Friedl is absent from the lineup for Wednesday's game versus the Padres.
Friedl had made three straight starts in center field against right-handed pitching, but he will exit the lineup Wednesday against San Diego righty Casey Mize. Dane Myers will patrol center field and will bat sixth for the Reds.
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Reds' TJ Friedl: Another start against righty
Rotowire
Friedl will start in center field and bat eighth in Monday's contest versus the Padres.
Friedl has played sparingly in the second half, but his reps are trending up as he starts Monday for the third time over the Reds' last four games against right-handed pitching. With Friedl getting another look in center field, Dane Myers will begin the festivities on the bench.
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Reds' TJ Friedl: Goes deep in win
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Friedl entered Friday's game as a defensive replacement and homered in his lone plate appearance in a 10-8 win over the Cubs.
Friedl belted a solo homer in the top of the ninth inning, which gave Cincinnati breathing room after Chicago drew within a run with a four-run eighth. It was the the fourth homer of the season and first since July 2 for Friedl, who cleared outright waivers earlier this week.
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Reds' TJ Friedl: Sticking with Reds
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Friedl cleared outright waivers Thursday and will remain with the Reds, Charlie Goldsmith of Fox 19 Now Cincinnati reports.
The Reds placed Friedl on waivers earlier this week in an effort to save some money, but no team was willing to pay the remaining $700,000 on his contract to acquire a player that's slashed just .158/.242/.234 this season across 253 plate appearances. The 31-year-old will enter his second year of arbitration eligibility during the offseason, but Cincinnati's attempt to pass him along to another team suggests that the team won't offer him a contract this winter.
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Reds' TJ Friedl: Placed on waivers
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The Reds placed Friedl on outright waivers Wednesday, Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reports.
With the Reds most likely out of contention for a postseason appearance, the team will now attempt to shed payroll for the final month of the season by exposing Friedl to waivers. The 31-year-old has endured the worst season of his career up to this point, batting just .158 with a .476 OPS through 253 plate appearances. It's unlikely that another team will be willing to take on the $700,000 remaining on his contract for minimal production, so Friedl will presumably clear waivers and remain with the Reds for the rest of the year.
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Reds' TJ Friedl: Enters game in left field
Rotowire
Friedl entered Friday's game to play left field after Michael Toglia was removed with a dislocated shoulder. The former went 1-for-2 in a 9-0 loss to Arizona.
Friedl recently lost playing time to others in the outfield but may benefit from the injury. The initial reaction to the injury was that Toglia could miss significant time, but X-rays came back negative, and there's hope he could avoid a stint on the injured list. The Reds will get by at corner outfield with some combination of Friedl, JJ Bleday and Hector Rodriguez.
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Reds' TJ Friedl: Losing out to Myers in CF
Rotowire
Friedl is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Mariners.
Though he had a clear path to a strong-side platoon role in center field after Blake Dunn hit the shelf June 28 due to a right elbow sprain, Friedl has done little to help his case for earning playing time. Since getting called up from Triple-A Louisville the same day Dunn went on the injured list, Friedl is slashing just .150/.277/.275 over 15 contests. He'll take a seat against a right-handed starting pitcher (Emerson Hancock) for the third time in the last five games while the Reds go with Dane Myers in center field.
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Reds' TJ Friedl: On bench Saturday
Rotowire
Friedl isn't in the lineup for Saturday's game against the Rockies.
Friedl will retreat to the dugout for Saturday's contest after going 0-for-3 with a walk in Friday's win. While he sits, Dane Myers will patrol center field and bat seventh.
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Reds' TJ Friedl: Starts against right-hander
Rotowire
Friedl started in center field and went 1-for-4 with a triple, an RBI and a run scored in Saturday's 8-5 loss to the Orioles.
Friedl legged out a triple in the second inning, driving in a run, and then scored the Reds' fourth run of the frame. Since the club lost two center fielders to injury -- Blake Dunn (elbow) and Dane Myers (shoulder) -- Friedl has started against right-handers while Matt McLain has gotten the call against lefties.
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Reds' TJ Friedl: Swats homer in win
Rotowire
Friedl started in center field and went 2-for-3 with a home run and two RBI in Thursday's 7-2 win over Milwaukee.
Friedl belted a solo home run in the seventh inning and knocked in another run with an eighth-inning single. These were his first hits since returning to the majors at the beginning of the week. Friedl has started three games since his recall, all coming against right-handers, and he could remain the Reds' primary option in center field while Dane Myers (shoulder) and Blake Dunn (elbow) are both sidelined.
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Reds' TJ Friedl: Back in majors
Rotowire
The Reds recalled Friedl from Triple-A Louisville on Sunday.
