Reds' Will Benson: On bench, but over finger injury
Rotowire
Benson (finger) remains out of the lineup for Thursday's game against Atlanta.
Benson hasn't made a start since being removed from a Sept. 12 game against the Cardinals with a left middle finger injury, but he's appeared off the bench in two contests since then and appears to have moved past the issue. The 26-year-old hasn't been a regular in the Cincinnati lineup in September and will likely see sparse playing time heading into the final week of the season.
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Reds' Will Benson: Not starting Sunday
Rotowire
Benson (finger) is absent from Sunday's lineup against the Twins.
Benson is not starting for a third straight game after sustaining an injury to his left middle finger during Thursday's game against the Cardinals. He did enter Saturday's game against the Twins in the bottom of the seventh inning in right field, and he hit an RBI single in the eighth frame. Benson will likely be available out of the dugout for Sunday's series finale, and with the Reds scheduled for an off-day Monday, the 26-year-old could return to the lineup for Cincinnati's upcoming home series against Atlanta.
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Reds' Will Benson: Exits with finger injury
Rotowire
Benson was removed from Thursday's game versus the Cardinals in the sixth inning after a ball struck his fingers on a bunt attempt, Gordon Wittenmyer of The Cincinnati Enquirer reports.
Benson squared to bunt with two on and no one out but had his left hand wrapped around the barrel of the bat and his fingers caught the brunt of a Sonny Gray pitch. To add insult to injury, Benson was charged with a strike on the play rather than a hit-by-pitch. He's surely headed for X-rays and should be considered day-to-day until his status is updated. Benson struck out in his lone plate appearance before exiting.
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Reds' Will Benson: Returns to bench role
Rotowire
Benson is out of the lineup for Monday's game in Atlanta.
T.J. Friedl needed just one afternoon out of the lineup to recover from experiencing a shortness of breath in Saturday's 4-0 loss to the Mets, so Benson will head back to the bench as the Reds head to Atlanta for a standalone game. Before cracking the lineup Sunday, Benson hadn't started in any of the Reds' preceding five contests.
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Reds' Will Benson: Goes yard again Thursday
Rotowire
Benson went 1-for-2 with a solo home run in Thursday's 10-9 win over the Athletics.
Benson got the Reds on the board with his third-inning homer. This was his second game in a row with a homer, which could help his case for playing time down the stretch, but he's still unlikely to see anything more than a part-time role. The outfielder has gone 6-for-31 (.194) in August, which is right in line with his .195 average for the year. He's added 14 homers, 42 RBI, 37 runs scored and 14 stolen bases with a .676 OPS across 352 plate appearances. Even as a lefty hitter, Benson has had to share right field with a trio of right-handed options in Santiago Espinal, Rece Hinds and Amed Rosario.
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Reds' Will Benson: Gets into lineup
Rotowire
Benson started in left field and went 1-for-2 with a stolen base in Thursday's 10-4 extra-inning win over Miami.
Benson made his first start since being reinstated off the paternity list Wednesday. The steal was his 14th. He was later pinch hit for when a left-handed reliever entered, which has been the custom for much of this season. Benson, who is batting .196 overall, is 7-for-51 (.137) against southpaws.
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Reds' Will Benson: Back from paternity leave
Rotowire
The Reds activated Benson (personal) from the paternity list Wednesday.
Benson missed the last three games while welcoming a new member to his family. He's not in the lineup for Wednesday's game in Miami with right-hander Valente Bellozo on the mound for the Marlins, but Benson will be available off the bench. Benson has held down a strong-side platoon role for much of the season, but he may be in store for fewer opportunities against right-handed pitching following the Reds' recent acquisition of Ty France.
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Reds' Will Benson: Goes on paternity leave
Rotowire
The Reds placed Benson (personal) on the paternity list Sunday.
Benson will miss between one and three games while he welcomes a new addition to his family. Joey Wiemer was recalled from Triple-A Louisville to add depth to the Cincinnati outfield in the short term.
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Reds' Will Benson: Slugs 12th home run
Rotowire
Benson went 1-for-4 with a two-run homer in Monday's 7-1 win over the Cubs.
Benson got the scoring started in this one, taking Jameson Taillon deep in the second inning. It was Benson's 12th long ball of the season, which gives him a new career high. Benson has four home runs in July, but other than that, he's struggled mightily since the middle of June, hitting .152/.201/.299 over his last 36 games. The 26-year-old continues to be plagued by high strikeout numbers and doesn't get on base enough to take advantage of his speed and his 13 stolen bases this year.
