There’s certainly a chance that the Cincinnati Reds will get absolutely smashed over the course of the next two weeks and their season – which already has seen them collapse from 1st place to last place in the NL Central – will go completely up in flames. They’re about to embark upon the toughest stretch of games yet, with two series against the powerhouse Milwaukee Brewers, road trips through Pittsburgh and Chicago for in-division action, and playing host to the Philadelphia Phillies all on the docket before the All Star break.
There’s also the chance they begin to get the band back together during this stretch and fight on the way they did on the road against the New York Yankees. Elly De La Cruz is expected back as early as tomorrow, and Hunter Greene’s set to return soon, too. Getting those All Stars back may be just the boost the team needs to jump back into the playoff chase.
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Either way, though, the Reds need tonight’s starter to begin to turn in the kind of perfomances that are reminiscent of his 2025 season, not of what he’s done so far.
Brady Singer is going to be a free agent at season’s end, and he’s got a roughly six-week window to show the baseball world if his early season struggles this year were a blip, or a sign of things to come. That’s the window the Reds have before the August 3rd trade deadline, and if they’re going to hold on to Singer for a stretch run they’ll need him to be a key cog in the rotation until Greene’s back and in-form. On the other hand, though, if they end up getting pummeled so far down the standings that they become sellers, they need Singer to turn it on and be who he was last year for them to be able to flip him for anything of value at the deadline as they look to 2027 and beyond.
That all starts on Monday at Great American Ball Park as the Brewers bring their 1st place club to town for a vital three-game series.
Singer starts opposite veteran righty Brandon Woodruff, with first pitch set for 7:10 PM ET. Here’s how the Reds will line up to start:
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