Orioles' Christian Encarnacion-Strand: On bench Tuesday
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Encarnacion-Strand is out of the lineup for Tuesday's game against the Tigers, Jake Rill of MLB.com reports.
After making six consecutive starts at third base, Encarnacion-Strand finds himself on the bench Tuesday for a second straight game. The 26-year-old has a 1.155 OPS with three homers in seven games since getting promoted by Baltimore in mid-July, but Coby Mayo will pick up a second straight start the hot corner after homering in Monday's contest.
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Orioles' Christian Encarnacion-Strand: Giving way to Mayo on Monday
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Encarnacion-Strand is out of the lineup for Monday's game against the Tigers.
Coby Mayo will receive the nod at third base Monday, but Encarnacion-Strand may have at least temporarily leapfrogged him on the depth chart at third base following a hot start at the plate to begin his tenure with the Orioles. Since being recalled from Triple-A Norfolk on July 16, Encarnacion-Strand is hitting .370 with three home runs and nine RBI across 30 plate appearances. Though Encarnacion-Strand could be a strong source of power while he's playing regularly, fantasy managers should anticipate a sharp downturn in his batting average, after he had struck out at a 30.4 percent clip over a larger sample of 260 plate appearances at Norfolk prior to his promotion.
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Orioles' Christian Encarnacion-Strand: Overtaking Mayo at third base
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Encarnacion-Strand will start at third base and bat fifth in Sunday's game against Atlanta.
Encarnacion-Strand has sizzled at the plate since being called up from Triple-A Norfolk on July 16, going 9-for-24 (.375) with three home runs, nine RBI and a 1:6 BB:K. He'll be making his sixth consecutive start Sunday at third base, where he appears to have leapfrogged Coby Mayo on the depth chart.
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Reds' Christian Encarnacion-Strand: Removed from 40-man roster
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The Reds designated Encarnacion-Strand for assignment Wednesday.
The transaction clears a spot on the 40-man roster for the addition of P.J. Higgins. Encarnacion-Strand looked like a potential building block for the Reds a couple years ago, but he's struggled at the big-league level since the beginning of the 2024 campaign and has dealt with numerous injuries. He's still just 26 and has plenty of power potential, so there should be some interest in Encarnacion-Strand via waivers.
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Reds' Christian Encarnacion-Strand: Recovering from hamstring injury
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Reds manager Terry Francona said Thursday that Encarnacion-Strand is behind schedule after suffering a hamstring injury in January, Charlie Goldsmith of Fox 19 Now Cincinnati reports.
Encarnacion-Strand is on a running program, so he is improving, but he could miss the first few Cactus League games. The 26-year-old infielder slashed just .208/.234/.377 across 137 plate appearances last season and looks to be a bit buried on the Reds' depth chart.
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Reds' Christian Encarnacion-Strand: Demoted to minors
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The Reds optioned Encarnacion-Strand to Triple-A Louisville on Saturday.
Encarnacion-Strand has seen his playing time dwindle over the past several days, and Jake Fraley's (shoulder) return from the IL will now leave the former without a spot on the active roster. The 25-year-old Encarnacion-Strand has slashed .208/.234/.377 across 137 plate appearances this season.
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Reds' Christian Encarnacion-Strand: On bench again
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Encarnacion-Strand went unused off the bench in Wednesday's 7-2 win over the Marlins.
Since Noelvi Marte's return from the injured list last Friday, Encarnacion-Strand has started once over the last five games. For now, Marte and Spencer Steer will continue to garner most of the starts at the corner-infield spots, while Austin Hays and Gavin Lux appear set to share left field and the designated-hitter spot when the Reds face right-handed pitching. Encarnacion-Strand has batted just .179 over his last 17 games, and with his playing time on the downswing, he could soon be headed for a demotion to Triple-A Louisville.
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Reds' Christian Encarnacion-Strand: Launches grand slam in win
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Encarnacion-Strand went 2-for-5 with a grand slam and a second run scored in Wednesday's 8-4 win over the Red Sox.
After fouling a ball off his foot in the continuation of a suspended game earlier Wednesday, Encarnacion-Strand was able to rejoin the lineup in the nightcap and proved to be the difference maker. The 25-year-old first baseman blasted a 439-foot grand slam off Greg Weissert to put the Reds ahead 4-3 in the seventh inning. It's the first homer since June 8 for Encarnacion-Strand, who'd gone 8-for-51 (.157) with an ugly .362 OPS in his last 15 games. He's now slashing .206/.233/.381 with six homers, 19 RBI and 13 runs scored through 133 plate appearances this season.
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Reds' Christian Encarnacion-Strand: Cleared to start Wednesday
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Encarnacion-Strand (foot) will start at first base and bat eighth in Wednesday's game against the Red Sox.
Earlier Wednesday, the Reds and Red Sox resumed their suspended game from Tuesday. Encarnacion-Strand started that game at third base and went 1-for-3 before being lifted in the bottom of the eighth inning after he had fouled a ball off his foot in the top of the frame. The Reds didn't include him in their initial lineup for Wednesday's scheduled game, but Encarnacion-Strand will end up starting after Spencer Steer was scratched due to a hand injury that he suffered earlier in the day when he was hit by a pitch. Though Encarnacion-Strand may not be 100 percent while he tends to the foot issue, the Reds evidently felt that Steer was more in need of rest and recovery for the nightcap.
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Reds' Christian Encarnacion-Strand: Out after fouling ball off foot
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Encarnacion-Strand is not in the lineup for Wednesday's game in Boston after fouling a ball off the top of his foot earlier in the day, Charlie Goldsmith of Fox 19 Now Cincinnati reports.
