Benson, Fairchild to step up in the wake of Friedl's injury

GOODYEAR, Ariz. -- There is no softening the blow the Reds took on Sunday, when they learned one of their best players -- center fielder TJ Friedl -- will open the season on the injured list with a fractured right wrist.

Cincinnati will miss Friedl's contributions for several weeks, both offensively as the leadoff hitter and defensively. He was the club's top player in 2023 with 3.8 bWAR. Nevertheless, the Reds will have to move on and fill the void in center field.

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“I really feel like we’re built to thrive in these situations," manager David Bell said. "TJ has already started his process of what we need him to do to get him back strong. It’s all going to work out. I’m focused on the guys we have here.”

Will Benson and Stuart Fairchild appear to be the likely fill-ins in center field, pending any possible addition made by president of baseball operations Nick Krall.

Center field at cozy Great American Ball Park is not as expansive as other stadiums. In past years, Jesse Winker and Shin-Soo Choo manned center field for the Reds, and neither player was known for being fleet of foot or a superb defender.

Both Benson and Fairchild -- who were told by Bell that they made the team before Friedl's injury -- are faster players who can cover a lot of ground already.

More on Benson
Able to play all three outfield spots, Benson has primarily been used in the corners. In two Major League seasons, he has played center field in 14 games, but he only did so four times (one start) last year for the Reds.

Benson, 25, started in center field on Sunday vs. the Guardians, one day after Friedl was injured.

“I’m sad about the news of my teammate," Benson said. "It’s just another opportunity to play. I’m thankful for that, that I was the first person they went to, to fill that gap. I’m going to take full advantage of the opportunity to play.”

Benson will get more reps in center field in the final week of camp.

"He’s been working out there a lot already," Bell said. "I think Will, in all the spots in the outfield this year, has made improvements. He already did a lot of good things. We talked. He talked to me. He was determined to make improvements out there. It’s shown up so far this spring.”

Benson felt like he could handle playing center field more often until Friedl returns.

“The good with [outfield coach Collin] Cowgill is that we do a lot of our outfield work as a unit in center field. Those angles are not unfamiliar to me," Benson said. "Another thing about center field is you get a clearer picture of what hitters are doing. Those hot corners are a little tougher."

A left-handed hitter, Benson batted .275 with an .863 OPS and 11 home runs in 108 games last season. Getting him more chances vs. left-handed pitching was a camp goal for Bell. Benson hit .297 with a .938 OPS in 285 plate appearances vs. right-handers in 2023, as opposed to .146 with a .400 OPS in only 44 plate appearances against lefties.

Benson is batting .200 with one homer in 12 spring games.

More on Fairchild
Fairchild, 28, has 52 career games in center field over three big league seasons, including 17 starts there last season.

"I’ve played all three [spots] probably about the same amount," Fairchild said. "So throw me wherever, it doesn’t matter."

Fairchild was a second-round pick of the Reds in 2017 but bounced around multiple organizations -- the Diamondbacks, Mariners and Giants -- before returning to the Reds in 2022. He has never gotten regular playing time in the big leagues.

"I know a lot of times when guys aren’t getting regular playing time, we can be missing something there," Bell said. "[Fairchild] has done a nice job in his role offensively, but there definitely could be more there. It’s a really tough role. You just never know what a player can do when they get more playing time. In a bad situation, one of the potential benefits is seeing Stuart get more regular playing time and seeing what he can do at the plate.”

It's been a strong camp for the right-handed Fairchild, who is batting .360 with three homers in nine spring games. He batted .228 with a .710 OPS in 97 games last season for Cincinnati and felt prepared to handle more time in the lineup.

"Absolutely. That’s what you sign up for," he said.