The Reds announced today that infielder Noelvi Marté has been activated from the suspended list, having now served his 80-game PED suspension. In corresponding moves, they optioned infielder Liván Soto and transferred right-hander Emilio Pagán to the 60-day injured list.
Marté, 22, had an excellent debut for the Reds last year. Long considered one of the top prospects in the league, he was called up in August of last year and hit .316/.366/.456 in his first 35 games at the major league level. That set him up to be a key part of the 2024 club but he was hit with an 80-game suspension in early March after testing positive for Boldenone.
That has been just one of several notable absences for the Reds this year. Matt McLain, TJ Friedl and Christian Encarnacion-Strand have all missed significant time due to injury, with several pitchers having spent time on the IL as well. Those health problems and Marté’s suspension have left the club fairly hamstrung so far on the season.
Those issues have contributed to a fairly lackluster performance from the club, as the Reds are currently 37-43. That leaves them only 4.5 games out of a playoff spot in the fairly weak National League Wild Card race, but many expected better results this year after the club seemed to be overflowing with young talent towards the end of last year.
The return of Marté could perhaps give them a boost, though for what it’s worth, he hasn’t been in good form after his layoff. He began a rehab assignment a couple of weeks ago and hit .151/.151/.170 in 15 Triple-A games. That’s a small sample size and perhaps some rust is expected after missing time, but the Reds will obviously hope for better than that going forward.
The Reds still have McLain, Friedl and Encarnacion-Strand on the injured list while Jake Fraley and Jeimer Candelario are each dealing with minor ailments. Despite Marté’s poor form during his rehab, he might get some runway to get in a good place with so many other players ailing. He was primarily playing third base during his rehab, which has been Candelario’s home for much of this season. Santiago Espinal has been covering that spot lately but is hitting just .203/.253/.297 on the year. Even when Candelario is healthy again, he is capable of moving over to first base, while regular first baseman Spencer Steer could perhaps move into the corner outfield mix.
As for Pagán, he landed on the 15-day injured list June 9 due to a right lat strain. This transfer suggests the Reds don’t expect him back until early August in a best-case scenario. He signed a two-year, $16MM deal in the offseason, with the chance to opt out after one year. He has a mediocre 4.43 earned run average on the year and seemingly won’t have a ton of time to improve that number after this IL stint. The Reds could look to improve their bullpen prior to the trade deadline, but their aggressiveness in that department will depend on how the club plays over the next month.
I wouldn’t bet on it – but David Fletcher would.
A joke, I get that. But isn’t it misleading as I heard Fletcher didn’t bet on baseball? Not to mention that it’s an article about someone who actually cheated, as opposed to Fletcher who seemed to do little more than what half the people on here probably do. Even if he had bet on baseball did he bet on his own team? Everyone on here complaining about something irrelevant being posted when it’s political or something, but every other post is irrelevant really. As for Marte…he served his suspension and is marked for life so let’s all let it go. People do dumb things, especially at a young age.
Illegal gambling with a bookie and possible unreported taxes, combined with David Fletcher’s general lack of talent, makes it likely that he will never play another inning at the major league level. I would not be surprised if David’s family is completely ashamed of him. #Shoeless David Fletcher is a complete heel
Personally I think your a bit high horse.On an ethical level what has he really done so wrong? Avoided some tax robbery and done something that is legal almost everywhere in the country. “His family may be ashamed of him”. What pointless speculation. Who cares if they are? He likely stinks because he has known this was coming out for a long while. What most people wouldn’t do for a career 14 or so WAR in MLB. Basically it comes down to gambling being illegal in LA. Tons of players do the same thing. But he’s avoiding taxes lol. We all pay more than enough taxes. Society wants us to maintain constant work to get a house only so they can tax us like 6000 a year to exists on our own property. It’s at least more complex ethically than u seem to think. How is it any different than prohibition creating the Al Capones of the world. It’s California’s own doing.
Once again you are being sensational. Comparing him to someone who supposedly not only bet on his own team but supposedly blew the game intentionally(and that itself has been highly debated btw). To add, I wonder how many professional athletes have purchased marijuana from an illegal source and hence weren’t taxed. What’s the difference? One is actually illegal almost everywhere btw while gambling is not, even for MLB players as long as they don’t bet on baseball
wow has it already been 80 gms since this drug using cheater was suspended? time flies
They all cheat. Not defending the guy he just got caught.
