Reds' 2026 season hinges on Noelvi Marte's breakout

Cincinnati is counting on the young outfielder to take a big step forward this year.

Published on Feb. 15, 2026

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The Cincinnati Reds are banking on 24-year-old Noelvi Marte to have a breakout season in 2026 and solidify their right field position. Despite Marte's impressive physical tools, he has struggled to consistently produce at the MLB level so far, posting an 86 OPS+ and negative defensive metrics over nearly 200 games. The Reds are hoping Marte can finally put it all together this year and help propel them to the playoffs after a close call in 2025.

Why it matters

The Reds made the playoffs for the first time in years in 2025 but were quickly eliminated. With an improved roster, they are counting on Marte to take a big leap forward and provide the production they need in right field to make a deeper postseason run.

The details

The Reds moved Marte to right field this offseason, a sign of their confidence in his tools. While Marte has elite Statcast metrics in areas like sprint speed and exit velocity, he has yet to translate that into consistent production at the MLB level. After posting an 86 OPS+ and negative defensive numbers over nearly 200 games, the Reds need Marte to finally put it all together in 2026 to solidify their lineup and playoff hopes.

  • Marte has nearly 200 big league games under his belt as of the 2026 season.
  • The Reds made the playoffs for the first time in years in 2025 but were quickly eliminated.

The players

Noelvi Marte

A 24-year-old outfielder for the Cincinnati Reds who the team is counting on to have a breakout season in 2026 after struggling to consistently produce at the MLB level so far in his career.

Eugenio Suarez

An infielder the Reds added this offseason to provide much-needed power to their lineup.

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What they’re saying

“Marte has the tools, with upper-echelon Statcast figures in sprint speed, arm strength and maximum exit velocity.”

— Bradford Doolittle, ESPN analyst (ESPN)

“Those readings are different from actual, consistent production, and that's where the Reds need Marte to put it together.”

— Bradford Doolittle, ESPN analyst (ESPN)

The takeaway

The Reds' 2026 season hinges on whether Noelvi Marte can finally translate his impressive physical tools into consistent production at the MLB level. If he can make that leap, the Reds' roster will look much more playoff-caliber, but if he continues to struggle, it could derail their postseason hopes.