NEW YORK -- Reds third baseman Noelvi Marte had never played the outfield in a game at any level professionally. But Marte has long liked to shag fly balls during batting practice, and coach Collin Cowgill saw enough natural talent to tell manager Terry Francona.
Marte began working out more in right field the past month, and Cowgill told Francona he was ready for games. It was the endorsement needed for Marte to get his first career start there in a 3-2 loss to the Mets on Sunday afternoon at Citi Field.
“We’re doing it to try and have an advantage. We think it gives us more flexibility and maybe better flexibility," Francona said. “I hope it goes great. If it doesn’t, I’ll take the heat for it.”
Marte had no problem giving right field a shot.
“First of all, it’s opportunities," he said via translator Tomas Vera. "I’m a person who likes challenges, who likes experimenting with different things. If the team needs me there, I’ll be there.”
There were multiple reasons for the experiment. The Mets were starting a lefty pitcher in David Peterson, and the Reds can get more right-handed bats in the lineup since right fielders Jake Fraley and Will Benson are both left-handed hitters.
Francona has used utility infielder Santiago Espinal in right field this season, but having Marte there gets Espinal back to the infield.
“We've been talking about it for a while," Francona said. "He’s not going to be our everyday right fielder right now. There’s going to be some days -- it may be against a lefty -- [where] we think we can put a better team out there, and hopefully it helps us defensively. I know it’s [his] first time out there, but I think his skill set is really going to work fine there and then we can keep Espy at third.”
Marte, 23, has been error prone at third base since he first came to the big leagues in 2023 -- and has five in 29 games there this season. His bat has been a boost -- including home runs in back-to-back games on July 11-12 vs. the Rockies.
"As an infielder, you always think you can play outfield," Marte said. "During batting practice, I go out there and I try to catch some balls and I get it done. When I was a kid, I wanted to be an outfielder. Maybe it looked natural because mentally it was something I wanted to do.”
There could be other factors as well behind the position shift. The Reds just promoted No. 3 prospect and third baseman Sal Stewart to Triple-A Louisville on Friday. Stewart has a bat that's well-liked by the organization, and now he's a phone call away from the big leagues.
“Ooh, you might be getting a little ahead of us there," Francona said when asked about Stewart.
Cincinnati is also looking for an impact bat to add to the lineup ahead of the July 31 Trade Deadline. While the bigger need is in the outfield, the club isn't afraid to add another infielder. Two third basemen in particular -- current Diamondbacks and former Reds star Eugenio Suárez and the Rockies' Ryan McMahon -- could be available for deals.
Was Marte surprised when he was asked to move?
“It was a surprise," he said. "In a sense, I was expecting that, because if they want to reinforce the lineup when we have a left-handed pitcher [to face], I can be there and it helps the team. So we’ll do it.”