Cincinnati Reds first baseman/outfielder Spencer Steer (hand) was scratched from Wednesday night's game in Boston, but since X-rays were negative, he has been diagnosed with a hand contusion. Steer was hit by a pitch by Bryan Bello in the seventh inning of the suspended game, which resumed on Wednesday afternoon. He was able to finish that game, but the injury swelled to the point where he was scratched on Wednesday night. Manager Terry Francona said, "We didn't think it made a whole lot of sense to play him. We'll see how he shows up tomorrow. Depending on how he's feeling, we'll see what to do." Steer could end up with a quick stint on the injured list, or he could be back in the lineup as soon as Friday in Philadelphia. Keep a close eye out for an update on Steer's hand and availability for the last week before the All-Star break.

Cincinnati Reds first baseman Spencer Steer (hand) has been scratched ahead of Wednesday's game against the Boston Red Sox. Steer was hit in the hand by a pitch during the first game of the doubleheader earlier in the day. He was originally cleared to play in this game, but now they've decided to take the cautious approach. In his absence, Christian Encarnacion-Strand will take over the cold corner and bat eighth on Wednesday. It's worth noting that Encarnacion-Strand fouled a ball off his foot earlier on Wednesday and was out of the original lineup. He'll battle through the injury and play in the nightcap.

Cincinnati Reds first baseman Spencer Steer (hand) is in the starting lineup for Wednesday's game against the Boston Red Sox. This is basically a doubleheader for the two teams who resumed play of a suspended game earlier in the day. During that game, Steer was hit in the hand by a pitch in the seventh inning. Despite that, Steer is in the lineup for the nightcap. He did experience swelling in his hand, but will play again just hours after getting hit. Steer finished the first game 1-for-2 with a home run and two RBI in the loss. He'll bat fifth and cover first base versus left-hander Brennan Bernardino for Game 2.

Cincinnati Reds first baseman Spencer Steer smashed three home runs on Friday as his club coasted to an 8-1 victory over the San Diego Padres. Steer clubbed a pair of solo homers off right-hander Dylan Cease and added a two-run shot against lefty Yuki Matsui in a 3-for-4 night. Friday's incredible performance aside, this has been a somewhat disappointing season for Steer. He's hitting .251/.303/.404 with nine homers, 31 RBI, 33 runs, six steals, and a career-low 6.7% walk rate in 297 plate appearances. Worsening matters, the 27-year-old also ranks near the bottom of the league in most key Statcast categories. However, Steer has been heating up lately with six multi-hit games since June 18.

Cincinnati Reds infielder/outfielder Spencer Steer is not in the team's starting lineup for Monday's series opener in Cleveland against the Guardians at Progressive Field. Christian Encarnacion-Strand is starting at first base and will bat cleanup, while Santiago Espinal is at the hot corner and is hitting seventh against Guardians right-hander Luis L. Ortiz. Steer just hasn't gotten going in 2025, but it's important to note he was battling through a shoulder injury early in the year. He's currently slashing a disappointing .226/.294/.327 with a career-worst .621 OPS, four homers, 20 RBI and 24 runs scored in 59 games. His xBA of .230 doesn't suggest things will get much better anytime soon, either. Encarnacion-Strand has hit just .229 (16-for-70) on the year, but he's looked good since returning from the injured list and already has five homers in 18 games on the season.

Cincinnati Reds catcher Tyler Stephenson and outfielder Spencer Steer are not in Sunday's lineup when they conclude a series against the Chicago Cubs. Stephenson has been in the starting nine in each of the past six games. During this stretch, the backstop posted a .150/.292/.250 slash line with two doubles. This afternoon, Jose Trevino will be behind the dish and will bat in the six-hole. Steer has been a staple of the starting nine throughout the campaign but will get the day off. Over his last 12 games, Steer has tallied at least one hit in each contest. During this productive stretch, Steer has held a strong .357/.386/.548 slash line. With Steer sitting out, Connor Joe will enter the lineup. The Reds are a strong target in DFS facing Chicago right-hander Ben Brown, who carries a high 5.44 ERA.

Cincinnati Reds first baseman Spencer Steer enjoyed a solid afternoon against the St. Louis Cardinals' pitching staff as he went 2-for-3 with a home run, one RBI, one run scored, and one walk. There was a rain delay in this game, but that didn't stop Steer and the Reds from producing at the plate, as they went on to win 9-1 to salvage getting swept in the three-game series against the Cardinals. Steer has gotten off to a slow start to the season, as he missed most of spring training with a shoulder injury, but has come on of late, slashing .286/.355/.500 in his last seven days. On the season, he is still slashing .189/.267/.316 with three home runs, 15 RBI, and nine runs scored. Fantasy managers who have held on this long may reap the benefits soon, as Steer has hit 20-plus home runs in the last two seasons and is a career .241 hitter.

