Bleday went 2-for-4 with a two-run home run in a loss to Atlanta on Saturday.
Bleday provided all of the runs the Reds would score with a two-run blast to right field in the second inning. The long ball was his second in as many games and his third across his past five contests. The veteran outfielder has gone 8-for-20 during that span, bringing his season slash line up to an impressive .295/.395/.629. He's added nine homers, 24 RBI and one stolen base in just 29 games.
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Reds' JJ Bleday: Clubs eighth homer
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Bleday went 2-for-3 with a walk and a solo home run in Friday's 8-3 loss to Atlanta.
The 28-year-old outfielder took Grant Holmes deep to lead off the bottom of the fourth inning and get Cincy on the board. Bleday continues to swing a hot bat, and over his last 16 games he's slashing .311/.411/.607 with four of his eight homers on the season, as well as one steal, 11 runs and 15 RBI.
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Reds' JJ Bleday: Another multi-hit game
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Bleday went 3-for-5 with two doubles, one RBI and two runs scored during the Reds' 7-6 win over the Guardians on Friday.
Bleday's RBI fielder's choice in the ninth inning ended up being the game winner in Friday's series opener. He has been hot at the plate recently, having logged multi-hit games in three of his last five games while going 10-for-18 with two home runs, three doubles, 12 RBI and six runs scored over that span. Bleday has a 1.241 OPS with six home runs and 19 RBI across 71 plate appearances this season.
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Reds' JJ Bleday: Two homers, six RBI in rout
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Bleday went 3-for-5 with a pair of home runs and six total RBI in Thursday's 15-1 victory over the Nationals.
Bleday led Cincinnati's offensive outburst Thursday, extending their lead to 9-0 with a three-run blast off lefty Foster Griffin in the fifth inning before adding a two-run homer off Zak Kent in the seventh. It's the third career multi-homer game for Bleday, who's been red hot of late, going 7-for-13 with 11 RBI in his last four games. Overall, he's slashing .321/.455/.755 with six long balls, 18 RBI and 10 runs scored across 66 plate appearances while claiming a regular spot in the Reds' lineup.
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Reds' JJ Bleday: Drives in two runs Sunday
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Bleday went 1-for-2 with a two-run triple, two walks and a stolen base during the Reds' 5-0 win over the Astros on Sunday.
Bleday put the Reds on the board with a two-run triple in the fourth inning before being brought home on a Tyler Stephenson single on the next at-bat. It was the second time this season that Bleday reached base safely three times in a game, and he is slashing .262/.392/.643 with one steal, four home runs and nine RBI across 51 plate appearances this year.
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Reds' JJ Bleday: Hits in five straight
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Bleday went 2-for-5 with an RBI and was caught stealing in Wednesday's 7-6 extra-inning loss to the Cubs.
Bleday's two-hit night upped a hit streak to five games, during which he's 7-for-20 with a double, three home runs, five RBI and five runs scored. The attempted steal was his first in nine games for Cincinnati, but speed has not historically been a feature of Bleday's game -- he's stolen 12 bases (caught seven times) over 409 MLB games prior to this season. The lefty-hitting outfielder has become a lineup regular against right-handers since being called up from the minors last week and recently moved to second in the order.
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Reds' JJ Bleday: Gaining traction in lineup
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Bleday will start in left field and bat seventh in Thursday's game against the Rockies.
The Reds will keep Bleday in the lineup for a third consecutive matchup versus a right-hander (Michael Lorenzen), after Bleday went 2-for-5 with a solo home run and a walk between his first two starts since being called up from Triple-A Louisville. Bleday looks like he could get a trial as a strong-side platoon player in the corner outfield, with Will Benson (.668 OPS in 46 plate appearances) and Rece Hinds (.402 OPS in 34 plate appearances) having both underwhelmed in their opportunities for the Reds thus far.
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Reds' JJ Bleday: Homers in 2026 debut
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Bledlay went 1-for-1 with a walk and a solo home run during the Reds' 8-3 loss to the Tigers on Sunday.
Bledlay was called up by the Reds from Triple-A Louisville on Saturday and made his first major-league start of the season Sunday in left field. He tied things up at 2-2 with a solo homer off Keider Montero in the fourth inning before being replaced by Dane Myers in the sixth against a left-handed reliever. Bleday should remain in the majors for as long as Eugenio Suarez (oblique) is on the 10-day injured list.
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Reds' JJ Bleday: Hits in five straight
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Bleday started in right field and went 2-for-3 with a double, two RBI and a run scored in Monday's spring game against Arizona.
Bleday recorded a hit in his fifth consecutive Cactus League game and is slashing .324/.375/.649 with three doubles, three home runs and 10 RBI over 13 spring training games, but he's still not guaranteed a roster spot. There are five players vying for three bench spots, and Bleday is one of four outfielders on that list having a productive spring. The other outfielders competing include Will Benson (.250, four HR), Dane Myers (.333) and Rece Hinds (.382, four HR).
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Reds' JJ Bleday: Launches first spring homer
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Bleday started in right field and went 1-for-3 with a two-run home run in Wednesday's spring game against the White Sox.
