Christian Encarnacion-Strand

Encarnacion-Strand kicked the door down with a .331/.405/.637 line and 20 homers in 67 games with Triple-A Louisville to earn a promotion to Cincinnati just after the All-Star break. At 23 years old, he continued to hit for impressive power at the highest level, totaling 20 extra-base hits in his first 241 MLB plate appearances. He struck out at a 28.6% clip but still managed to bat .270 on the strength of a 10.5% barrel rate. In declining Joey Votto's option in November, the Reds said they could not commit to the playing time Votto deserves, an acknowledgment of the need to get Encarnacion-Strand and others more at-bats in 2024. Acquired from Minnesota in 2022 as part of the Tyler Mahle deal, Encarnacion-Strand will likely split time between first base and designated hitter after the Reds signed Jeimer Candelario to a multi-year deal. Read Past Outlooks