CINCINNATI -- When the Reds considered options for their second version of City Connect uniforms, it was decided not to start from scratch or do something entirely different. Rather, it was meant to be a progression with new features mixing with previous elements.
Cincinnati's City Connect 2.0 set was revealed Thursday and it will debut on the field Saturday, when the Reds host the Angels at Great American Ball Park. The uniforms will be worn for all Saturday home games for the rest of the 2026 season.
“From the beginning, we wanted this new City Connect uniform to be an evolution of the first edition,” said Reds president and CEO Phil Castellini, who was directly involved in the development of the new look. “The positive response from our players and fans reinforced that there was equity in the 1.0 uniform. And that allowed us to build on the best features for this 2.0 version.”
Fitting for a club named the Reds, the new uniform set is red jerseys, pants and caps.
“We thought all red just makes too much sense," said Ralph Mitchell, the club's senior vice president of brand and content. "Nike sent us every red color swatch in their library, and I’m telling you, there’s five different shades of red in this uniform.”
The modern "C" logo that debuted in 2023 with the previous City Connect version is white with black accents and located on the chest and on the cap. The number's modern font style, also featured the original version, remains on the front and back of the jerseys.
It was intended to build on elements of their first City Connect look.
"We hadn’t recreated that ‘C’ logo in over 100 years -- not to that extent. We had no interest in recreating another brand extension exercise," Mitchell said. "Hopefully our fans will respond to that. I know the response from our players at Spring Training was very positive. They all really loved it.”
Shortly after the 2023 season, Castellini, Mitchell and senior director of clubhouse operations Rick Stowe were among Reds front-office officials who began the collaboration with Nike on the next edition of the City Connect uniforms.
Just like before, the club chose to be forward thinking rather than tapping into its storied past.
“It’s not about doing throwbacks for us. I know other teams are leaning into their history. But many of us feel like we do a lot of that already," Mitchell said.
That doesn't mean there weren't some salutes to classic uniform elements, but with a modern touch. For the first time since the 1993-2006 Reds uniforms, there are pinstripes. The caps also have them.
As a nod to the vest-style jerseys that were worn two decades ago, the sleeves in this City Connect uniform is a darker shade of red, and the jersey’s pinstripes are intentionally cut off at the shoulder. The bill of the cap is also a darker shade of red than the rest of the body.
On the sleeve patch is a black "Cincy" wordmark that was featured across the chest of the original City Connects. It's situated above a graphic feature of the familiar Tyler Davidson Fountain on Fountain Square in the heart of downtown Cincinnati.
“We wanted to incorporate that Cincy wordmark," Mitchell said. "We are Cincy. We’re not going to change that or try to come up with another nickname. That was a slam-dunk, easy decision for us.
“We wanted to be really intentional about incorporating something iconic. Fountain Square and that statue has been there since the 1800s. Every year, they turn that fountain on right before Opening Day. It’s sort of a tradition, and it’s such an iconic landmark of Cincinnati. We think it turned out really well.”
The Reds will now have five different uniform looks with their home whites and road grays being the primary two. Besides the new City Connects, the club will keep the 1.0 version as an alternate and continue wearing them for all Friday home games. Another alternate top will be the red tops with the script “Reds” across the chest that have been worn for several seasons.
Put it all together and the Reds will be wearing various looks that should appeal to both traditional and progressive uniform aficionados.