Noelvi Marte

The game was halted due to rain with Jasson Domínguez up in the sixth inning and eventually called. Marte’s homer was crushed 432 feet to center. He is hitting .362/.378/.580 with three homers and is tied for the DWL lead with 14 RBI in 17 games.

Marte is hitting .349/.368/.540 through 15 games, giving him the DWL’s sixth-highest OPS. He’s also a perfect 7-for-7 stealing bases. He probably needs a fresh start somewhere other than Cincinnati at this point, but there’s still ample talent here. He only just turned 25 last month.

Marte performed poorly in his two-and-a-half month stint back in the big leagues with a .189/.229/.321 slash line through 201 plate appearances. What started out as a near full-time role drifting into a part-time one over the last few weeks as Marte ceded playing time to the newly promoted Hector Rodríguez. In a corresponding move, the Reds promoted Will Banfield to be the third catcher on their roster. Marte’s stock has fallen dramatically over the last few years and he shouldn’t be considered much more than organizational depth at this point. He could really use a change of scenery.

Marte had one nice liner tonight, but it was caught in center. He’s just not making very good contact for the most part, with a 27.6 percent hard-hit rate that’s down from 38 percent for his career. Given that the Reds didn’t seem to think much of him even at the start of the season, when there was more reason for optimism, it wouldn’t be surprising to see him traded at the deadline, even if he’s probably not someone contenders would pursue.

Marte broke a 4-4 tie in the top of the eighth inning when he took Pirates reliever Mason Montgomery deep for a two-run homer. It was the fourth homer of the season for Marte, with all of his homers coming this month. Marte has been a different player since being recalled by the Reds earlier this month. He’s slashing respectable .250/.316/.558 on the month with eight of his 13 hits going for extra bases. Marte continues to be a player worth rostering in all formats where available.

Marte only started three of six games for the Reds after being called up on June 3, but he’s now been in the lineup for four straight contests. One would figure he’ll continue to get everyday at-bats amid this hot streak, but the former top prospect has yet to establish himself as a consistent big-league regular. Marte has a 155 wRC+ at Triple-A this season, so he has nothing more to prove in the minors. His roto-friendly profile will receive a boost from hitting in Cincinnati all summer if he can stick as a regular this time around.

With the game tied 1-1 in the eighth inning, Marte came through for the Reds in a big way, taking Juan Morillo deep for a solo homer. It would prove to be the deciding run in the game. That makes two homers in two days for the 24-year-old outfielder, his first two of the season. He’s certainly worth a look in all formats if he’s earned himself every day playing time with his recent play.

Marte hit is first homer of the season in the bottom of the second inning off of Eduardo Rodriguez to give the Reds an early 1-0 lead. His homer would account for one of only two runs the Reds managed on the evening. Despite drawing nine walks on the night, the Reds managed just four hits and came up short on multiple occasions with runners in scoring position. Marte has hit well since being recalled from the minors in June. The 24-year-old outfielder is slashing .316/.381/.526 in 19 at-bats this month and will hopefully continue to find his stride after tearing up Triple-A pitching.

Marte has crushed Triple-A pitching since being demoted, hitting .369/.409/.575 in 176 plate appearances with eight home runs and nine steals. Yes, he had struggled with the Reds to begin the year, but it was only 31 plate appearances over 11 games. This is still a 24-year-old who hit 14 home runs and stole 10 bases in 90 games last year while hitting .263. Marte has been playing center field in the minors and is coming up for TJ Friedl, so we have to assume the Reds are going to give him a look in center field. He deserves to be added in all formats based on what he showed last year.

Marte isn’t hitting for a ton of over-the-fence power with just four homers in 26 games, but he’s hitting .365 since being demoted to Triple-A back on April 13. The 24-year-old former top prospect’s path to fantasy relevance continues to be blocked by Cincinnati’s logjam at several spots at the highest level, especially with both Spencer Steer and JJ Bleday playing well. It’s possible injuries or ineffectiveness create a pathway to at-bats later this summer. He seemingly has nothing to prove playing everyday on the doorstep of the majors.

