Christian Encarnacion-Strand DVOA, Advanced Stats, & Fantasy Rankings

The Cincinnati Reds announced on Thursday that they placed infielder Christian Encarnacion-Strand (back) on the 10-day injured list with lower-back inflammation and recalled infielder Noelvi Marte from Triple-A Louisville in a corresponding move. With Encarnacion out, Jeimer Candelario will move to first base and Santiago Espinal will start at the hot corner on Thursday against the visiting Seattle Mariners. Although Encarnacion-Strand had an RBI double on Wednesday, he started the season going 9-for-57 (.158) with two home runs, five RBI and 13 strikeouts in 15 games played. Hopefully, he'll look better when he gets over his back injury, but it's unclear if he'll have a short stay on the IL. Espinal figures to benefit the most from a playing-time perspective at third base, but Marte could share starts with him at the hot corner.UPDATE: CEH will receive an epidural injection to calm his back down.

Cincinnati Reds corner infielder Christian Encarnacion-Strand (back, hamstring) is back in the starting lineup on Tuesday against the visiting Seattle Mariners, starting at first base and batting seventh against right-hander Luis Castillo at Great American Ball Park. The Reds held Encarnacion-Strand out of action the last two games with minor back and hamstring injuries, but he's ready to go now. The 25-year-old hasn't been a reliable fantasy asset in the early going in 2025, batting .163 (8-for-49) with two home runs, a double, three RBI, three runs scored, one walk and 12 strikeouts in 13 games played. With Austin Hays back, he might need to start picking it up at the plate to continue seeing everyday playing time with the Reds. CEH has never faced Castillo in his career.

According to Charles Goldsmith of Cincinnati Magazine, manager Terry Francona said Reds corner infielder Christian Encarnacion-Strand (back/hamstring) might get a few days off in a row. He said, "CES is banged up (back/hamstring, which he dealt with in 2023), but he should be available off the bench, and it will be good to get him a few stacked days off." The injuries seem minor, considering he is not being placed on the injured list immediately. Encarnacion-Strand has gotten off to a sluggish start to his 2025 campaign, slashing .163/.192/.306 with only two home runs. In his absence, expect Noelvi Marte to occupy third base and continue to see more at-bats while Encarnacion-Strand sits for the next few days.

Cincinnati Reds corner infielder Christian Encarnacion-Strand (hand) is starting at first base and batting sixth on Wednesday against the visiting Texas Rangers and right-hander Jack Leiter at Great American Ball Park. Encarnacion-Strand was hit by a pitch on his right hand in Monday's game against Texas and didn't play on Tuesday. However, the 25-year-old is back in there for the series finale and will face a young hurler who looked much better in his first start of the 2025 season after struggling in his rookie year in 2024. He has never faced Leiter and will come into Wednesday's game carrying a .286 (4-for-14) early-season batting average with a home run, double, RBI, two runs scored, one walk and four strikeouts in his first four games of the year. Power is CES's primary calling card, and he should play regularly for Cincy as long as he's healthy.

Cincinnati Reds first baseman Christian Encarnacion-Strand (hand) is not in the lineup for Tuesday's matchup against the Rangers. The right-handed slugger was hit by a pitch on the right hand in Monday's game and had to be removed from the contest. The X-rays on his hand came back negative, however, it appears the Reds will give him a day off anyway; he is considered day-to-day. Jeimer Candelario will take over at first for Cincinnati while Santiago Espinal will man third against the Rangers' Nathan Eovaldi. Candelario is 2-for-7 with a 1:3 BB:K against the veteran righty, and Espinal is 1-for-9 with a 0:3 BB:K. Candelario, who is batting fifth, carries a much higher barrel rate in his career compared to Espinal, who is batting sixth, so the switch-hitting Candelario may be the better option in DFS formats.