The Reds and Red Sox resumed Tuesday's suspended game earlier Wednesday, and Encarnacion-Strand was removed in the bottom of the eighth after getting hurt in his at-bat in the previous half inning. Manager Terry Francona didn't disclose whether Encarnacion-Strand underwent X-rays following his removal from the contest. With Encarnacion-Strand on the bench for the second game of the day, the Reds will turn to Santiago Espinal to cover third base.
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Reds' Christian Encarnacion-Strand: Getting breather Saturday
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Encarnacion-Strand isn't in the starting lineup Saturday versus San Diego.
Encarnacion-Strand has started each of Cincinnati's previous four contests and went 2-for-12 with three runs batted in during that stretch, with both of the hits and all of the RBI coming in the same game. He'll begin on the bench Saturday while Santiago Espinal starts at the hot corner and Spencer Steer starts at first base.
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Reds' Christian Encarnacion-Strand: Starts at third base
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Encarnacion-Strand started at third base and went 0-for-4 in Tuesday's 1-0 win over Cleveland.
This was the first time in five games that Encarnacion-Strand failed to reach base safely since coming off the IL; he'd gone 8-for-17 with a double, three home runs and seven RBI over the first four contests. This marked the third time in those five games that he's started at third base. Reds manager Terry Francona needs to find time for both Encarnacion-Strand and Spencer Steer, and it appears Santiago Espinal's regular run at third base has ended.
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Reds' Christian Encarnacion-Strand: Reinstated from IL
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The Reds activated Encarnacion-Strand (back) from the 10-day injured list Friday.
Encarnacion-Strand has been on the shelf since April 17 due to lower-back inflammation, but after a lengthy rehab assignment, he's been cleared to rejoin the Reds. Prior to sustaining the injury, Encarnacion-Strand slashed .158/.183/.298 with two home runs in 60 plate appearances. However, he went 12-for-37 (.324) with a pair of homers over 10 games with Triple-A Louisville during his rehab stint.
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Reds' Christian Encarnacion-Strand: Rehab moving to Triple-A
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Encarnacion-Strand (back) will have his rehab assignment moved to Triple-A Louisville on Sunday, MLB.com reports.
Encarnacion-Strand kicked off his rehab in the Arizona Complex League on Wednesday and is 2-for-7 with a double, two RBI and a run scored. The Reds' roster has undergone some changes since he was placed on the injured list mid-April. Spencer Steer's early season shoulder issue no longer limits him to DH only, and he's been the primary first baseman, which was Encarnacion-Strand's job when he was added to IL.
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Reds' Christian Encarnacion-Strand: Lands on IL with back inflammation
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The Reds placed Encarnacion-Strand on the 10-day injured list Thursday with low-back inflammation.
Encarnacion-Strand had a two-RBI double in Wednesday's loss to the Mariners, but he's been playing through a back issue for a while and the Reds have decided that the best course of action is to rest him for a bit. Jeimer Candelario is likely to handle the bulk of reps at first base while Encarnacion-Strand is out, with Gavin Lux, Santiago Espinal and Noelvi Marte representing the Reds' options at third base.
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Reds' Christian Encarnacion-Strand: Drives in two runs Wednesday
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Encarnacion-Strand went 1-for-4 with a two-run double in Wednesday's 5-3 loss to the Mariners.
Encarnacion-Strand had gone 0-for-12 over his previous three games, but he managed to get the Reds on the board in the seventh inning Wednesday with a two-RBI double. He is working his way back from hamstring and back soreness, which caused him to miss two games earlier in the week. Encarnacion-Strand has begun the season slashing .158/.183/.298 with four runs scored, two home runs and five RBI across 60 plate appearances this season.
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Reds' Christian Encarnacion-Strand: Out of lineup again
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Encarnacion-Strand is out of the lineup Sunday against the Pirates, with manager Terry Francona noting that the first baseman is "banged up" due to back and hamstring issues, Charlie Goldsmith of the Dayton Daily News reports.
Encarnacion-Strand will miss out on a start for the second day in a row due to the pair of injury concerns, both of which he contended with at points during the 2023 season. However, Francona said he expects Encarnacion-Strand to be available off the bench Sunday, so the Reds don't appear to be too concerned about the 25-year-old potentially needing a stint on the shelf.
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Reds' Christian Encarnacion-Strand: Plates run in loss
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Encarnacion-Strand went 0-for-3 with an RBI in Friday's 3-2 loss to the Brewers.
Encarnacion-Strand ended the Reds' 35-inning scoreless streak with a run-producing sacrifice fly in the eighth inning. It was the first productive plate appearance in a while for Encarnacion-Strand, who doesn't have a hit over his last 20 plate appearances.
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Reds' Christian Encarnacion-Strand: Back in action Wednesday
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Encarnacion-Strand (hand) will start at first base and bat sixth in Wednesday's contest versus the Rangers.
Encarnacion-Strand didn't play Tuesday after leaving Monday's game following a hit-by-pitch on the right hand, but it will be just a one-game absence for the infielder. The 25-year-old is 4-for-14 with one home run in the early going this season.
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Reds' Christian Encarnacion-Strand: Avoids significant injury
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The Reds announced that X-rays on Encarnacion-Strand's right hand came back negative after he exited Monday's game against the Rangers in the top of the seventh inning, Charlie Goldsmith of the Dayton Daily News reports.
Encarnacion-Strand was pulled from the contest after being hit by a pitch on the hand in the bottom of the sixth inning, but he checked out OK after undergoing further testing. The club will presumably check on the first baseman early Tuesday before determining whether he can be penciled into the starting lineup for the second game of the series.
