Injury riddled. The perfect description of this Reds season. From role players like Fairchild to stars like McLain, the Reds IL has seen no halt in players this year. What was supposed to be an exciting season and hopefully another chance to see how much our rookies have improved, has turned into a disaster of a season, leaving some fans wondering whether the Reds are actually getting better, or if last season was just a fluke.

The Reds came into this year fired up after the success of last season having won 82 games and finishing above .500 in the first year after losing 100 games. The 100-loss season opened the eyes and concerns of many Reds fans since it was only the second time in franchise history it’s happened (first since 1983). Many called for a “clean house”, or a total rebuild players and staff alike. But as the season started, the Reds shocked the league and the fans. The Reds had a historic first half of the year with the electric rookie sensations of Spencer Steer, Matt McLain, and Elly De La Cruz. From their massive win streak to their rookie homerun record, the Reds were dominating on all facets. Completely shocking the league and leaving many of the home fans excited for the following years to come.

So, what changed from then to now? Simply put, injuries. The Reds this year have had multiple stars all get injured. McLain, CES, Friedl, Lodolo, all big names that have all had massive injuries this season and that’s not even half of our IL. The Reds injuries started early with McLain being announced injured in March of this year. With the injury suspected to be minor, most saw it as nothing but only a few days later we hear that he needs to have surgery and is questionable to come back this year. Our other big names have also faced massive injuries this season and missed well over 100 combined games.

With all the injuries that happened, both stars and role players, we didn’t get to see how improved the Reds actually were from last year to this year. This begs the question: Injuries aside, which team is better? While last year’s team was solid and there’s a lot of speculation surrounding this year’s team with all the injuries, I think this year’s team is head and shoulders better than last year’s. As long as they manage to stay healthy, I believe this same Reds team could go out and be a serious contender in the NL and possibly make a run in the playoffs. Call me crazy but all of our young players have only been getting better and we’ve been missing some of our best players all year and are still on the brink of another .500 season. If we can get all the pieces to fall into place by next year, I 100% believe the Reds could make a run for the pennant.

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