Reds option TJ Friedl to Louisville, recall Noelvi Marte
Cincinnati sent TJ Friedl to Louisville to reset a .515 OPS slump, then brought Noelvi Marte back to add a bat that had hit eight homers in Triple-A.
Cincinnati turned a struggling lineup spot into a hard roster pivot, optioning TJ Friedl to Triple-A Louisville and recalling Noelvi Marte after the June 2 game. The move sends Friedl to the International League to rebuild his timing while giving the Reds a chance to plug Marte into the major-league mix right away.
For Friedl, the assignment was the clearest sign yet that the Reds wanted a change, not just a shorter leash. The club had already cut his role from everyday player to role player before sending him down, and the demotion marked his first trip to the minors since 2022, excluding rehab work. It is a notable fall for a player who was Cincinnati’s primary leadoff man in 2025, when he posted a .742 OPS, and who finished 2024 with a .364 on-base percentage across 685 plate appearances.
The reasons for the move were rooted in the bat. Friedl entered the transaction in a deep slump, with one roundup citing a .515 OPS and a 43 OPS+ through 47 games and 156 at-bats in 2026. Cincinnati has been searching for more production in the lineup all season, and Friedl’s reduced playing time had become part of a broader outfield shuffle that pushed the Reds toward a reset rather than a wait-and-see approach.
Marte’s return gave Cincinnati the immediate upside it was chasing. The 23-year-old had been optioned to Triple-A Louisville on April 13 after opening the season with a .332 OPS in his first 11 major-league games, but he answered in the minors by hitting .369/.409/.575 with eight home runs in 160 at-bats before getting recalled. That run in Louisville gave the Reds evidence that his bat was ready to matter again.
The transaction also underscored how much of Cincinnati’s roster has recently flowed through Louisville. Marte’s promotion came as part of a wider wave of movement between Triple-A and the majors, with the Reds leaning on their farm club for answers and using Louisville as the place where Friedl can try to stop the slide. For Cincinnati, the hope is that one player can rediscover his form while another supplies offense now.
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