Benson went 3-for-4 with one stolen base and one run scored in Sunday's 4-3 loss to the Cardinals.
Benson went 7-for-16 with four steals across his last five games of the season. The outfielder was able to play semi-regularly in 2023, holding down a strong-side platoon role. He posted a .275/.365/.498 slash line with 11 home runs, 19 steals, 31 RBI, 51 runs scored, 15 doubles and eight triples across 329 plate appearances in his first year with the Reds.
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Reds' Will Benson: Swipes two bags Tuesday
Rotowire
Benson went 0-for-3 with two stolen bases in Tuesday's 11-7 win over the Guardians.
While his activity on the basepaths didn't lead to any runs for the Reds, Benson still managed to contribute some fantasy value. The 25-year-old outfielder is stumbling to the finish line on the regular season, batting .160 (4-for-25) over 11 games since his last multi-hit performance, but he's still had something of a breakout in 2023 with 11 homers, 17 steals and an .847 OPS in 316 plate appearances, primarily in a strong-side platoon role.
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Reds' Will Benson: Sits against southpaw
Rotowire
Benson will be on the bench for Saturday's game against the Pirates.
Benson's off day against lefty Bailey Falter means he's now been on the bench against nine consecutive southpaws. Stuart Fairchild will be Saturday's right fielder.
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Reds' Will Benson: Not starting versus southpaw
Rotowire
Benson is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Mets.
Benson sits against most left-handed starting pitchers, and that's the case again Sunday with veteran Jose Quintana on the mound for New York. Nick Senzel is manning left field and batting second.
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Reds' Will Benson: On bench versus lefty
Rotowire
Benson is out of the lineup Tuesday against the Tigers.
Benson went 3-for-4 with a homer and a double in Sunday's series finale against the Cardinals, but he'll ride the pine in Tuesday's series opener at Detroit with left-hander Joey Wentz on the bump. Benson, 25, has batted just .152/.222/.212 in 36 plate appearances versus lefties this year.
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Reds' Will Benson: Has three-hit day in win
Rotowire
Benson went 3-for-4 with a solo home run and a double in Sunday's win over the Cardinals.
Benson recorded his second three-hit effort over his last four games and reached the double-digit home run mark with a solo blast in the third. His recent surge at the plate has him at nine hits in 10 games this month, although he's started just six of those 10 games, as he continues to sit against lefties. The 25-year-old has put together a nice season during his first year in Cincinnati, slashing .273/.369/.502 with 10 homers, 27 RBI, 45 runs and a 37:89 BB:K in 287 plate appearances.
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Reds' Will Benson: On bench Friday
Rotowire
Benson is absent from the lineup Friday versus the Cardinals.
Benson went 3-for-4 with two doubles, a homer and a stolen base in Wednesday's series finale against the Mariners, but the Reds will go righty-heavy Friday as they match up against Cardinals lefty Drew Rom. Benson has batted .156/.229/.219 in 35 plate appearances this year versus southpaws.
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Reds' Will Benson: Not starting Saturday
Rotowire
Benson isn't in the Reds' lineup Saturday against the Cubs.
Benson is just 2-for-19 across his last seven games, so he'll get a day off to regroup Saturday. Nick Martini, TJ Friedl and Hunter Renfroe will make up Cincinnati's outfield while Benson rests.
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Reds' Will Benson: Sitting out first game
Rotowire
Benson is not in the lineup for the first game of Friday's doubleheader against the Cubs.
Southpaw Jordan Wicks is on the hill for the Cubs, so Benson will take a seat. Newcomer Hunter Renfroe is in right field and Stuart Fairchild is in left field for the Reds.
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Reds' Will Benson: Gets day off versus lefty
Rotowire
Benson is out of the lineup for Tuesday's game against the Guardians.
Benson will join fellow lefty hitter Joey Votto on the bench Tuesday while the Guardians bring southpaw Logan Allen to the hill. Though he's coming off a productive weekend in Pittsburgh in which he went 5-for-9 with two walks, four runs and a stolen base, Benson will cede his spot in the outfield to TJ Hopkins in the series opener with Cleveland.
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Reds' Will Benson: Nursing back stiffness
Rotowire
Benson is not in the Reds' lineup Wednesday due to back stiffness, Charlie Goldsmith of The Cincinnati Enquirer reports.
