Steer went 1-for-2 with two walks and a solo home run in Thursday's loss to the Pirates.
Starting at third base, batting seventh, Steer provided the Reds' only long ball on the afternoon. He was lifted for a pinch runner after grounding into a force out in the bottom of the eighth inning. The 25-year-old has a lot to prove at the major-league level, but it's nice to see the patience and power show up early, carrying over from a strong spring.
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Reds' Spencer Steer: Tough defensive day
Rotowire
Steer committed a throwing error and mishandled another ground ball that was ultimately ruled a hit in Sunday's spring training game, Bobby Nightengale of The Cincinnati Enquirer reports.
Steer is trying to win the Reds' third base job this spring and is the presumptive favorite, but it'll bear watching his defense given that he hasn't been a full-time third baseman in the minors.
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Reds' Spencer Steer: Extended third base look
Rotowire
The Reds will give Steer an extended look at third base to begin the 2023 season, Bobby Nightengale of The Cincinnati Enquirer reports.
Steer spent most of his 2022 season, both in the minors and majors, at third base, though he also saw significant time at second base and shortstop during his time in the minors. The Reds seem more committed to Steer, whom they got in the Tyler Mahle trade last season, than they do with Mike Moustakas.
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Reds' Spencer Steer: Takes seat Sunday
Rotowire
Steer is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Cubs.
Steer started the past eight games and will head to the bench after he hit .207 with a solo home run and three additional runs scored during that stretch. Alejo Lopez will take over at the hot corner and bat seventh in Sunday's series finale.
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Reds' Spencer Steer: Sitting again Thursday
Rotowire
Steer (eye) isn't starting Thursday against the Brewers.
Steer was scratched from Wednesday's lineup against Boston due to an eye infection, and he'll remain out of the starting nine for Thursday's series opener against the Brewers. Donovan Solano will take over at first base and bat fifth.
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Reds' Spencer Steer: Dealing with eye issue
Rotowire
Steer was removed from Wednesday's lineup against the Red Sox due to an eye infection, C. Trent Rosecrans of The Athletic reports.
Steer was scratched from the lineup a few hours prior to the start of Wednesday's game, but it's possible that he'll be available off the bench. The 24-year-old should be considered day-to-day for now.
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Reds' Spencer Steer: Gets scratched from starting nine
Rotowire
Steer was scratched from the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Red Sox due to an unspecified reason.
Steer had been slated to start at shortstop, but he'll instead be on the bench for the second game in a row, which likely hints that he's dealing with an injury or illness. Stuart Fairchild was added to the starting nine as a replacement of Steer, who can be viewed as day-to-day until the Reds provide an explanation for why the rookie was scratched.
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Reds' Spencer Steer: On bench for Game 1
Rotowire
Steer isn't starting the first game of Saturday's doubleheader against the Cardinals, Jeff Jones of the Belleville News-Democrat reports.
Steer is resting for Saturday's matinee after he hit .250 with a double, four runs, an RBI, three walks and five strikeouts over the last eight games. Matt Reynolds will start at first base and bat eighth.
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Reds' Spencer Steer: Not in Friday's lineup
Rotowire
Steer is not in the lineup Friday against the Brewers.
Steer started six straight games after getting called up at the start of September, posting an .849 OPS. He's appeared at second base, third base and designated hitter but has been primarily used at first base, a spot which will be occupied by Donovan Solano on Friday.
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Reds' Spencer Steer: Hits solo shot in debut
Rotowire
Steer went 2-for-2 with a double, a solo home run, two walks and two runs scored in Friday's 3-2 win over the Rockies.
Steer lauched a solo shot in the fifth inning before scoring the go-ahead run on a Jonathan India single in the ninth. It was Steer's first game in the majors and he made it count, getting on base in all four of his plate appearances. The rookie has shown some pop in the minors, with 23 home runs across Double and Triple-A this season. He has shown the ability to take walks as well, walking at a 10.4 percent clip in the minors this year, and he could help managers in deep fantasy leagues.
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Reds' Spencer Steer: Will play regularly
Rotowire
Steer, who is starting at third base and batting seventh Friday, will be in the lineup as much as possible down the stretch, Charlie Goldsmith of The Cincinnati Enquirer reports.
This makes sense, as Steer is one of only a few healthy hitters who could be a part of the Reds' long-term core. The 24-year-old was a shortstop in college before being a third-round pick of the Twins in 2019, but he primarily played third base this year in the minors while also seeing 20-plus games at second base and short. He slashed .259/.354/.479 with 15 home runs in 71 games at Triple-A split between St. Paul and Louisville.
