en-us SportSpyder - The Latest Cincinnati Reds News https://sportspyder.com/mlb/cincinnati-reds/news The Reds have turned road games and late pressure into strengths, and that is why Cincinnati suddenly looks like a real NL Central threat. Thu, 23 Apr 2026 10:41:11 GMT Tremayne Person https://sportspyder.com/mlb/cincinnati-reds/articles/56366533 https://sportspyder.com/mlb/cincinnati-reds/articles/56366533 false false After recovering from knee surgery, Reds first base coach Collin Cowgill returns to the coaches' box Friday. And into MLB's new danger zone. Thu, 23 Apr 2026 04:44:46 GMT Gordon Wittenmyer https://sportspyder.com/mlb/cincinnati-reds/articles/56364514 https://sportspyder.com/mlb/cincinnati-reds/articles/56364514 false false Eric Davis on Reds' 2026 Hall of Famer Reggie Sanders: "He created his own angle. He created his own narrative. He could do everything." Thu, 23 Apr 2026 04:44:42 GMT Gordon Wittenmyer https://sportspyder.com/mlb/cincinnati-reds/articles/56364512 https://sportspyder.com/mlb/cincinnati-reds/articles/56364512 false false Cincinnati Reds third baseman has never been known for his bat. However, his struggles have reached a level beyond comprehension. Contradictorily, he may not be as bad as the numbers are showing. Let’s dig deep to see what kind of voodoo magic has taken hold of him since , and what he can do to shake it off. Ke’Bryan Hayes Off to Baffling Start at the Plate for the Reds Season Defining Slump? Hayes’ stats this year jump off the page, just not in the way you’d hope. In 20 games this year, he has a .305 OPS and -15 wRC+. Hayes was never a guy who stacked up WAR on a season-to-season basis, with his career high being 3.2 fWAR in 2023. However, he is already at -0.6 fWAR this year despite being a net positive on defense, which shows just how bad he’s been at the plate. Fancy wording and analysis aside for a moment, here’s a proven practice that never fails: Anytime an OPS looks like a batting average (a bad batting average at that in Hayes’ case), it can be labeled as a massive slump. How? Why? Now that we’ve established the extent of Hayes’ struggles, it’s time to conduct an autopsy to understand the how and why. Looking at his first, they’re surprisingly not as bad as one would think. With a .313 xwOBA (47th percentile), .235 xBA (42nd percentile), and a .401 xSLG (51st percentile), Hayes is actually hitting the ball more on par with a league-average to slightly below league-average hitter. Next up are the strikeouts and walks. Oftentimes, a glance at these two during a player’s slump can determine whether they’re due for a breakout or not. Looking at Hayes has a 9.2 K% (98th percentile), meaning he’s almost never striking out, and with a 9.2 BB% (46th percentile), he’s drawing walks at about a league average to slightly below league average rate, which is surprisingly good considering his hitting profile. In fact, his plate discipline has looked great all season, as he has an 18.6 Whiff% (81st percentile) and a 25.0 Chase% (74th percentile). This Ke’Bryan Hayes unlucky thing is getting a bit out of hand…. — Chatterbox Sports (@CBoxSports) The Light at the End of the Tunnel With the basic numbers out of the way, there may be some more signs of Hayes’ (hopefully) inevitable return to normalcy. The hope is that he can crawl his way to a 75 wRC+, which would still be below league average, but it would be an acceptable number due to Hayes’ defensive prowess. Looking at exit velocity first, we can see that Hayes is averaging 90.2 MPH, which, if he keeps up for the whole year, would be his highest mark since 2023. If my eyes aren’t deceiving me, 2023 coincidentally is the best offensive season of his career (excluding the 24 games in 2020). That year, Hayes registered a 101 wRC+, which is the only time in his career when he was above league average at the plate for a full season. With his exit velocity closer to that of his career year, perhaps there is hope for league-average offensive production. Another positive when comparing the similarities between his 2023 breakout to his current 2026 slump is