The Reds option Noelvi Marte, call up Rece Hinds

Going back through the last 10 years, I couldn’t find another example of the Cincinnati Reds making as drastic of a change to their depth chart this early in the season as they did on Monday. The Reds optioned Noelvi Marte to Triple-A and are going to call up Rece Hinds, according to sources.

Typically, the Reds have waited to make these types of changes until the last week of April. Recent examples who fit that trend include Jeimer Candelario (April 22, 2025), Nick Martini (May 1, 2024) and Jason Vosler (April 23, 2023). The only situation anything like Marte’s status right now was Will Benson getting optioned on April 13 of 2023, but Benson was expected to be a role player on that team and didn’t have much big league experience at that time.

Last year, Marte was good through August of 2025. And in August, he was the Reds’ best player. He hit second in the order down the stretch for a Reds’ team that made the playoffs. But his bad September of 2025 (.502 OPS) carried into March and April of 2026 (.331 OPS through 31 plate appearances).

Marte needs to play every day and work on his approach at the plate. He’s seeing more pitches outside of the zone (62.4%) than any hitter in baseball. Despite that, because he chases and doesn’t take walks, he isn’t producing.

This isn’t the end of the story of Marte’s 2026 season. Last year was an example of how getting a chance to reset in Triple-A can help him. But still, the hope was that Marte could start hitting his ceiling this year in his first full season in the outfield. The hope was that he could become one of the Reds’ best players. Instead, he’s heading to Triple-A.

Fortunately for the Reds, they’re able to tap into the best Triple-A outfield depth that they’ve had in years. Ultimately, they couldn’t ignore the production anymore of Rece Hinds, who’s hitting .354 with five homers, 12 walks and 15 strikeouts in 13 games.

Hinds debuted with the Reds in 2024 and had one of the more memorable debut weeks that you’ll ever seen. All that he did for a bit was homer. But the league adjusted, Hinds posted a terrible strikeout rate and he was back in Triple-A after 24 games.

Hinds was on the big league roster for a few stints in 2025, but he was never a regular in the lineup. Struggling in a role that gave him inconsistent playing time, Hinds never got into a rhythm and hit .116 in 44 big league at-bats in 2025.

His final big league start of last season was on July 5. Around then, he made some adjustments that improved his strike zone judgement and his plan at the plate. After striking out 30% of the time in the first half of the Triple-A season, he cut his strikeout rate down significantly (26%) during the second half of the season.

“I proved to myself that I can be consistent,” Hinds said.

Hinds showcased that improved approach during big league spring training, doing everything he could do to earn a spot on the team. Marte had a strong second half of camp, and as the incumbent he held onto the right field job to open the season. But Hinds definitely turned some heads.

“He couldn’t have done more,” Francona said at the end of spring training.

Nathaniel Lowe went on to claim the final bench spot over JJ Bleday and Hinds.

“We really want Bleday and Hinds to play,” Francona said at the end of spring. “We told them that. They both swung the bat really well. We talked to Lowe about the role. I think that’s the reason. I told Hinds, he couldn’t have done more. The role is a bench spot, and we want you to play.”

Hinds is still only 25 years old. His elite, elite raw power and defensive versatility give him a chance to make an impact in the big leagues, especially if he can keep the strikeouts down.

He really just needs to play.

Hinds would be a perfect fit on a rebuilding team that could afford to put him in the lineup every day and let him work his approach out at the big league level. There’s nothing left for him to prove in Triple-A. The tools are worth investing at-bats in, but he’ll have to continue on with the cat and mouse adjustment process in the big leagues.

He’s going to need to play regularly, and he probably is going to. My expectation would be that Hinds and Will Benson share time in right field like Marte and Benson had been previously. The Reds are probably hoping that one of them gets hot and becomes the primary right fielder (in Benson’s case, that would be a platoon role).

One key for Hinds is keeping the strikeout rate down. The other key is going from an average defender to a standout defender.

Hinds is going to hit homers. Let’s just say that if you gave him 550 at-bats, he’d realistically hit 20-to-25 homers.

If Hinds gives you that many homers, steals 15 bags (he stole 21 in 107 games in Triple-A last season) and plays above-average defense, than that’s a nice player. He just has to get there with his strikeouts and his defense to stick in the big leagues.

From the first day of spring training, Hinds has been talking about what a defensive leap can do for him and his career.

“My power stands out so much that my defense is overlooked,” Hinds said. “I told Tito that I want to show everyone I’m an elite defender. (Being a great outfielder) opens up more doors and creates more opportunities.”

He’s still working to get there, but he should be a defensive improvement in right field over Marte. Hinds can also play some center field, giving the team another option there.