Marte might be at risk of a minor-league demotion to begin the 2025 season following the Reds' acquisition of Gavin Lux, Gordon Wittenmyer of The Cincinnati Enquirer reports.
After making a fantastic splash in the majors in 2023, Marte had a lost 2024 season, which started with him sustaining an injury in Winter League play and then serving an 80-game suspension for a positive PED test. Once he returned, he never got on track offensively or defensively, hitting just .210/.248/.301 in 229 at-bats. With Lux on the team, the Reds have to find spots for Matt McLain, Jeimer Candelario and Christian Encarnacion-Strand in addition to Marte, and it doesn't make sense for Marte to ride the bench instead of playing regularly in the minors.