Rodriguez isn't in the lineup for Saturday's game against the Marlins.
Rodriguez will miss a second consecutive start after notching just two hits in 23 at-bats across his first eight games in the big leagues. Noelvi Marte will pick up another start in right field and bat seventh.
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Reds' Hector Rodriguez: Exiting starting nine
Rotowire
Rodriguez is not in the lineup for Friday's contest against the Marlins.
The lefty-swinging Rodriguez had started seven straight games versus righties, but he will begin Friday's festivities on the bench as the Marlins send right-hander Sandy Alcantara to the hill. Noelvi Marte will cover right field for the Reds in the series opener.
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Reds' Hector Rodriguez: Moves to center field
Rotowire
Rodriguez started in center field and went 1-for-4 with a double in Friday's 5-3 loss to Washington.
This was Rodriguez's third big-league game and first start in center field after he played right field in his debut Tuesday and served as the designated hitter Thursday. The move to center field worked out, as he was tested on a couple of plays. "He did OK," manager Terry Francona told Mark Sheldon of MLB.com. "That's a big ask [to play center field]. I told him, 'If you mess something up, I'll take it, not you.'" Rodriguez, who belted 27 home runs with an .880 OPS in the minors this season, potentially gives the Reds more offense than Dane Myers in center.
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Reds' Hector Rodriguez: Makes MLB debut
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Rodriguez started in right field and went 0-for-2 with a walk and a run scored in Tuesday's 5-4 win over the Athletics.
Rodriguez was called up from Triple-A Louisville on Tuesday and made his MLB debut. He nearly had his first major-league hit, but his shallow flare to left field was snared by A's shortstop Jacob Wilson. Rodriguez should get regular opportunities at both corner outfield spots as well as DH, which is open for a left-handed bat after the Reds traded Nathaniel Lowe to the Guardians on Monday.
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Reds' Hector Rodriguez: Optioned to minors camp
Rotowire
The Reds optioned Rodriguez to minor-league camp Friday.
Rodriguez went 2-for-13 with one stolen base across nine Cactus League contests. The outfielder will turn just 22 next week but could play a role with the Reds at some point later this season.
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Reds' Hector Rodriguez: Sparks interest in camp
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Rodriguez's contact ability has generated reaction from observers in camp, C. Trent Rosecrans of The Athletic reports.
Rodriguez spent time with Double-A Chattanooga (82 games) and Triple-A Louisville (53) in 2025 before earning a promotion to the Reds' 40-man roster during the offseason. He slashed .298/.357/.481 with 12 home runs in Double A and .260/.304/.405 with seven homers in his introduction to Triple A. While onlookers are impressed by Rodriguez's ability to hit anything thrown at him, they also feel he needs to be more selective. The soon-to-be 22-year-old outfielder also played offseason ball in the Dominican Winter League, where he slashed .301/.375/.504 with four homers across 128 plate appearances and walked as many times as he struck out (13).
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Reds' Hector Rodriguez: Strong age-21 season
Rotowire
Rodriguez is slashing .283/.331/.447 with five home runs, six steals, a 6.1 percent walk rate and a 15.3 percent strikeout rate in 36 games for Triple-A Louisville.
Rodriguez was promoted to Louisville on July 18 after he slashed .298/.357/.481 with 12 home runs, six steals and a 13.9 percent strikeout rate in 82 games for Double-A Chattanooga. A bat-first player who will likely end up in left field or at designated hitter, Rodriguez will have a high offensive bar to clear, but he has premium bat speed and contact ability. He is a very aggressive hitter (58.8 percent swing rate at Triple-A) who is still working on getting the ball in the air a bit more (flyball rates below 30 percent at Double-A and Triple-A). Still, Rodriguez won't turn 22 until March, so he's ahead of schedule. He will be added to the 40-man roster this offseason to protect him from the Rule 5 draft.
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Reds' Hector Rodriguez: Steady at High-A
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Rodriguez is hitting .299/.366/.429 for High-A Dayton, leading the team in hitting for average after turning 20 in March, Dave Clark of The Cincinnati Enquirer reports.
Rodriguez came over to the Reds' organization at the 2022 trade deadline for Tyler Naquin and is more than holding his own despite being one of the younger players in the league. His power has dropped off some, albeit in a tough hitters' park, but he's displayed a great grasp of the strike zone, striking out only 10.1 percent so far this season.
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Reds' Hector Rodriguez: Showcasing power for Daytona
Rotowire
Rodriguez is slashing .302/.354/.565 with 14 home runs and 11 steals in 70 games for Single-A Daytona.
The 19-year-old center fielder has stood out on a Tortugas roster loaded with young, talented position players. Rodriguez has been 44 percent better than the average Florida State League hitter and won't turn 20 until spring training. He is listed at 5-foot-10, but Rodriguez's power could be his top tool down the road.