In 10 games at Triple-A, Marte is hitting .452/.500/.714 with two home runs, three RBI, six steals, and an 8/4 K/BB ratio. The Reds continue to play him only in the outfield, but with Ke’Bryan Hayes continuing to struggle with the bat, you have to wonder if Marte’s time in Triple-A might be better served getting him more reps at third base again to see if he can be a long-term solution there for the Reds.

This is now two straight days with a home run for Marte, who is slashing .370/.433/.741 in seven games at Triple-A with two home runs, two steals, and a 7/3 K/BB ratio. We know he struggled at the MLB level to begin the season, but he doesn’t belong in Triple-A.

This isn’t a huge surprise if you’ve been tracking Marte’s playing time, but it is pretty big news considering where he was going in fantasy drafts. The 24-year-old is hitting just .138/.194/.138 in 11 games with a 10/2 K/BB ratio. He has played league-average defense in the outfield, which is a small win, but not one that seemed to matter enough for the Reds. He will head down to Triple-A to try to rein in some of his over-aggressive tendencies and figure out why he is pounding the ball into the ground so much to begin the season.

Marte has started just three times in five contests to open the season, which is a bit perplexing considering how he finished last year as one of Cincinnati’s core offensive contributors. It’s notable that he’s in the lineup to face Pirates right-hander Bubba Chandler in this one. The 24-year-old former top prospect will continue splitting time with Will Benson, who is in left field on Tuesday night with Spencer Steer on the bench. The emergence of Sal Stewart and return of Eugenio Suárez has created a logjam for the Reds with Marte drawing the short straw for now.

Marte has now sat against both righties the Reds have faced this season, which is a bit confusing considering he had reverse splits last year. To start the year, it seems like Will Benson will be starting against right-handed pitchers, which makes it hard to roster Marte in shallower formats right now, especially considering the Reds are set to face right-handed starters in eight of their next nine games.

It’s kind of funny that after specifically taking issue with Marte’s troubles hitting against lefties last year, manager Terry Francona lifted him against a right-hander today. It was Will Benson stepping in, so that’s not a bad switch. Benson, though, should have been starting over Spencer Steer in the first place, and he went on to strike out anyway. Marte’s strikeouts today both came against Garrett Crochet, so they probably shouldn’t be held against him. Sal Stewart excepted, no one else in the Reds lineup did anything, either.

There was a little speculation that the Reds might send down Marte in order to open up time for others, but he’s set to return to his spot as the team’s everyday right fielder. The 15/1 K/BB this spring is ugly, but he’s hit .255 and slugged .569 with his four homers and four doubles. A 20/20 season is possible, though he hasn’t attempted a steal this spring after going 10-for-13 in his 90 major league games last year.

Marte’s homer off lefty Kolby Allard was a 109-foot rocket to left-center. Marte was bad against lefties last year and the Reds have made judgments about him because of it, but he shouldn’t have any playing time concerns initially. He’s slugging .600 with his three homers and four doubles this spring.

Francona seems committed to keeping TJ Friedl first and Elly De La Cruz third ahead of new cleanup man Eugenio Suárez. That means the No. 2 hitter pretty much has to be a righty. Marte is one, but he hit just .232/.288/.274 against lefties last season, compared to .275/.305/.516 against righties. There isn’t much reason to think that’s something that will stick going forward, but it might mean Marte hits fifth or sixth going forward. Sal Stewart seems like the best alternative to Marte, but it’ll probably take Francona some time to warm up to that idea. Matt McLain might get his old spot back if he has a nice spring.

Even though Marte tried to pace himself on Bryan Reynolds’ high fly to right in the ninth, he still got to the wall too early and left himself with little momentum for making a jumping catch. Fortunately, he was able to pull it off anyway, denying Reynolds’ 348-foot fly. He also knocked in the Reds’ first run of the game and scored their second in the fifth.