Bleday's two-run shot in the third inning held up as the game-winning knock. He's appeared in two Cactus League games -- one each in left and right field -- going 3-for-6 with a homer, a double and four RBI. Bleday is competing for a depth outfielder spot and can play all three positions.
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Reds' JJ Bleday: Has option remaining
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Bleday still has a minor-league option remaining, C. Trent Rosecrans of The Athletic reports.
Bleday was signed as a free agent this offseason, and the option gives the organization flexibility when finalizing its Opening Day roster. In publishing a first attempt at a roster projection, Rosecrans included the lefty-hitting outfielder on the active roster but did not pencil him into the projected starting lineup. Bleday, who can play all three outfield spots, is best suited and most likely to see time in left field. Will Benson, another lefty batter that has an option remaining, is slotted in left field against right-handers while Spencer Steer gets the nod against lefties. The Reds are hoping Bleday returns to his 2024 form, which saw him belt 20 home runs with a .761 OPS over 159 games for the Athletics.
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Reds' JJ Bleday: Headed to Cincy
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Bleday signed a one-year, $1.4 million contract with the Reds on Saturday, Robert Murray of FanSided.com reports.
Bleday was let go by the Athletics earlier this offseason after slashing .212/.294/.404 with 14 homers, 39 RBI and 48 RBI across 344 MLB plate appearances in 2025. The 28-year-old slugger will provide the Reds with another left-handed bat in the outfield alongside Will Benson and TJ Friedl, but there's no guarantee that Bleday will get to start regularly against right-handed pitchers.
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JJ Bleday: Enters free agency
Rotowire
The Athletics non-tendered Bleday on Friday.
Bleday lost his spot on the 40-man roster Tuesday, and he'll now depart the organization as a whole after not receiving a contract offer for the 2026 season. The 28-year-old outfielder slashed .212/.294/.404 with 14 homers, 39 RBI and 48 runs scored in 98 games with the A's in 2025 and should be able to at least land a minor-league deal this winter.
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Athletics' JJ Bleday: Designated for assignment
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The Athletics designated Bleday for assignment Tuesday, Martin Gallegos of MLB.com reports.
Bleday took a step back in 2025, finishing the season with a .698 OPS to go with 14 homers, 39 RBI, and 48 runs scored across 307 plate appearances in the majors. As a result, he'll lose his place on the Athletics' 40-man roster, helping to make room for the addition of three prospects ahead of December's Rule 5 Draft. The 28-year-old outfielder posted a .980 OPS over 132 plate appearances in the minors, however, which could be intriguing enough for another club to bring him in via waiver claim.
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Athletics' JJ Bleday: Idle against southpaw
Rotowire
Bleday is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Reds.
The left-handed-hitting Bleday had started in each of the last three games, but he'll hit the bench Sunday while the Reds send southpaw Nick Lodolo to the bump. Bleday will cede his spot in the lineup to Colby Thomas, who will cover center field and bat fifth.
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Athletics' JJ Bleday: Sitting against southpaw
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Bleday is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Angels.
The left-handed-hitting Bleday had started in right field in each of the Athletics' previous three contests against right-handed pitchers, but he'll hit the bench while southpaw Mitch Farris toes the rubber for the Angels. The absence of Bleday clears a spot in the lineup for Colby Thomas, who will cover right field and bat third.
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Athletics' JJ Bleday: Hot hitting continues
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Bleday went 2-for-2 with a three-run home run in Saturday's 17-4 win over the Angels.
Bleday was one of two Athletics to deliver a homer off the bench Saturday, as he went yard in the ninth inning following Carlos Cortes' blast in the eighth. Bleday has hit the ground running in September, going 7-for-14 with four homers and nine RBI over his four games this month. He's seeing a majority of the playing time in right field versus right-handed pitchers but is unlikely to attain anything more than that platoon role. For the season, Bleday has a .221/.308/.428 slash line with 14 homers, 38 RBI, 47 runs scored, 15 doubles and a stolen base over 312 plate appearances.
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Athletics' JJ Bleday: Blasts two bombs
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Bleday went 2-for-5 with two home runs, three RBI and an additional run scored in Monday's 11-3 win over St. Louis.
Bleday delivered his first multi-homer game of the season Monday in a blowout win. The outfielder has bounced between Triple-A Las Vegas and Sacramento this year with uneven results, but the power has creeped up lately as he's slashed .230/.302/.460 with five homers and 11 RBI over his last 30 games.
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Athletics' JJ Bleday: Playing time trending down
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Bleday is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Mariners.
The left-handed-hitting Bleday is on the bench for the third time in four matchups with right-handed pitchers and looks to have lost hold of a strong-side platoon role in the Athletics outfield. Until Denzel Clarke (adductor) returns from the injured list, the Athletics may continue to take a committee approach to right field rather than relying on Bleday or another player on an everyday basis.
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Athletics' JJ Bleday: Idle for series finale
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Bleday is out of the lineup for Thursday's game against the Twins.
The left-handed-hitting Bleday had started in each of the Athletics' last three games against right-handed pitchers, but after mustering just one hit while striking out four times in 13 plate appearances over that stretch, he'll hit the bench Thursday. Carlos Cortes will fill in as the starting right fielder in place of Bleday as the Athletics take on Minnesota right-hander Jose Urena.