The 30-year-old was optioned to Triple-A in early June after posting a .179/.259/.256 slash line through 178 plate appearances, but he'll get another chance with the Reds after Blake Dunn (elbow) landed on the injured list. Friedl filled the strong side of a platoon in center field at the start of the season, though it's unclear if he'll slide back into that role after posting an .841 OPS in 18 games for Louisville. The Reds will include him in the starting lineup and batting eighth versus right-hander Mitch Keller during Sunday's series finale in Pittsburgh.
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Reds' TJ Friedl: Idle for second straight game
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Friedl is out of the lineup for Monday's game against the Royals.
Friedl resurfaced in the Cincinnati lineup for three straight starts late last week, but despite reaching base in three of his eight plate appearances during that stretch, manager Terry Francona will send the outfielder to the bench for a second straight matchup versus a right-hander. With Friedl taking a seat, the Reds will be able to reopen a spot in the middle infield for Matt McLain, while Spencer Steer shifts to the outfield after manning the keystone in Sunday's win over Atlanta.
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Reds' TJ Friedl: Sitting after three straight starts
Rotowire
Friedl is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against Atlanta.
He'll retreat to the bench after going 2-for-7 with a walk and a run scored over the past three games. Though he probably hasn't reclaimed a full-time role just yet, Friedl's playing time appears more secure than that of Matt McLain, who is on the bench for the third time in four games while the Reds shift Spencer Steer to second base and hand Will Benson a start in the outfield.
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Reds' TJ Friedl: Dropped to ninth
Rotowire
Friedl batted ninth in the order and went 1-for-2 with a walk in Wednesday's 4-2 loss to the Mets.
This was Friedl's first time starting a game at the bottom of the order. The one-time leadoff hitter's season-opening slump has cost him both a spot atop the Reds' order and playing time - Friedl's started just three times in the last 13 games.
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Reds' TJ Friedl: Taking seat during Game 1
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Friedl isn't in the lineup for the first game of Saturday's doubleheader against the Cardinals.
The first half of Saturday's twin bill will mark Friedl's third straight absence from the starting lineup. The 30-year-old has gone just 1-for-17 with eight strikeouts over his last six games, so he may have fallen down the depth chart as a result of his struggles. JJ Bleday, Dane Myers and Blake Dunn will start across the outfield while Friedl sits.
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Reds' TJ Friedl: Idle against right-hander
Rotowire
Friedl is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Phillies.
Friedl will hit the bench for the second day in a row, this time sitting against a righty (Aaron Nola) after being held out of the lineup against lefty Jesus Luzardo on Tuesday. Blake Dunn will pick up a start in center field in place of Friedl, who has gone 2-for-28 with a 2:11 BB:K over his last nine games to bring his season-long batting line down to .178/.258/.260.
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Reds' TJ Friedl: Returns to lineup
Rotowire
Friedl started in center field and batted eighth in Sunday's 10-3 loss to the Guardians. He went 0-for-2 and was pinch hit for in the seventh inning.
Friedl's playing time has taken a dramatic hit, as Sunday's start was his first in four games. When a leadoff batter is hitting .184 two months into the season, that forces a manager to seek other solutions in the field and at leadoff. Will Benson batted leadoff Sunday, and he's been sharing that role with Dane Myers the last five contests. For now, Friedl appears to be in a platoon, getting starts against righties, but either Benson or JJ Bleday could serve in that role if Friedl doesn't improve. He's gone 2-for-25 over his last eight games.
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Reds' TJ Friedl: Not in Sunday's lineup
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Friedl is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Astros.
Friedl has gone 1-for-17 across the past five games and will hit the bench Sunday with opposing pitcher Kai-Wei Teng starting what is expected to be a bullpen game for Houston. Blake Dunn will take over in center field while Will Benson steps into the leadoff spot for Cincinnati.
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Reds' TJ Friedl: Continues hot stretch
Rotowire
Friedl went 2-for-4 with a double and a run scored in Friday's 9-1 loss to the Pirates.
Friedl had two of the Reds' three hits and was the only bright light in the loss. The two-hit night continued a strong stretch for the outfielder, who has gone 12-for-38 (.316) with two home runs, five doubles, one steal, six RBI and five runs over the last 10 contests. Friedl has slowly climbed out of a deep hole -- his batting average stood at .137 after 20 games -- and is at a season-high .198.
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Reds' TJ Friedl: Tallies three hits, including homer
Rotowire
Friedl went 3-for-4 with a double, solo home run and an additional run against the Tigers in a 9-2 win Saturday.
Friedl capped a big offensive game by the Reds with a solo blast in the eighth inning. His three total hits tied a season-high mark, and this was the first time all season Friedl has logged multiple extra-base hits in a game. In fact, the veteran outfielder went 20 contests at the outset of the campaign without any extra-base knocks on his ledger. He seems to be turning things around since, going 7-for-19 with three doubles, Saturday's homer, four RBI and a stolen base across his past five games.
