Cincinnati Reds outfielder TJ Friedl was a perfect 4-for-4 at the plate in Saturday's 12-1 win over the Twins. The 29-year-old homered for the second straight game and has now gone 7-for-8 against Twins pitchers the last two days, tallying five RBI and four runs scored in the process. Now the author of a .233-13-53-34-9 line through 74 games played, one wonders what that line could have looked like had he been able to stay healthy all season long. With his strong contact rate and low strikeout rate, he could still finish the season with a flurry of production.
Cincinnati Reds outfielder TJ Friedl went 3-for-4 with a home run, three RBI, and two runs scored in Friday's 8-4 win over the Twins. It has been a season marred by injury for the 29-year-old but he's showing signs of life in September, hitting .262 with a pair of home runs, 11 RBI, six runs scored, and two stolen bases in 12 games. For the season, the left-handed hitter has a .221-12-51-32-9 line with a .302 wOBA and 87 wRC+. Friedl still boasts an 83.2% contact rate and a better-than-average strikeout rate of 16.0%, so there's hope he can finish strong and come into 2025 as a healthy multi-category contributor for fantasy.
Cincinnati Reds outfielder TJ Friedl is back in center field and is batting cleanup on Monday against the Atlanta Braves and right-hander Charlie Morton at Truist Park for the series opener. Friedl left Saturday's game early against the New York Mets after he was experiencing shortness of breath. He sat out of the series finale on Sunday but is apparently feeling much better to begin a new week. Friedl has only faced Morton one time in his career and did not record a hit. The 29-year-old has only played in 68 games with the Reds in his fourth year in the big leagues in 2024 due to various ailments. In that short time, he's provided 11 home runs, 46 RBI and eight stolen bases while slashing .218/.300/.385 with a career-worst .685 OPS. Friedl has looked better in seven games in September, going 6-for-23 (.261) with a homer, double, six RBI and a steal.
Cincinnati Reds outfielder TJ Friedl (chest) will remain sidelined on Sunday as the Reds conclude a series with the New York Mets. Friedl left Saturday's game early after experiencing shortness of breath. As a precaution, he was taken to the hospital and thankfully nothing serious was detected. However, out of precautionary measures, the outfielder will take a seat on Sunday which will open up center field for Will Benson. Fantasy managers should pay attention to the 29-year-old's status ahead of the new week as he could miss a few more games. Benson is worth a look in DFS against the Mets as he will bat in the eight-hole and face Mets right-hander Luis Severino who enters Sunday with a 3.84 ERA.
Cincinnati Reds outfielder TJ Friedl will head to the bench with a left-hander on the mound on Friday against the division-rival Pittsburgh Pirates at PNC Park. Stuart Fairchild will handle center-field duties and will bat sixth against Pirates left-hander Bailey Falter. Not only is Friedl hitless in 10 at-bats over his last three games, but he's hitting .233 (10-for-43) with only one of his 10 home runs on the season against southpaws. Fairchild is hitting .273 with two RBI in 11 career at-bats against Falter and has hit .278 (30-for-108) with five of his eight long balls in 2024 against lefties. Still, Fairchild is a relatively unimpressive low-upside DFS play with only eight home runs, 29 RBI and 13 steals on the year while hitting .218 in 206 total at-bats.
Cincinnati Reds outfielder TJ Friedl went deep in Monday's series-opening win over the hosting Toronto Blue Jays at Rogers Centre, racking up three hits in the victory. Friedl drilled a solo home run off Blue Jays ace Kevin Gausman to right field, tying the game at two runs apiece for Cincinnati in the fourth inning on Monday against Toronto. 2024 has been a stop-start season for the left-handed-hitting 29-year-old center fielder due to injuries, but he's heating up over his last 15 games, batting .302 (16-for-53) with five homers, 13 RBI, and eight runs scored for the Reds.
Cincinnati Reds outfielder TJ Friedl went 2-for-4 with his seventh homer in Thursday's 10-4 win over the Miami Marlins. Friedl took Kyle Tyler deep in the first inning, then delivered a pair of RBIs later in the game on a single and a hit-by-pitch. He was a little slow to get back into things after his latest trip to the IL, but with homers in consecutive games, he looks like he might be back to form. Friedl had a terrific 2023, and although this season has been injury-plagued, he can still contribute a blend of power and speed that fantasy managers will want to have down the stretch, making him a solid waiver-wire option.
The Cincinnati Reds activated outfielder TJ Friedl (hamstring) from the 10-day injured list on Friday and optioned outfield prospect Rece Hinds to Triple-A Louisville in a corresponding move. Friedl will immediately start in center field on Friday against the hosting Tampa Bay Rays and right-hander Shane Baz while batting in the cleanup spot. The left-handed-hitting Friedl should take over the strong side of a platoon in center field in Cincinnati against right-handed pitchers now that he's healthy. The 28-year-old hasn't been able to get going in 2024 due to multiple injuries, and he'll return to a .216/.315/.361 slash line with four homers, 16 RBI and six stolen bases. However, fantasy managers can't ignore the fact that he's just a year removed from hitting 18 homers, driving in 66 and swiping 27 bags in 138 games in 2023.
Cincinnati Reds outfielder TJ Friedl (hamstring) is set to join Triple-A Louisville on Sunday to begin a rehab assignment. The 28-year-old has been sidelined with a hamstring strain since June 24. Friedl has appeared in only 26 games this season due to several nagging injuries and has held a mediocre .216/.315/.361 line with four home runs, 16 RBI, and six stolen bases. Last summer, Friedl showcased his ability to be a strong five-category contributor with a .279 AVG, 18 home runs, and 27 stolen bases. The outfielder could return as soon as next weekend, depending on how well he does at Triple-A. Friedl will likely see a majority of the starts in center field in Cincinnati during the second half.
TJ Friedl Could Return Shortly After All-Star Break
Cincinnati Reds outfielder TJ Friedl (hamstring) is trending to return from the 10-day injured list in the first week to 10 days after next week's All-Star break. Friedl continues to work his way back from a right-hamstring strain. The 28-year-old was cleared to begin a running progression this week and will continue to ramp up during next week's All-Star break before likely going out on a short minor-league rehab assignment. The left-handed-hitting outfielder has had bad luck with injuries in 2024 and has only had 97 at-bats so far for the Reds, collecting 21 hits (.216 average) with just four home runs, 16 RBI and six stolen bases. Friedl should return to being at least on the strong side of a platoon in center field for the Reds against right-handed pitching, though.
