Reds calling up Christian Encarnacion-Strand: How he fits with Cincinnati
After getting swept by the Brewers at home and scoring just three runs in the series, the Reds are calling up infielder Christian Encarnacion-Strand on Monday, the team announced. The news was first reported by Robert Murray of FanSided.com. Here’s what you need to know:
- Encarnacion-Strand, 23, was acquired at the trade deadline last August along with infielder Spencer Steer and left-handed pitcher Steve Hajjar from the Twins in exchange for starter Tyler Mahle.
- Encarnacion-Strand had an impressive spring, leading the Reds in hits (15), home runs (four), RBI (13) and OPS (1.748) while batting .577 in 12 games before being reassigned to minor-league camp.
- He started the season on the injured list with a back injury, but has mashed at Triple A, hitting .331/.405/.637 with 20 home runs and 62 RBI in 67 games for the Bats.
- Encarnacion-Strand’s promotion follows the strong debuts of Reds prospects Elly De La Cruz, Matt McLain and Andrew Abbott this season. The Reds are putting infielder Kevin Newman on the IL for gastritis.
The Athletic’s instant analysis:
How Encarnacion-Strand fits with Reds
In Baseball America’s post-draft ranking of the Top 100 prospects in baseball, Encarnacion-Strand came in at No. 83. The right-handed hitter is ranked No. 88 by MLBPipeline.com. The Oklahoma State product has primarily played first base for the Bats this season, along with third base and a game each in left field and right field.
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With the Reds, he’ll likely play both corner infield spots and DH. He’ll play third when Jonathan India is the team’s DH, with De La Cruz at shortstop and McLain at second base. He’ll play first when Joey Votto serves as the team’s DH, with De La Cruz playing third and McLain second.
Encarnacion-Strand had a rough patch in mid-June, going 8-for-46 without a homer in a 12-game stretch from June 13 to June 28. Since then, he’s 20-for-55 (.364) with three homers and 10 extra-base hits with 11 strikeouts and eight walks over 13 games. He didn’t appear in the Bats’ game Sunday.
The Reds’ 40-man roster is at 39 players before adding Encarnacion-Strand. There will need to be a corresponding move on the 26-man roster. — Rosecrans
Encarnacion-Strand’s hitting profile
Encarnacion-Strand has hit extremely well in Triple A this year, even more so considering how much he goes outside of the strike zone, with a chase rate of 43 percent — that is, he has swung at 43 percent of the pitches out of the zone that he’s seen. Fangraphs shows the MLB average chase rate this year at 31.7 percent, and only two MLB hitters this year have chase rates higher than Encarnacion-Strand’s — Javier Báez and Salvador Pérez. The fact he’s doing this against inferior pitching in Triple A doesn’t give me great hope that he’s going to have similar success in the majors against pitchers with better command and/or stuff. Either he’s an exceptional bad-ball hitter, or he’s going to have cut down on his willingness to expand the zone substantially in the majors to have success.
He does have enormous raw power, which will only be helped by the Reds’ homer-friendly ballpark, and he’s a capable defender at third, although the Reds have had him playing more first base lately. He didn’t make my preseason top 100 prospects and would not have made my midseason update, as hitters who show this much of a willingness to swing at balls do have a lower probability of success. — Law
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Reds prospects making an impact
Encarnacion-Strand is the latest in the wave of Reds rookies to come up this season. Steer broke camp with the Reds after debuting last September. McLain was called up on May 15 and De La Cruz on June 6. In addition to the rookie position players, the Reds have also called up Abbott, who is 4-2 with a 2.45 ERA since his promotion on June 5. Hajjar, the third player acquired from the Twins, was sent to Cleveland this winter in exchange for outfielder Will Benson, who has earned a starting role in the Reds’ outfield.
Encarnacion-Strand will be the 12th Reds player to make a major-league debut this season and the 16th overall rookie to play for the Reds, who fell out of first place this weekend after being swept by the Brewers.
While the Reds have had several players promoted to the big leagues and made immediate impacts, they’re hardly barren. Only one of their top five preseason prospects (De La Cruz), according to The Athletic’s Keith Law, has made it to the big leagues.
Infielder Noelvi Marte, one of four players acquired from the Mariners at last year’s trade deadline in exchange for Luis Castillo, has made it to Triple A this season, where he’s hitting .298/.314/.447 in 11 games. He hit .281/.356/.464 with eight home runs in 50 games at Double-A Chattanooga. — Rosecrans
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