Cincinnati Reds fans have made a habit of critiquing Terry Francona's lineup decisions throughout the 2025 season, but it's difficult to be overly critical of a future Hall of Fame manager. Nevertheless, the Cincinnati faithful have every reason to be furious after viewing the embarrassing lineup that Francona chose to roll out for the series finale against the Pittsburgh Pirates on Thursday afternoon.
The Reds are one game back in the chase for the final NL Wild Card spot and are staring down a must-win game against their division rival. But instead of inserting Tyler Stephenson into the starting lineup — one day after watching him go 4-for-5 with a double and the game-tying home run in the ninth inning — Francona decided to bench him in favor of Jose Trevino.