Cincinnati Reds first baseman Spencer Steer went 1-for-4 with a two-run home run and two runs scored in Friday's 8-7 win over the Rockies. Steer was back at first base for the fourth straight game after opening the season exclusively as a DH, and has gone 5-for-17 (.294) over that time. Perhaps more importantly, he's struck out just once in his last 20 plate appearances (5.0 percent) after striking out 18 times in his first 59 PA (30.5 percent). After back-to-back 20-home run campaigns, hopefully Friday's home run gets the right-handed hitter going. The Reds get another shot at the Rockies in Colorado on Saturday against Antonio Senzatela, and although Steer has no matchup history with the pitcher, the righty sports a 4.81 ERA and 1.93 WHIP, making all of Cincinnati's hitters viable DFS options.

Cincinnati Reds infielder/outfielder Spencer Steer will cede starting first base duties to corner infielder Jeimer Candelario on Tuesday. Steer had started the last two games at first for the Reds while Candelario was on the bench. Neither player has been very productive thus far, with Steer registering a .195 wOBA and 14 wRC+ over 70 plate appearances (PA), while Candelario has a .221 wOBA and 31 wRC+ over 70 PA. The switch-hitting Candelario will go up against the Marlins' RHP Edward Cabrera on Tuesday in Miami, with the 31-year-old going 3-for-4 with a double, home run, and no strikeouts in his career versus the righty. Despite his struggles this season, that type of matchup history could make Candelario a viable DFS play for this contest.

Cincinnati Reds manager Terry Francona said that infielder/outfielder Spencer Steer (shoulder) is getting close to being ready to play first base. "It won't be very long," Francona said. Steer is out of the starting lineup for Thursday's series finale against the visiting Seattle Mariners. Outfielder Austin Hays is serving as the designated hitter and is batting cleanup against Mariners right-hander Emerson Hancock. A right-shoulder injury has limited Steer to DH duties early this year, and he's hit just .120 (6-for-50) with a home run and three RBI in the early going. Fantasy managers will be hoping that the 27-year-old will come around offensively as his shoulder gets closer to 100%. With Christian Encarnacion-Strand (back) now on the injured list, using Steer at first base would allow the Reds to move Jeimer Candelario back to third base.

Cincinnati Reds outfielder/infielder Spencer Steer will begin Tuesday's game against the visiting Seattle Mariners on the bench at Great American Ball Park. Austin Hays (calf), who is making his season debut, will serve as the designated hitter and bat fifth against Mariners right-hander Luis Castillo. Due to a shoulder injury he dealt with in spring training, Steer has yet to appear on defense so far in 2025. However, the 27-year-old has been ramping up his throwing of late and could make his first start on defense soon, which might be bad news for first baseman Christian Encarnacion-Strand. Steer's shoulder could be affecting him at the plate as well, as he's started the 2025 campaign hitting just .109 (5-for-46) with a homer, two doubles, three RBI, four walks and 12 strikeouts in his first 13 games. Fantasy managers may want to steer clear of Steer for now until he breaks out of his early slump.

Cincinnati Reds manager Terry Francona said that outfielder/infielder Spencer Steer (shoulder) will take his throwing program to the next step and will start working on throws from first base over the next few days. Steer battled a right-shoulder injury in spring training and has only served as a designated for the Reds early in the season while he rehabs his arm. The 27-year-old is the DH and is batting cleanup on Friday against the division-rival Pittsburgh Pirates. It's very possible his shoulder is responsible for his slow start at the plate in 2025 as well, as Steer comes into Friday's series opener against the Bucs hitting just .143 (5-for-35) with one home run, two doubles, three RBI, four runs scored, three walks and nine strikeouts in 38 trips to the plate over 10 games played. The good news is that it sounds like his shoulder is feeling better.

Cincinnati Reds outfielder Spencer Steer hit his first home run of the 2025 season Sunday against the Milwaukee Brewers. During the afternoon, Steer went 1-for-3, with the home run being a solo shot against Chad Patrick in the fifth inning. Steer has gotten off to an incredibly slow start, holding a .083/.154/.208 slash line and a 26.9 percent strike out rate in 26 plate appearences. He missed considerable time in spring training with a minor shoulder injury, so fantasy managers can remain optimistic that the home run on Sunday is a sign of good things to come. Over the past two seasons, Steer has hit 40 home runs and driven in 178 RBI, so his slow start can likely be attributed to the injury during Spring Training.

Cincinnati Reds outfielder/corner infielder Spencer Steer is not in the team's lineup for Saturday against the Brewers. Steer was originally scheduled for a day off Friday but entered the lineup when Matt McLain (hamstring) had to be scratched. Steer entered the lineup hitting second, but he'll start Saturday's game on the bench, even though there is no word of any injury. The 27-year-old righty is just 1-for-21 (.048) in the early going this season with an 0.72 wOBA after he missed considerable time in spring training with a minor shoulder injury. He has been struggling along with the rest of the Reds' lineup, but hopefully the day off will reset him and help him find his groove going forward.

