A lesson from 2022 shows the next step that the 2024 Reds have to take

It took two years for the Cincinnati Reds to find the silver lining of their terrible 100-loss season in 2022.

Earlier this season, Reds outfielder Jake Fraley looked around the clubhouse and recognized how many players turned that season into an opportunity that changed their careers.

“If you plug away at the right things, good things happen,” Fraley said. “Things get tough. Things go sideways. The fact that we had the right men in the clubhouse and the right coaching staff and the right resources, we coupled that with the right mentality as a group. There’s no coincidence we took such a big step.”

Just like the 2022 Reds, the 2024 Reds are being decimated by injuries. But unlike the 2022 Reds, the 2024 Reds haven’t found another wave of contributors yet.

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The 2022 Reds spent most of the year with their best players on the injured list. Since the roster didn’t have a lot of proven talent, the injuries created an opportunity. TJ Friedl, Fraley, Brandon Drury, Stuart Fairchild, Fernando Cruz, Ian Gibaut and Buck Farmer all took advantage of it. All of those players except for Drury are still on the Reds’ roster, and Drury netted the Reds a prospect in a trade with the San Diego Padres in 2022.

During that season, this group of players went from fringe big leaguers to known commodities who stuck in MLB.

“The opportunity helped everyone individually up their game,” Fraley said. “Everyone wants to be on the train. You get on board. We were able to go through what we went through in 2022. A core handful of the guys here went through that. We used it, learned from it and took that next step. That’s what it’s all about.”

All of them got at-bats and innings that they wouldn’t have received on a team that was fully healthy, or a team that had more established depth entering the season.

“For me, it was about getting this opportunity, being comfortable and knowing I was getting to prove myself,” Gibaut said. “Not just for a few outings, but for an extended period of time. I really got to feel like a part of a team. That’s a big part of it. From there, you just do your thing.”

This year, the Reds are missing a big chunk of the core of the roster again. Christian Encarnacion-Strand, Matt McLain, TJ Friedl, Nick Lodolo and Emilio Pagán are on the injured list, and Noelvi Marte is serving a PED suspension. Fraley got hit by a pitch on his hand last Tuesday, and his status is up in the air.

The 2024 Reds have a 4-16 record in May, which is a product of a frustrating stretch for the lineup. They also have their group of players who are getting an opportunity that they wouldn’t be if the team was at full strength. But so far, Jacob Hurtubise, Mike Ford, Nick Martini and Santiago Espinal haven’t provided much-needed reinforcements yet for a slumping offense.

“Every player is a valuable member of this team,” Hurtubise said. “As individual as this game is, it’s still a team game. You try to find ways to help the team win no matter what that looks like. I can’t step into the shoes and be TJ Friedl. I’m just going to play my game. I can’t do anything different than what I’ve done in years past. That’s how I got to this point in my career.”

During the offseason, the Reds weren’t able to acquire as much minor league depth as they wanted to through minor league free agency. Free agents recognized that the Reds already had a ton of position player depth, and they saw quicker paths to big league at-bats in different organizations.

All of the Reds’ new pieces are in situations that they didn’t see coming.

Hurtubise, a promising prospect, injured his shoulder while playing in Triple-A in April and was still on a rehab assignment in High-A when he got the call-up to the big leagues on May 13. The Reds’ injuries accelerated his timeline to MLB.

The Reds have asked for a lot from rookies over the last two years, but Hurtubise was thrust into the leadoff spot quicker than McLain, Elly De La Cruz or Marte. Hurtubise has shown a solid approach at the plate so far, and he’s hitting .214 with a .582 OPS. By moving him up to the leadoff spot in a struggling lineup, the Reds are asking a lot for someone who has played in nine big league games.

“I feel more comfortable than I thought I would stepping into a big league batter’s box,” Hurtubise said. Everything is a bit more polished in this game. I have room to polish myself. That’s what makes this experience so great. No matter how long I’m here. If I do great and stay here the whole year, or if this is a short stint and I get to go work again in Triple-A, I’m excited to have this opportunity to continue to grow as a player.”

Ford, who has a .161 batting average and a .440 OPS, hit third in the order for most of the Reds’ recent West Coast road trip before moving down in the order. In early May, the Reds released Ford after they determined there wasn’t a spot for him on the big league roster. One week later, after Encarnacion-Strand went on the injured list, Ford signed a big league deal with the Reds and became an every day player.

“It’s really hard to come off the couch at home and hit at this level,” Ford said. “I’ve started to feel more comfortable. We’ve taken an in-depth look at what’s going on that might have lingered from the seven days off I had in between spots. I feel good about where I’m at now.”

Espinal, who looked like he wasn't going to make the Toronto Blue Jays’ roster during spring training, got traded to the Reds in March and has received consistent playing time. Espinal has played great defense and made an impact at the plate against left-handed pitching. But while he’s hitting just .167 with a .476 OPS, he has gotten consistent playing time in those matchups as injuries pile up in the Reds’ infield.

On Tuesday, the Reds called Martini back up, looking for a spark in the lineup. The Reds made this move just two weeks after they optioned him to Triple-A because he was really struggling at the plate. He posted a 1.381 OPS across eight games in Triple-A before getting a quick promotion back to the big leagues.

“It was good to clear my mind, play free and be myself,” said Martini, who hit a two-run homer on Thursday. “I stuck with what I do and didn’t get ahead of myself. Toward the end there in the big leagues, I put too much pressure on myself. The big leagues are hard. Once you start to spiral a bit, it can go the wrong way. That’s what happened.”

The Reds have already called up their top performers from Triple-A. Unlike last year, the Louisville Bats aren’t filled with top prospects who are ready to become every day players in MLB.

Waiver claims Livan Soto and Peyton Burdick and the recently demoted Connor Capel are the Reds’ best options on the current Triple-A roster. Prospect Blake Dunn has a .699 OPS in Triple-A this year but has played in only 35 games at that level.

Friedl, Encarnacion-Strand and Marte are expected to return in June. Until then, the newest players on the Reds' roster have a chance to show the types of players they can be in MLB. The Reds are counting on them to develop into impactful pieces.

“Injuries have definitely created opportunities,” Martini said. “You’ve got to try to take advantage of it. This is a good place to do that. They’re willing to give people real opportunities here, which is a great thing. Not a lot of places do that all the time. They show that they have confidence in everyone here.”

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: There’s no silver lining yet to the Reds’ disappointing May