This is not the sort of lineup card that screams stability. It screams necessity, improvisation and a front office that is still trying to patch together an outfield problem that has been hanging over the Cincinnati Reds for far too long. On Friday, Spencer Steer was listed to start in center field and bat third against the Chicago Cubs, which is a lot to ask of a player who has spent his MLB outfield time in the corner spots.
That is the point, really. The Reds are not treating center field like a settled position right now; they are treating it like a crisis that needs a live body and a workable plan. Matt McLain had played center field for a few games last week, but on Friday he was placed on the injured list, and that immediately forced another shuffle. Ke'Bryan Hayes returned to the team on the same day, but the headline move was Steer moving to center.
A move that tells you where the Reds are
Steer is not being asked to solve center field because the Reds suddenly discovered a long-term defensive gem. He is being asked to survive it. The source notes that he has MLB outfield experience in the corner spots, but also that he carried a -11 outs above average rating there this season. That is not a flattering number, and it is not the kind of detail that inspires confidence when you are asking him to cover even more ground.
And yet here we are. The Reds have been living with this problem for a while, and fans have wanted the organization to acquire better outfielders for years. That frustration matters because this is not a one-off oddity; it feels like the latest reminder that the roster still has a hole that keeps showing up in awkward, uncomfortable ways.
There is a version of this where Steer makes it work for a night and everyone moves on. Baseball lineups do that sometimes. But there is also the more revealing version, the one the Reds keep drifting toward: a team with enough ambition to keep competing, but not enough certainty in the outfield to make anyone feel relaxed about the plan.
So yes, Hunter Greene will still pull attention whenever he is part of the conversation. But on Friday, the louder story was the Reds putting Spencer Steer in center field and asking a temporary answer to do a permanent job. That is not ideal. It is just where the Reds are right now.
