PITTSBURGH –– When the Cincinnati Reds signed outfielder Nick Castellanos in January 2020, the Reds had four starting outfielders on the roster.
The designated hitter was in the National League in 2020, and Shogo Akiyama’s injured hamstring at the start of the 2021 season allowed the Reds to avoid a crunch for playing time.
That changed over the weekend.
With Akiyama returning from the injured list and Tyler Naquin emerging as one of the Reds best hitters, the Reds have five starting-caliber players in the outfield. In two of his first three games back, Akiyama came off the bench.