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Reds' Spencer Steer: Promotion official
Rotowire
The Reds selected Steer's contract from Triple-A Louisville on Thursday.
Though management hasn't yet clarified what Steer's role will look like as he joins the Reds as a September call-up, he'll presumably be installed as Cincinnati's everyday shortstop after incumbent Jose Barrero was benched in two of the last three games of August and finished the month with a .151/.180/.233 slash line. Since coming over from the Twins in the Aug. 2 deal that sent Tyler Mahle to Minnesota, Steer posted an .842 OPS and maintained a 22.1 percent strikeout rate while slugging three home runs and adding a stolen base.
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Reds' Spencer Steer: Headed to big leagues
Rotowire
Steer was informed Wednesday that he'll be called up from Triple-A Louisville, C. Trent Rosecrans of The Athletic reports.
Steer, a key part of the return for Tyler Mahle, hit .294/.375/.467 with seven doubles, three home runs and a steal in 23 games with Louisville following the trade to earn his first look at the highest level. The 24-year-old has slashed .274/.364/.515 with 23 homers and four steals in total across three stops this season. The Reds will likely be sure to maintain Steer's rookie status for next season -- keeping him under 131 at-bats the rest of the way -- but Steer figures to take over for the struggling Jose Barrero as the team's primary shortstop down the stretch.
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Reds' Spencer Steer: Traded to Reds
Rotowire
Steer was traded from the Twins to the Reds on Tuesday along with Christian Encarnacion-Strand and Steven Hajjar in exchange for Tyler Mahle, C. Trent Rosecrans of The Athletic reports.
Steer, 24, was pretty firmly blocked at his best infield positions in Minnesota, so this is a nice bump for his fantasy value. He hit .269/.361/.528 with 20 home runs and a 17.0 percent strikeout rate in 388 plate appearances between Double-A and Triple-A. Steer has seen time at third base, second base, shortstop and designated hitter.
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Twins' Spencer Steer: Enduring power drought
Rotowire
Steer has gone 13 straight games without a homer at Triple-A St. Paul, though he's still hit .260 with a .362 OBP and 8:9 BB:K in that span.
He's hit four doubles and a triple in that time, too, so it's not like Steer's extra-base power has dried up altogether even while he's been stuck on 19 home runs since June 24. Even with this power outage, he still has a solid .253/.344/.531 line in Triple-A, and that's with an uncharacteristically low .259 BABIP. Steer's bat ought to write his ticket to the big leagues before too much longer, though the Twins' overcrowded infield remains an impediment.
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Twins' Spencer Steer: Four homers in two games
Rotowire
Steer crushed three home runs Sunday for Triple-A St. Paul, giving him a .255/.349/.636 batting line since being promoted.
He also homered Saturday, so that's four in two days for the rising infield prospect. Steer offers a fantasy-friendly combination of power and versatility, having hit 14 homers already this year while making appearances at second, third and short. He also has a trim strikeout rate (14.7 percent in Double-A, 17.5 percent since the promotion), which is promising. He didn't come into this season with much helium, but with solid abilities across the board and the potential for multi-position eligibility, he could be a useful fantasy Swiss Army knife once he eventually gets the call to Minnesota.
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Twins' Spencer Steer: Reassigned to minor-league camp
Rotowire
Steer was reassigned to minor-league spring training Saturday, Betsy Helfand of the St. Paul Pioneer Press reports.
Steer appeared in four Grapefruit League games to begin the year and went 0-for-5 with two strikeouts. The 24-year-old hit .241 with 14 homers, 45 runs, 42 RBI and four stolen bases across 65 games at Double-A Wichita last year, and he'll likely begin 2022 in Wichita or at Triple-A St. Paul.
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Twins' Spencer Steer: Moves on to Wichita
Rotowire
The Twins promoted Steer from High-A Cedar Rapids to Double-A Wichita on Monday, Brandon Warne of Access Twins reports.
Steer will move up a rung on the organizational ladder after slashing .274/.409/.506 with 10 home runs and four stolen bases across 208 plate appearances at Cedar Rapids. The 23-year-old infielder has exhibited excellent contact and on-base skills at each of his three minor-league stops, but his ability to hit for power at the upper levels is still very much in question, despite his stellar .232 ISO at High-A.
