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Friedl started in left field and went 1-for-3 with a run scored in Thursday's spring game against San Diego.
Friedl, who normally defends center field, moved to left field so that Dane Myers could play center. Reds manager Terry Francona talked to Mark Sheldon of MLB.com about the alignment, which could be deployed during the regular season against certain lefties. The manager praised Myers' defense in center and will try to get Friedl in left a few more times this spring, although the latter is expected to be the primary center fielder during the regular season. Friedl has appeared in three Cactus League games, going 3-for-8 with a walk and three RBI.
The Reds and Friedl avoided arbitration by agreeing to a one-year, $3.8 million contract Thursday, Gordon Wittenmyer of The Cincinnati Enquirer reports.
Friedl receives a nice pay bump in his first year of arbitration eligibility. The 30-year-old slashed .261/.364/.378 with 14 home runs and 12 stolen bases in 2025 and is slated again to open up the 2026 campaign as the Reds' primary center fielder.
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Reds' TJ Friedl: Goes deep in win
Rotowire
Friedl went 2-for-4 with a solo home run and an additional run scored in Saturday's 6-3 win over the Cubs.
Friedl singled and scored in the third inning before doubling the Reds' lead with a solo blast in the seventh. It was a welcome showing for the 30-year-old, who had gone just 4-for-33 since his last homer Sept. 8. On the year, he's slashing .259/.362/.373 with 13 homers, 50 RBI, 79 runs scored and 12 steals across 653 plate appearances.
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Reds' TJ Friedl: Rare day off Wednesday
Rotowire
Friedl is not in the lineup for Wednesday's game in St. Louis.
Friedl will receive a rare day off in the matinee contest after he had started in every game for the Reds since Aug. 27. Will Benson will patrol center field and bat third in Wednesday's rubber match.
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Reds' TJ Friedl: Opens with bomb
Rotowire
Friedl went 2-for-5 with a solo home run, an additional run scored and a stolen base in Monday's 4-3 loss against the Padres.
Friedl opened the scoring with a leadoff homer off Yu Darvish. While not typically known for his power, the center fielder has put together a strong season at the plate, carrying a .749 OPS with 20 doubles, 12 homers, 47 RBI and 12 stolen bases across 135 games.
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Reds' TJ Friedl: Logs two hits, homer in loss
Rotowire
Friedl went 2-for-5 with a solo home run and an additional run scored in Tuesday's 11-8 loss to the Blue Jays.
Friedl is heating up as the calendar flips to September. He's logged three consecutive multi-hit efforts, going 7-for-14 with a double, a home run and four RBI during that stretch. Tuesday's homer was his 11th of the season, and the runs upped his total to 73, second on the club behind Elly De La Cruz (95).
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Reds' TJ Friedl: On base three times in win
Rotowire
Friedl went 2-for-4 with a walk, a double, an RBI and a run scored in Monday's 5-4 win over Toronto.
Friedl helped the Reds come back from a two-run deficit in the bottom of the ninth inning, delivering a ground-rule double to plate the first run before Noelvi Marte walked off the Blue Jays one batter later. Friedl is fighting to break out of a second-half slump and has posted multi-hit efforts in two straight games, along with three RBI.
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Reds' TJ Friedl: Mired in slump
Rotowire
Friedl went 0-for-4 with two walks in Friday's 7-5 loss to the Cardinals.
Friedl's having a rough month of August, posting a .594 OPS with just two extra-base hits and five RBI over 23 games. Friedl is slashing .230/.353/.278 across 33 contests since the All-Star break.
The Reds reinstated Friedl (personal) from the restricted list Saturday.
Friedl moved to the restricted list Friday to allow him extra time to report to the club after going on paternity leave. Now back with the Reds, he'll serve as the 27th man for the Speedway Classic against Atlanta, but there is little chance he ends up as the player headed back to Triple-A following Saturday's game.
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Reds' TJ Friedl: Shifts to restricted list
Rotowire
The Reds reinstated Friedl (personal) from the paternity list and placed him on the restricted list Friday, Charlie Goldsmith of Fox 19 Now Cincinnati reports.
The outfielder has already been on the paternity list for the maximum three days, so he'll head to the restricted list since he won't be back in time for Friday's 12:40 p.m. EDT start time. Friedl is apparently traveling to rejoin the team in Cincinnati, so he could be back on the active roster for Saturday's series finale versus Atlanta.
The Reds placed Friedl on the paternity list Tuesday, Charlie Goldsmith of Fox 19 Now Cincinnati reports.
By rule, Friedl will be away for the next 1-to-3 days while welcoming a new addition to the family. The Reds will roll out Will Benson in center field Tuesday against the Dodgers and have elevated Gavin Lux to the leadoff spot.
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Reds' TJ Friedl: Homers in win
Rotowire
Friedl went 2-for-5 with a home run and two RBI in Friday's 7-2 win over the Rays.
Friedl popped a two-run homer in the sixth inning to extend Cincinnati's lead to 5-2. The home run was his 10th this season while the multi-hit game was his first of the second half. Friedl struggled coming out of the All-Star break and entered Friday on a 2-for-21 (.095) run over the previous six games. Friedl being Friedl, however, he managed to reach base five times during that stretch by getting hit by pitches. He's recorded 12 HBP this season, his third consecutive season in double digits.
Friedl went 2-for-3 with a solo home run, two additional runs scored and a walk in Sunday's 4-2 win over the Rockies.
Friedl filled up the box score in a much-needed strong showing, opening the scoring with a leadoff home run, his first long ball since June 13. The 29-year-old had been quiet at the plate this month, entering Sunday just 7-for-38 (.184) with one RBI in the month of July. Despite the slump, Friedl remains locked into the top of Cincinnati's lineup and could carry momentum into the second half of the season after Sunday's encouraging performance.