Cincinnati Reds second baseman Matt McLain (hamstring) has been scratched from the lineup on Friday against the division-rival Milwaukee Brewers at American Family Field with a tight left hamstring, which happened a few days ago, according to The Cincinnati Enquirer's Charlie Goldsmith. McLain was out on the field to start pre-game warmups but then met with trainers before heading to the clubhouse. With McLain now out of the lineup, Santiago Espinal will start at second base and will hit eighth against Brewers left-hander Tyler Alexander. Spencer Steer, who was originally scheduled for a day off, will now serve as the designated hitter and bat second. Jeimer Candelario is at third and hitting fifth. For now, fantasy managers should remove McLain from their starting lineups and consider him day-to-day. The 25-year-old former first-rounder has six hits in his first 27 at-bats this year, but with three homers, five RBI and one steal.

Cincinnati Reds outfielder/corner infielder Spencer Steer is not in the team's starting lineup for Friday's series opener against the division-rival Milwaukee Brewers at American Family Field. Jeimer Candelario is serving as the designated hitter and is batting fifth, while Santiago Espinal is playing third base and batting eighth against Brewers left-hander Tyler Alexander. Candelario has never faced Alexander in his career, while Espinal is hitless in just three at-bats. When considering that Steer only played in three spring training games due to a minor shoulder injury, it isn't all that surprising that he's off to just a 1-for-18 start to the 2025 regular season at the plate. The 27-year-old right-handed hitter has yet to play on defense because of his shoulder, either, being limited to DH duties. Candelario hasn't been much better, going 5-for-25 with three RBI, two walks and eight strikeouts in seven games played.

Cincinnati Reds outfielder/corner infielder Spencer Steer is out of the team's starting lineup on Saturday against the visiting San Francisco Giants at Great American Ball Park. Despite an off day on Friday, Steer will take a seat for Game 2 of the regular season following an 0-for-4 performance on Opening Day on Thursday in which he went down on strikes three times. The 27-year-old was dealing with a shoulder issue in spring training that limited him to just seven plate appearances in the Cactus League, so the Reds aren't going to push him early on in 2025. With Steer sitting against San Fran, Jeimer Candelario will serve as the designated hitter for the Reds and Santiago Espinal will start at third base against Giants veteran right-hander Justin Verlander. Candelario and Espinal have a combined 14 career at-bats against Verlander, and they've both taken him deep once.

Cincinnati Reds first baseman/outfielder Spencer Steer (shoulder) will be active on Opening Day. Earlier in camp, the Reds said that Steer would open the campaign on the injured list. However, he was able to progress and will not miss the start of the campaign. However, starting left fielder Austin Hays (calf) will instead be placed on the 10-day injured list. During camp, Steer has played exclusively as a designated hitter, which suggests he will not be able to play in the field at the start of the season. Last summer, Steer appeared in 158 contests and posted a .225/.319/.402 slash line with 20 home runs and 25 stolen bases. Under the hood, he generated a modest .315 xwOBA with a low .235 xBA. However, he placed in the 73rd percentile in sprint speed. Fantasy managers should expect the 27-year-old to have an everyday spot in the lineup and does carry a high-floor in category formats given his ability to hit for power and steal bases.

The Cincinnati Enquirer's Gordon Wittenmyer reports that Cincinnati Reds corner infielder/outfielder Spencer Steer (shoulder) will open the season on the injured list. While Steer's shoulder injury isn't considered serious -- he played in a minor-league game on Thursday -- the Reds are playing it safe and holding him out to open the 2025 regular season. The 27-year-old was initially shut down due to his ailing shoulder in late February, and he just hasn't had enough at-bats to be trusted in the starting lineup early on. However, barring a setback on a minor-league rehab assignment to start the year, Steer should definitely make his season debut in the big leagues by the end of April. With Steer opening on the IL, the biggest beneficiary to open the regular season is likely to be Austin Hays in left field.

Cincinnati Reds infielder/outfielder Spencer Steer (shoulder) will resume throwing in camp on Tuesday, and the Reds are still holding out hope that he can avoid a stint on the injured list to start the 2025 regular season, per MLB.com's Mark Sheldon. However, it's probably going to be a close call, as Steer hasn't played in a spring training game since February as he works his way back from a cortisone shot for his balky shoulder. The 27-year-old, who played through a shoulder strain in 2024, has been swinging a bat in drills for the last week, and MRI exams haven't shown any structural damage. If Steer is forced to open the season on the IL, Jeimer Candelario would likely open the year at third base, with Christian Encarnacion-Strand being the primary first baseman across the diamond. Steer has only had seven plate appearances in Cactus League games, so don't rule out a slow start for him at the plate.