Reds: Will Benson and Sal Stewart making the most of their chances

“We need some of these young kids,” Terry Francona said. “That’s what we’ve been dying for.”

Benson and Stewart have taken very different paths to get to this point.

Benson was one of the Reds’ best hitters in 2023. Then in 2024, he was one of their worst hitters. He wasn’t really in a competition for the spot on this year’s Opening Day roster, started the season in Triple-A and had to earn his way back onto the big league roster in May.

Benson was solid during the early portion of the summer, but he lost his role after the trade deadline when the Reds acquired Ke’Bryan Hayes and moved Noelvi Marte to right field. With a lot of shuffling pieces on the roster, Benson ended up back in Triple-A again.

“It was tough,” Benson said. “More so outer realm things. It was my daughter’s birthday time. We had things planned around that. That was a little bit harder to deal with. Getting past it was a refreshing feeling to finally just refocus on the game and the opportunities that I did have.”

He kept his head down, got into a rhythm at the plate and then was called up again in the middle of August to fill a bench role. After getting called back up, Benson didn’t receive a single start until early September. He took advantage of that opportunity by homering, and he has found himself in the lineup in most games since then.

“We’re trying to find spots for him to play because when he’s hot, he can be really dangerous,” Francona said. “As a manager, you never want to be the cooler. The game is hard enough. We try to pick what we think are the right spots for guys. Especially the bench guys. But they’ve got to hit. He has done a good job.”

Stewart is only 21, and he has been speaking since spring training about his goal of making an impact in the big leagues down the stretch this season. He’s doing that.

“He’s swinging the bat,” Francona said. “He’s going to be ok. Sometimes, you’ve got a good kid and he has got some energy and it’s good for everybody.”

Stewart played two total games at first base in the minor leagues, but he has handled the position impressively in the big leagues. He’s also showing power, which was a part of his game in the minor leagues but has ratcheted up a level over the last few weeks for Stewart in the big leagues.

“I’m happy with my at-bats,” Stewart said. “When you’re playing the game and you see the game, the scoreboard dictates what you need to do. Power will come.”

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