Orioles' Christian Encarnacion-Strand: Regaining playing time
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Encarnacion-Strand will start at third base and bat cleanup in Sunday's game against the Rays.
Encarnacion-Strand appeared to have moved into a timeshare at third base with Coby Mayo by the end of last week, but the former has seemingly re-emerged as the Orioles' preferred option at the position. He'll cover third base for a fifth straight game after going 5-for-16 with two home runs, one stolen base, three RBI and an additional run over the previous four contests. Mayo will also remain in the lineup for a third straight game, though he's been used at either designated hitter or first base.
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Orioles' Christian Encarnacion-Strand: Homer, three hits in win
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Encarnacion-Strand went 3-for-4 with a solo home run in Tuesday's 5-2 win over the Twins.
Encarnacion-Strand tallied his second three-hit effort of the campaign, highlighted by a mammoth 460-foot blast off Bailey Ober in the third inning. It was a needed performance for the 26-year-old, as he's seen his playing time diminish amid a slump that had him entering Tuesday in a 2-for-21 skid to open August. Overall, he's slashing .271/.328/.525 with four homers, 13 RBI, six runs scored and one steal across just 65 major-league plate appearances this season.
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Orioles' Christian Encarnacion-Strand: Slipping into timeshare at 3B
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Encarnacion-Strand is out of the lineup for Monday's game against the Twins.
With the hot-hitting Tyler O'Neill seemingly solidifying himself as the Orioles' primary designated hitter, Encarnacion-Strand looks to have faded into a timeshare at third base with Coby Mayo, who will cover the position in Monday's series opener. Encarnacion-Strand will hit the bench for the third time in four contests while he's gone just 3-for-27 with a 2:8 BB:K over his last 10 games.
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Orioles' Christian Encarnacion-Strand: Not starting Sunday
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Encarnacion-Strand is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Angels.
Encarnacion-Strand has gone 2-for-19 with seven strikeouts through seven games in August and will hit the bench Sunday for the second time in Baltimore's past three games. Coby Mayo will start at third base and bat seventh while Tyler O'Neill gets a turn at designated hitter.
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Orioles' Christian Encarnacion-Strand: Regaining foothold in lineup
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Encarnacion-Strand will start at third base and bat sixth in Wednesday's game against the Angels.
The Orioles' decision to deal Taylor Ward to the Mariners prior to Monday's trade deadline appears to have reopened playing time for Encarnacion-Strand, who will be included in the lineup for the fourth game in a row after starting just once in the four contests prior to that. The 26-year-old brings intriguing power potential to the table, but a 26.5 percent career strikeout rate in the big leagues has gotten in the way of him enjoying sustained success. He's kept his rate at a much more palatable 19.1 percent so far during his time in Baltimore, albeit in small sample of just 47 plate appearances.
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Orioles' Christian Encarnacion-Strand: Giving way to Mayo on Monday
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Encarnacion-Strand is out of the lineup for Monday's game against the Tigers.
Coby Mayo will receive the nod at third base Monday, but Encarnacion-Strand may have at least temporarily leapfrogged him on the depth chart at third base following a hot start at the plate to begin his tenure with the Orioles. Since being recalled from Triple-A Norfolk on July 16, Encarnacion-Strand is hitting .370 with three home runs and nine RBI across 30 plate appearances. Though Encarnacion-Strand could be a strong source of power while he's playing regularly, fantasy managers should anticipate a sharp downturn in his batting average, after he had struck out at a 30.4 percent clip over a larger sample of 260 plate appearances at Norfolk prior to his promotion.
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Orioles' Christian Encarnacion-Strand: Overtaking Mayo at third base
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Encarnacion-Strand will start at third base and bat fifth in Sunday's game against Atlanta.
