Christian Encarnacion-Strand has historically been one of the Cincinnati Reds best bats during spring training. He had Reds fans clamoring for him to make the Opening Day in 2023 after hitting .577 with a 1.748 OPS and four home runs in 12 Cactus League games. He posted a 1.166 OPS in 2024 and a respectable .899 OPS last spring.
But the slugger has struggled out of the gates this year. Through his first four spring games, Encarnacion-Strand is just 3-for-9 and all three of his base hits have been singles. He combined for 12 home runs the past three years in Arizona, but he's come up empty so far in 2026.