Time for an update on Starling. Have a little game of three card Marte.
Hazee
May I add some Ketel corn?
Candelario a full time DH now. A lot to say for a full time DH. That Pagan contract worked out so well too. Gave up some bombs and got injured for at least half a season.
You’re a full time troll now. Keep complaining about a guy who since 4/28 is hitting:
.283/.315/.551/.866
The Reds would really be hurting for offense if they hadn’t signed him.
He’s roughly league average fielding at the corner infield spots over his career, according to those that worship at the altar aka the writers at MLBTR. Yeah he’s had a rough time in the field this year, but hey, that gives you something to complain about. It’s funny you use his career batting average to downplay his hitting and his current field problems to downplay his fielding.
Anyway, keep up the good trolling.
You can’t be a good troll without moving the goalposts
I bet he did not read that before they signed Pagan and Martinez or Montas they offered Gray the same money that he signed with STL. Because Gray only wanted to play with STL.
But Poor Boy Krall blew it of course by not using Jedi mind control to make Gray want to sign with the Reds.
Hilarious. Guy says Candelario should be a DH and you cite an offense argument that HELPS make his case. Tell us you are angry without telling us you are angry.
By the way, your Reds are 38-44. Although some would think your perspective is admirable, it isn’t within the realm of reality.
Could be a good shot in the arm for the Reds…
Thought it was a good shot in the butt
I asked Noelvi and he said go ahead and take a shot
Fandfw
Are you trying to inject a little humor into this thread?
Got to love those imaginative Dominican names. You might guess Noelvi was born on Christmas Day but he was actually born in October, which is even better.
BlueSkies
Marte is 6’1”, so maybe his name means “No-elf”
Elvi, is that the plural of elf?
Apparently, Darragh’s word of the day is “fairly.”
What stuck out for me was this line:
“ … while regular first baseman Spencer Steer could perhaps move into the corner outfield mix”
“Perhaps” a quick look at Baseball Reference (it was linked) would show Darragh that Steer has more Innings in LF than he does at 1B. He IS the regular LFr.
Thing is though is that Steer has looked really, really good at first base and mediocre to fair in left. He should be the everyday firstbaseman and put Candy at DH (with Marte back, that is). Now what they must do is trade for a bopping outfielder with bopability. Maybe a Luis Robert bopper?
Steer’s defensive metrics in LF are actually slightly better than at 1B. IMHO they need his bat in LF and yes, they need to trade for a big bat to put in RF. Of course Robert could handle CF, but buyer beware. Robert has played a full regular season ONCE in his career. And there’s a lot of swing and miss and bad plate discipline in his game. He does have talent though.
“Bopability”. Love it. Great new word dude.
Steer is a mess in LF. Metrics do not measure how good a defensive player is. The stat, DRS or the other one, does not paint a complete picture of how good or bad a player is on defense. Steer is very questionable and not that confident in the outfield.
A lot of hype around him and. Ruiz and while Cruz looks like he’s going to end up being pretty good, the real motor of the offense is McClain. I don’t think Marte is enough to get it going unfortunately.
Cruz is older but he is a stud. McLain will be the third place hitter next year when he gets back. CES was injured this whole year but played with the wrist issue that eventually needed surgery. I think CES, once healed-up and ready to go next year, will crush it as he has in the past. Marte once he gets his legs/hitting back under him, will be a guy good for above average offense, speed, and defense at 3rd. Future still looks good for the Reds, plus their pitching is really starting to shape up. I always thought next year was their year anyway, not this one. Oh, and they have that De La Cruz joker too.
Oh I don’t disagree at all. The o to point I’m making is that McClain’s bat seemed to be what kept the offense going. Have to wonder where we’d be this year with a healthy McClain.
McLain was the second year player I was most optimistic about NOT having a sophomore slump. They surely miss his bat and his D. Conversely I was most worried about EDLC and he has pleasantly surprised to the upside. He just oozes potential – he truly may become a superstar.
Reds have better odds at retaining McClain than Cruz though.