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Reds' Will Benson: Resting for nightcap
Rotowire
Benson is out of the lineup for the second game of Wednesday's doubleheader with Atlanta.
The lefty-hitting Benson will head to the bench for the second game of the day while southpaw Chris Sale takes the hill for Atlanta. Stuart Fairchild will enter the starting nine in center field in place of Benson, who went 1-for-4 with a double in Cincinnati's 9-4 win in the first game of the day.
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Reds' Will Benson: Homer, two steals in win
Rotowire
Benson went 2-for-2 with a solo home run and two stolen bases in a 4-1 win over Atlanta on Monday.
Benson went yard in the third inning and then stole second and third base in the fifth. Even so, he was pinch-hit for against a southpaw in the ninth. On the season, the 26-year-old is hitting a miserable .194 but has contributed 11 home runs and 13 steals across 299 plate appearances while starting against most right-handed pitchers.
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Reds' Will Benson: Not starting against southpaw
Rotowire
Benson isn't in the Reds' lineup for Saturday's game against the Nationals.
Lefty MacKenzie Gore will toe the slab for the Nats, so the lefty-hitting Benson will step out of the lineup while Austin Slater covers center field and bats sixth.
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Reds' Will Benson: Not facing lefty
Rotowire
Benson is out of the lineup for Friday's game against the Nationals.
Benson will yield to Stuart Fairchild in center field Friday due to southpaw Patrick Corbin starting for Washington. Benson is slashing .190/.277/657 with 10 home runs and 11 stolen bases in 293 plate appearances this season.
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Reds' Will Benson: Taking seat against southpaw
Rotowire
Benson is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Marlins.
Benson and fellow left-handed-hitting outfielder Jake Fraley will retreat to the bench for the final game before the All-Star break while the Marlins send a southpaw (Trevor Rogers) to the hill. Austin Slater and Spencer Steer will replace Benson and Fraley in center field and left field, respectively.
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Reds' Will Benson: Out against left-hander
Rotowire
Benson is absent from the lineup for Wednesday's game versus the Yankees.
Benson clubbed a two-run homer in Tuesday's win over the Yankees, but he'll take a seat Wednesday with lefty Carlos Rodon toeing the slab for the opposition. Blake Dunn is covering right field for the Reds.
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Reds' Will Benson: Contributes to win
Rotowire
Benson went 1-for-5 with a stolen base, two RBI and a run scored in Saturday's 9-4 win over St. Louis.
Benson hit a two-run single, stole a base, then scored as part of Cincinnati's six-run fifth inning. The outfielder has four RBI over the last three games, which follows a miserable 14-game stretch during which he was 1-for-31 with no runs driven in.
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Reds' Will Benson: Logs steal in loss
Rotowire
Benson started in right field and went 0-for-3 with a walk and a stolen base in Friday's 1-0 loss to St. Louis.
Benson, who was given a rare day off against a righty Wednesday, was in the starting lineup for a second consecutive game against a right-hander Friday. He stole his 10th base of the season, putting himself in scoring position, but Cincinnati was unable to get a key hit (1-for-10 with RISP). While Benson has struggled in 2024 -- he snapped a hitless run of 25 at-bats Thursday and is batting .191 -- the Reds have a couple of outfield injuries that should keep him in the lineup over the weekend. They are scheduled to face another righty, Lance Lynn, on Saturday.
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Reds' Will Benson: Sitting out Wednesday
Rotowire
Benson is absent from the lineup for Wednesday contest versus the Pirates.
Benson will get a rare day off against a right-hander while the Pirates send Luis Ortiz to the hill in the series finale. Nick Martini, Stuart Fairchild and Jake Fraley will form the Cincinnati outfield from left to right.
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Reds' Will Benson: Returns, extends hitless streak
Rotowire
Benson started in left field and went 0-for-4 in Tuesday's 9-5 loss to the Pirates.
Benson, who was back on the field after dealing with an elbow issue, continued to slump this month. He's gone 25 at-bats without a hit, and his batting average dropped to .188 following the loss.
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Reds' Will Benson: Back in action Tuesday
Rotowire
Benson (elbow) is starting in left field and batting eighth Tuesday against the Pirates.
The 26-year-old sat out Monday after being hit by a pitch in the left elbow Sunday, but X-rays came back negative and he's back in the lineup Tuesday. Benson has slumped hard in June with a .442 OPS, and he's 0-for-21 over his past nine contests.