that his LA Sweet-Spot% is currently at 35.8%, while it was 34.1% in 2023. For a guy who has always hovered around 30.0%, this is another encouraging sign that Hayes can right the ship. Finally, Hayes’ Barrel% is currently at 7.5, which, you guessed it, is the highest since 2023, when he had a 7.4 Barrel%. Funnily enough, a lot of signs are pointing at Hayes being a much better hitter than he was in the past two seasons, yet his numbers so far have shown the opposite. If Ke’Bryan Hayes can become close to league average, it cannot be overstated enough just how helpful that would be for this Reds lineup. Main Photo Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images Thu, 23 Apr 2026 04:28:29 GMT Ethan Hung https://sportspyder.com/mlb/cincinnati-reds/articles/56364378 https://sportspyder.com/mlb/cincinnati-reds/articles/56364378 false false Arnaldo Lantigua connected for his first home run of the season on Wednesday night for the Daytona Tortugas. The post appeared first on . Thu, 23 Apr 2026 03:48:48 GMT Doug Gray https://sportspyder.com/mlb/cincinnati-reds/articles/56364116 https://sportspyder.com/mlb/cincinnati-reds/articles/56364116 false false Terry Francona's Reds have started 16-9 in his second season as the team's manager. Thu, 23 Apr 2026 03:02:41 GMT Dave Clark https://sportspyder.com/mlb/cincinnati-reds/articles/56363886 https://sportspyder.com/mlb/cincinnati-reds/articles/56363886 false false As Brandon Phillips prepares for his Reds Hall of Fame induction, he called Cincinnati 'home' and said he loves the city and especially the fans. Thu, 23 Apr 2026 02:28:57 GMT Dave Clark https://sportspyder.com/mlb/cincinnati-reds/articles/56363640 https://sportspyder.com/mlb/cincinnati-reds/articles/56363640 false false Cincinnati Reds’ power duo Elly De La Cruz and Sal Stewart are on pace to make franchise history, with both eyeing unprecedented 40–40 seasons and potentiall... Thu, 23 Apr 2026 02:00:39 GMT Locked On Reds https://sportspyder.com/mlb/cincinnati-reds/articles/56363420 https://sportspyder.com/mlb/cincinnati-reds/articles/56363420 false false Yes, watching a winner is fun, but the Reds have played some entertaining baseball to boot. Thu, 23 Apr 2026 00:56:43 GMT C. Trent Rosecrans https://sportspyder.com/mlb/cincinnati-reds/articles/56362909 https://sportspyder.com/mlb/cincinnati-reds/articles/56362909 true false Condensed Game: Sal Stewart and the Reds take on Junior Caminero and the Rays on April 22, 2026 Thu, 23 Apr 2026 03:03:56 GMT @Raysbaseball https://sportspyder.com/mlb/cincinnati-reds/articles/56363890 https://sportspyder.com/mlb/cincinnati-reds/articles/56363890 false false Deadspin | Nick Martinez helps Rays dispatch Reds, his former team Wed, 22 Apr 2026 23:16:59 GMT Mike Sullivan https://sportspyder.com/mlb/cincinnati-reds/articles/56362182 https://sportspyder.com/mlb/cincinnati-reds/articles/56362182 false false Brandon Phillips will sign a one-day contract to retire as a Cincinnati Red on April 25, celebrating his 11 seasons with the team and his upcoming Reds Hall of Fame induction with Aaron Harang, Reggie Sanders, and Lou Piniella. Phillips was beloved for his exciting play and strong bond with Reds fans. Wed, 22 Apr 2026 22:51:50 GMT David Jablonski - Staff Writer https://sportspyder.com/mlb/cincinnati-reds/articles/56361914 https://sportspyder.com/mlb/cincinnati-reds/articles/56361914 true false ST. PETERSBURG – The limits to the Reds' success on the road so far this season are confined to the state of Florida. A 6-1 defeat to the Rays on Wednesday at Tropicana Field – which snapped a five-game winning streak – was just the third loss in Cincinnati's 13 Wed, 22 Apr 2026 22:51:39 GMT Mark Sheldon https://sportspyder.com/mlb/cincinnati-reds/articles/56361913 https://sportspyder.com/mlb/cincinnati-reds/articles/56361913 false false Reds skipper Terry Francona discusses 6-1 loss against the Rays, facing former Red Nick Martinez and more Wed, 22 Apr 2026 22:04:55 GMT @Reds https://sportspyder.com/mlb/cincinnati-reds/articles/56361318 https://sportspyder.com/mlb/cincinnati-reds/articles/56361318 false false