Encarnacion-Strand has sizzled at the plate since being called up from Triple-A Norfolk on July 16, going 9-for-24 (.375) with three home runs, nine RBI and a 1:6 BB:K. He'll be making his sixth consecutive start Sunday at third base, where he appears to have leapfrogged Coby Mayo on the depth chart.
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Reds' Christian Encarnacion-Strand: Removed from 40-man roster
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The Reds designated Encarnacion-Strand for assignment Wednesday.
The transaction clears a spot on the 40-man roster for the addition of P.J. Higgins. Encarnacion-Strand looked like a potential building block for the Reds a couple years ago, but he's struggled at the big-league level since the beginning of the 2024 campaign and has dealt with numerous injuries. He's still just 26 and has plenty of power potential, so there should be some interest in Encarnacion-Strand via waivers.
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Reds' Christian Encarnacion-Strand: Recovering from hamstring injury
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Reds manager Terry Francona said Thursday that Encarnacion-Strand is behind schedule after suffering a hamstring injury in January, Charlie Goldsmith of Fox 19 Now Cincinnati reports.
Encarnacion-Strand is on a running program, so he is improving, but he could miss the first few Cactus League games. The 26-year-old infielder slashed just .208/.234/.377 across 137 plate appearances last season and looks to be a bit buried on the Reds' depth chart.
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Reds' Christian Encarnacion-Strand: Demoted to minors
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The Reds optioned Encarnacion-Strand to Triple-A Louisville on Saturday.
Encarnacion-Strand has seen his playing time dwindle over the past several days, and Jake Fraley's (shoulder) return from the IL will now leave the former without a spot on the active roster. The 25-year-old Encarnacion-Strand has slashed .208/.234/.377 across 137 plate appearances this season.
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Reds' Christian Encarnacion-Strand: On bench again
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Encarnacion-Strand went unused off the bench in Wednesday's 7-2 win over the Marlins.
Since Noelvi Marte's return from the injured list last Friday, Encarnacion-Strand has started once over the last five games. For now, Marte and Spencer Steer will continue to garner most of the starts at the corner-infield spots, while Austin Hays and Gavin Lux appear set to share left field and the designated-hitter spot when the Reds face right-handed pitching. Encarnacion-Strand has batted just .179 over his last 17 games, and with his playing time on the downswing, he could soon be headed for a demotion to Triple-A Louisville.
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Reds' Christian Encarnacion-Strand: Launches grand slam in win
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Encarnacion-Strand went 2-for-5 with a grand slam and a second run scored in Wednesday's 8-4 win over the Red Sox.
After fouling a ball off his foot in the continuation of a suspended game earlier Wednesday, Encarnacion-Strand was able to rejoin the lineup in the nightcap and proved to be the difference maker. The 25-year-old first baseman blasted a 439-foot grand slam off Greg Weissert to put the Reds ahead 4-3 in the seventh inning. It's the first homer since June 8 for Encarnacion-Strand, who'd gone 8-for-51 (.157) with an ugly .362 OPS in his last 15 games. He's now slashing .206/.233/.381 with six homers, 19 RBI and 13 runs scored through 133 plate appearances this season.
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Reds' Christian Encarnacion-Strand: Cleared to start Wednesday
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Encarnacion-Strand (foot) will start at first base and bat eighth in Wednesday's game against the Red Sox.
Earlier Wednesday, the Reds and Red Sox resumed their suspended game from Tuesday. Encarnacion-Strand started that game at third base and went 1-for-3 before being lifted in the bottom of the eighth inning after he had fouled a ball off his foot in the top of the frame. The Reds didn't include him in their initial lineup for Wednesday's scheduled game, but Encarnacion-Strand will end up starting after Spencer Steer was scratched due to a hand injury that he suffered earlier in the day when he was hit by a pitch. Though Encarnacion-Strand may not be 100 percent while he tends to the foot issue, the Reds evidently felt that Steer was more in need of rest and recovery for the nightcap.
