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Reds Option Struggling Leadoff Hitter Friedl to Triple-A

Maya Lindstrom · 2026-09-20T03:20:26.304Z

Friedl hit just .172 so he had to go down again, but a second demotion this year might hurt his confidence for good.

Reds Option Struggling Leadoff Hitter Friedl to Triple-A — Photo: D. Benjamin Miller / Wikimedia Commons (CC0)

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The Cincinnati Reds optioned outfielder TJ Friedl to Triple-A Louisville on Saturday, Sept. 19, 2026, his second demotion this season, to make room for Oswaldo Cabrera, claimed off waivers from the New York Yankees. Friedl hit .172 with a .255 on-base percentage over 91 games after opening the year as the Reds' leadoff hitter. Cabrera hit .288 with 19 home runs and was 12-for-13 in stolen base attempts in 122 Triple-A games this season. The moves came ahead of Cincinnati's second game against the Chicago Cubs that weekend. Manager Terry Francona called sending Friedl out again "the hard part" of the Cabrera acquisition. Francona said he and Nick Krall spoke with Friedl the night before the announcement and that Friedl thanked Krall. "As hard as this year was for him, he never once was not a fantastic teammate," Francona said. On whether Friedl had played his last game with the Reds, Francona said, "That wouldn't be for me to say right now. Things have to play out." Friedl made $3.8 million this year and is a non-tender candidate in arbitration this offseason. He went unclaimed on waivers after the August trade deadline. Last season he had a .364 OBP as leadoff hitter for a Reds playoff team.