27-year-old has been ramping up his throwing of late and could make his first start on defense soon, which might be bad news for first baseman Christian Encarnacion-Strand. Steer's shoulder could be affecting him at the plate as well, as he's started the 2025 campaign hitting just .109 (5-for-46) with a homer, two doubles, three RBI, four walks and 12 strikeouts in his first 13 games. Fantasy managers may want to steer clear of Steer for now until he breaks out of his early slump.
Cincinnati Reds manager Terry Francona said that outfielder/infielder Spencer Steer (shoulder) will take his throwing program to the next step and will start working on throws from first base over the next few days. Steer battled a right-shoulder injury in spring training and has only served as a designated for the Reds early in the season while he rehabs his arm. The 27-year-old is the DH and is batting cleanup on Friday against the division-rival Pittsburgh Pirates. It's very possible his shoulder is responsible for his slow start at the plate in 2025 as well, as Steer comes into Friday's series opener against the Bucs hitting just .143 (5-for-35) with one home run, two doubles, three RBI, four runs scored, three walks and nine strikeouts in 38 trips to the plate over 10 games played. The good news is that it sounds like his shoulder is feeling better.
Cincinnati Reds outfielder Spencer Steer hit his first home run of the 2025 season Sunday against the Milwaukee Brewers. During the afternoon, Steer went 1-for-3, with the home run being a solo shot against Chad Patrick in the fifth inning. Steer has gotten off to an incredibly slow start, holding a .083/.154/.208 slash line and a 26.9 percent strike out rate in 26 plate appearences. He missed considerable time in spring training with a minor shoulder injury, so fantasy managers can remain optimistic that the home run on Sunday is a sign of good things to come. Over the past two seasons, Steer has hit 40 home runs and driven in 178 RBI, so his slow start can likely be attributed to the injury during Spring Training.
Cincinnati Reds outfielder/corner infielder Spencer Steer is not in the team's lineup for Saturday against the Brewers. Steer was originally scheduled for a day off Friday but entered the lineup when Matt McLain (hamstring) had to be scratched. Steer entered the lineup hitting second, but he'll start Saturday's game on the bench, even though there is no word of any injury. The 27-year-old righty is just 1-for-21 (.048) in the early going this season with an 0.72 wOBA after he missed considerable time in spring training with a minor shoulder injury. He has been struggling along with the rest of the Reds' lineup, but hopefully the day off will reset him and help him find his groove going forward.
Matt McLain Scratched With Tight Hamstring, Spencer Steer Enters Lineup
Cincinnati Reds second baseman Matt McLain (hamstring) has been scratched from the lineup on Friday against the division-rival Milwaukee Brewers at American Family Field with a tight left hamstring, which happened a few days ago, according to The Cincinnati Enquirer's Charlie Goldsmith. McLain was out on the field to start pre-game warmups but then met with trainers before heading to the clubhouse. With McLain now out of the lineup, Santiago Espinal will start at second base and will hit eighth against Brewers left-hander Tyler Alexander. Spencer Steer, who was originally scheduled for a day off, will now serve as the designated hitter and bat second. Jeimer Candelario is at third and hitting fifth. For now, fantasy managers should remove McLain from their starting lineups and consider him day-to-day. The 25-year-old former first-rounder has six hits in his first 27 at-bats this year, but with three homers, five RBI and one steal.
Cincinnati Reds outfielder/corner infielder Spencer Steer is not in the team's starting lineup for Friday's series opener against the division-rival Milwaukee Brewers at American Family Field. Jeimer Candelario is serving as the designated hitter and is batting fifth, while Santiago Espinal is playing third base and batting eighth against Brewers left-hander Tyler Alexander. Candelario has never faced Alexander in his career, while Espinal is hitless in just three at-bats. When considering that Steer only played in three spring training games due to a minor shoulder injury, it isn't all that surprising that he's off to just a 1-for-18 start to the 2025 regular season at the plate. The 27-year-old right-handed hitter has yet to play on defense because of his shoulder, either, being limited to DH duties. Candelario hasn't been much better, going 5-for-25 with three RBI, two walks and eight strikeouts in seven games played.
Cincinnati Reds outfielder/corner infielder Spencer Steer is out of the team's starting lineup on Saturday against the visiting San Francisco Giants at Great American Ball Park. Despite an off day on Friday, Steer will take a seat for Game 2 of the regular season following an 0-for-4 performance on Opening Day on Thursday in which he went down on strikes three times. The 27-year-old was dealing with a shoulder issue in spring training that limited him to just seven plate appearances in the Cactus League, so the Reds aren't going to push him early on in 2025. With Steer sitting against San Fran, Jeimer Candelario will serve as the designated hitter for the Reds and Santiago Espinal will start at third base against Giants veteran right-hander Justin Verlander. Candelario and Espinal have a combined 14 career at-bats against Verlander, and they've both taken him deep once.
Cincinnati Reds first baseman/outfielder Spencer Steer (shoulder) will be active on Opening Day. Earlier in camp, the Reds said that Steer would open the campaign on the injured list. However, he was able to progress and will not miss the start of the campaign. However, starting left fielder Austin Hays (calf) will instead be placed on the 10-day injured list. During camp, Steer has played exclusively as a designated hitter, which suggests he will not be able to play in the field at the start of the season. Last summer, Steer appeared in 158 contests and posted a .225/.319/.402 slash line with 20 home runs and 25 stolen bases. Under the hood, he generated a modest .315 xwOBA with a low .235 xBA. However, he placed in the 73rd percentile in sprint speed. Fantasy managers should expect the 27-year-old to have an everyday spot in the lineup and does carry a high-floor in category formats given his ability to hit for power and steal bases.
Jeimer Candelario
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Reds
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