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Reds' Christian Encarnacion-Strand: Out after fouling ball off foot
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Encarnacion-Strand is not in the lineup for Wednesday's game in Boston after fouling a ball off the top of his foot earlier in the day, Charlie Goldsmith of Fox 19 Now Cincinnati reports.
The Reds and Red Sox resumed Tuesday's suspended game earlier Wednesday, and Encarnacion-Strand was removed in the bottom of the eighth after getting hurt in his at-bat in the previous half inning. Manager Terry Francona didn't disclose whether Encarnacion-Strand underwent X-rays following his removal from the contest. With Encarnacion-Strand on the bench for the second game of the day, the Reds will turn to Santiago Espinal to cover third base.
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Reds' Christian Encarnacion-Strand: Getting breather Saturday
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Encarnacion-Strand isn't in the starting lineup Saturday versus San Diego.
Encarnacion-Strand has started each of Cincinnati's previous four contests and went 2-for-12 with three runs batted in during that stretch, with both of the hits and all of the RBI coming in the same game. He'll begin on the bench Saturday while Santiago Espinal starts at the hot corner and Spencer Steer starts at first base.
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Reds' Christian Encarnacion-Strand: Starts at third base
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Encarnacion-Strand started at third base and went 0-for-4 in Tuesday's 1-0 win over Cleveland.
This was the first time in five games that Encarnacion-Strand failed to reach base safely since coming off the IL; he'd gone 8-for-17 with a double, three home runs and seven RBI over the first four contests. This marked the third time in those five games that he's started at third base. Reds manager Terry Francona needs to find time for both Encarnacion-Strand and Spencer Steer, and it appears Santiago Espinal's regular run at third base has ended.
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Reds' Christian Encarnacion-Strand: Reinstated from IL
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The Reds activated Encarnacion-Strand (back) from the 10-day injured list Friday.
Encarnacion-Strand has been on the shelf since April 17 due to lower-back inflammation, but after a lengthy rehab assignment, he's been cleared to rejoin the Reds. Prior to sustaining the injury, Encarnacion-Strand slashed .158/.183/.298 with two home runs in 60 plate appearances. However, he went 12-for-37 (.324) with a pair of homers over 10 games with Triple-A Louisville during his rehab stint.
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Reds' Christian Encarnacion-Strand: Rehab moving to Triple-A
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Encarnacion-Strand (back) will have his rehab assignment moved to Triple-A Louisville on Sunday, MLB.com reports.
Encarnacion-Strand kicked off his rehab in the Arizona Complex League on Wednesday and is 2-for-7 with a double, two RBI and a run scored. The Reds' roster has undergone some changes since he was placed on the injured list mid-April. Spencer Steer's early season shoulder issue no longer limits him to DH only, and he's been the primary first baseman, which was Encarnacion-Strand's job when he was added to IL.
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Reds' Christian Encarnacion-Strand: Lands on IL with back inflammation
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The Reds placed Encarnacion-Strand on the 10-day injured list Thursday with low-back inflammation.
Encarnacion-Strand had a two-RBI double in Wednesday's loss to the Mariners, but he's been playing through a back issue for a while and the Reds have decided that the best course of action is to rest him for a bit. Jeimer Candelario is likely to handle the bulk of reps at first base while Encarnacion-Strand is out, with Gavin Lux, Santiago Espinal and Noelvi Marte representing the Reds' options at third base.
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Reds' Christian Encarnacion-Strand: Drives in two runs Wednesday
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Encarnacion-Strand went 1-for-4 with a two-run double in Wednesday's 5-3 loss to the Mariners.
Encarnacion-Strand had gone 0-for-12 over his previous three games, but he managed to get the Reds on the board in the seventh inning Wednesday with a two-RBI double. He is working his way back from hamstring and back soreness, which caused him to miss two games earlier in the week. Encarnacion-Strand has begun the season slashing .158/.183/.298 with four runs scored, two home runs and five RBI across 60 plate appearances this season.