It explains why he's not playing for a second straight day and this time against a right-hander. Benson is expected to be fine, so there would seem to be a good chance he's ready to roll for the weekend series in Pittsburgh following Thursday's off day.
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Reds' Will Benson: Absent from lineup
Rotowire
Benson is not in the lineup for Wednesday's contest against the Marlins.
Benson didn't start Tuesday against a lefty and is now on the bench for this one versus right-hander Johnny Cueto. Spencer Steer and Stuart Fairchild will handle the corner outfield spots for the Reds on Wednesday.
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Reds' Will Benson: On bench versus lefty
Rotowire
Benson is not in the lineup for Tuesday's game against the Marlins.
Spencer Steer, TJ Friedl and Stuart Fairchild will start across the outfield for the Reds as they take on left-hander Braxton Garrett. The left-handed-hitting Benson has slashed just .053/.143/.158 in 21 plate appearances versus southpaws this year.
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Reds' Will Benson: Sits down Friday
Rotowire
Benson isn't in the Reds' lineup Friday against the Nationals.
After going 4-for-11 with an RBI and a run scored during Cincinnati's last series against the Cubs, Benson will catch a breather against southpaw Patrick Corbin to begin the weekend series. Spencer Steer, Stuart Fairchild and Nick Senzel will man the Reds' outfield from left to right Friday.
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Reds' Will Benson: Gets Sunday off
Rotowire
Benson is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Diamondbacks.
Benson will take a seat for the first time since July 9, breaking a streak of nine consecutive starts. Even with the recent arrival of power-hitting prospect Christian Encarnacion-Strand in the big leagues, Benson doesn't look as though he'll lose out on his everyday role in the outfield. Since June 1, Benson owns a 179 wRC+, placing him sixth among all hitters in the majors with at least 100 plate appearances during that time.
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Reds' Will Benson: Involved in win
Rotowire
Benson went 2-for-3 with a walk, two doubles, an RBI and a stolen base in Thursday's 5-1 win over San Francisco.
The outfielder drew a walk ahead of Luke Maile's two-run home run in the third frame, then doubled in a run and scored an inning later. Benson's sixth-inning stolen base did not impact the game, but it was his ninth of the season and fifth in the last 17 games. He has been productive in the last three contests, going 4-for-10 with two doubles, two home runs and six RBI.
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Reds' Will Benson: Heads to bench Sunday
Rotowire
Benson is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Brewers.
Benson will take a seat Sunday with lefty Wade Miley pitching for Milwaukee. Spencer Steer will move out to left field while Joey Votto starts at first base.
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Reds' Will Benson: Sitting out against lefty
Rotowire
Benson isn't in the Reds' lineup Saturday against Atlanta.
Southpaw Jared Shuster will start on the mound Saturday for Atlanta, meaning the left-handed bat of Benson will remain in the dugout. Benson -- along with many other Reds players -- is swinging a hot bat currently, so it's still possible he comes off the bench for a pinch-hit opportunity once Atlanta turns to its bullpen.
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Reds' Will Benson: Homers, scores twice in win
Rotowire
Benson went 1-for-2 with a solo homer, a walk and two runs scored in Tuesday's win over the Rockies.
Benson provided the Reds with some insurance, sending a solo blast to center to make it an 8-2 ballgame in the sixth. The 25-year-old continues to improve at the plate. In his first stint with the Reds this year, he hit .040 with a .117 OPS and a 1:14 BB:K in 10 games. Since returning to the majors May 26, Benson is slashing .373/.492/.588 with two homers, five RBI, 12 runs, four steals and an eye-popping 12:7 BB:K in 63 plate appearances. He's been a massive part of the Reds' recent surge but has essentially been restricted to hitting against righties only, as he has just five plate appearances against lefties all year.
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Reds' Will Benson: Reaches safely five times in win
Rotowire
Benson went 3-for-3 with two walks, one triple, two RBI and one run scored in Saturday's 10-3 win over the Astros.
Benson notched his third three-hit effort and second multi-walk game of the season. He's slashing .264/.354/.375 with one home run and four RBI across 27 games, and the athletic prospect continues to see regular playing time with Wil Myers (shoulder) and Jake Fraley (wrist) on the injured list and Stuart Fairchild battling neck stiffness. However, Fraley and Myers could be returning soon, so despite his prolific outing Saturday, Benson may be soon headed back to Triple-A.
