Cincinnati Reds Shock Fans with Unexpected Trade of Rising Star Christian Encarnacion-Strand to Baltimore Orioles
Looking back, CES was part of a significant shakeup at the 2022 trade deadline, tagged along with Steve Hajjar and Spencer Steer in the package sent to Cincinnati for Tyler Mahle and Minnesota’s bounty. That off-season was a whirlwind—Luis Castillo, Sonny Gray, Eugenio Suarez, Jesse Winker shipped off, and a big contract finally off the books. The Reds hoped CES would step into Joey Votto’s shoes as future first baseman, a notion that seemed promising for a spell.
When CES cracked the majors mid-2023, he lit things up—13 homers over 63 games and a stellar 112 OPS+, earning him the starting nod at 1B for 2024. But behind the scenes? He was nursing a wrist fracture, overlooked at first, which might explain his slump to a .513 OPS over 123 plate appearances by May 7th. Since then, pitchers have exploited his frustration, avoiding strikes and daring him to swing — and he’s stumbled, while Sal Stewart and others raced past him on the righty depth chart.



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