ARLINGTON -- Take away rookie Sal Stewart's meteoric start to the 2026 season and it's been rough sledding early on for much of the Reds’ lineup. But two of their hitters with little to show in their numbers came up big on Friday afternoon against the Rangers when the club needed it most.
Tyler Stephenson delivered a two-run home run in the top of the ninth inning to give Cincinnati a 5-3 series-opening win in Texas’ home opener at Globe Life Field.
It was a 3-3 game in the ninth against Texas reliever Chris Martin, when Spencer Steer -- who homered earlier in the game -- led off with a double to left-center field. Next was Stephenson, who worked a full count vs. Martin before going the opposite way to right-center field for his first homer.
Going deep was not necessarily part of the objective for Stephenson.
"Just trying to get the job done, get Spence over," he said. "[Martin] kind of made a mistake out over [the plate] and I was able to drive it out. Just happy with that swing.”
Stephenson was initially down, 0-2, and fouled off a 2-2 pitch to keep the at-bat alive. Even when he drove the full-count sinker from Martin, Steer was tagging up because it didn't look like it had the distance to clear the fence.
“That was an incredible at-bat," Steer said. "I had a good view at second. He was fighting off some tough pitches, some tough takes. Just a really professional at-bat, capping it off with unbelievable swing.”
While Stewart entered the day batting .474 with a 1.563 OPS in the first six games, the rest of the Reds’ offense was batting a combined .155 with a .503 OPS.
Among them, Stephenson was 1-for-13 and hitless in his first two at-bats on Friday before leading off the seventh inning with a single. Steer came into the day 1-for-17 and went 2-for-4 in the game.
“It’s no fun living through it. I know they don’t like it either," manager Terry Francona said. "But I think you can make some bad mistakes if you make some judgments too early on, because they’re good players.”
Steer gave the Reds a 2-0 second-inning lead, when he hit his first homer of 2025, a two-run drive to left field off Rangers lefty starter MacKenzie Gore.
"I felt like I haven’t really done much to help this team win. It’s good to contribute to a win today," Steer said. “Beginning of the season, all the stats and everything, it’s magnified.
"It’s just learning from what I went through last year. You can’t hit the panic button early and hit yourself in a slump even if you’re feeling good or hitting balls hard. Just staying patient and sticking with the process and understanding, we’ve got 150-plus games to go.”
At the beginning of the 2025 season, Steer almost went on the injured list with a sore right shoulder, but he stayed on the active roster because the Reds were shorthanded. He was limited to designated hitter the first month and was 6-for-54 (.111) over his first 15 games.
Stephenson missed nearly the first five weeks of last year with an oblique strain and he was 9-for-52 (.173) over his first 15 games.
“This is the sixth full season," Stephenson said. "You’re going to go through things during the season. You’ve just got to continue to work. We’ve got people around us who help that. Just keep showing up to work every day and knowing that in the long run that it will turn.”
Despite the lineup not hitting at full capacity, the Reds are off to a 4-3 start with all of their wins by two or fewer runs. Meanwhile, there's been only one quality start from the rotation and it came from Andrew Abbott during an Opening Day loss to the Red Sox.
After ranking 21st in homers last season, the Reds already have nine in 2026. Elly De La Cruz is the team leader with three. It was a 2-2 game in the top of the sixth inning, when De La Cruz lined a 1-0 fastball from Gore over the left-field fence.
“Our guys can hit as many [homers] as they want, believe me," Francona said. "I do think when they’re a byproduct of good at-bats, that’s even more impressive.”
The biggest lesson Steer learned from 2025's early slump? Just keep going.
"This game is going to beat you up if you let it so you’ve just got to stay positive," Steer said. "Every day is a new day. Just understanding that you’re one swing away. I think that was a big thing for me last year.”