Reds express interest in bringing back Miguel Andujar in 2026 – Redleg Nation

The Cincinnati Reds have expanded their bullpen this season. They also added a few position players, but with what they lost and the offense already a huge question mark, it was clear to just about everyone that they needed to keep adding. One of the players they lost last season was Miguel Andujar. He joined the Reds at the trade deadline and struck well for the club when he was able to get on the field. In his 34 games with Cincinnati, he hit .359/.400/.544 with 11 extra base hits. After a year he went on free agency and today he is still there. A report from Jon Heyman of the New York Post says the Reds are showing some interest in bringing him back.

While the report notes that “many” teams are interested, Cincinnati could certainly use another quality hitter in the lineup. In his time between the Reds and Athletics, Andujar hit .318/.352/.470 in his 94 games. That represents by far the most games he has played in a season since 2018, when he played in 149 games as a rookie with the New York Yankees. That year was his best as he hit 47 doubles and 27 home runs while posting an .855 OPS. Over the next five seasons, he played a total of 144 games and posted an OPS of .616 as a big leaguer. In 2024, he joined Oakland and hit .285/.320/.377 in 75 games, posting an OPS+ of 103 (slightly above league average) as he showed something with his bat for the first time since that 2018 season.

Things went a lot better in 2025. His BABIP was a career-high at .348. But he also made a ton of contact, striking out just 14.4% of the time he came to the plate, and he was starting to show some power again. If he could repeat those numbers, it would certainly be a godsend for a Cincinnati offense that has many question marks as the team prepares to head to Goodyear for spring training.

That said, there are also some question marks surrounding Andujar. He turns 31 this spring and has comfortably outperformed his career BABIP in 2025, and then there’s the fact that according to Sports Info Solution data he was the second luckiest hitter in baseball in 2025 and his expected OPS compared to his actual OPS was a difference of 123 points – meaning his “expected” OPS was only .699. Please note: the “expected” numbers they use are not the numbers you see in Statcast and on Baseball Savant. If he were to perform at that level, it wouldn’t help the Reds offense at all.

There is also a question of where he would play? Andujar historically played left field and third base. He has very little time in starting and right field in his career – just 21 starts total between the two big leaguer positions. At third base, you’d imagine he’s probably at least third on the depth chart behind starter Ke’Bryan Hayes and then Sal Stewart, who will likely serve as the designated hitter most days when everyone is healthy. In left field, he’s a below-average defenseman who should compete for playing time with the likes of JJ Bleday, Will Benson, Spencer Steer (sometimes), and then a slew of “what if all goes well” guys in Tyler Callihan, Blake Dunn, Rece Hinds, or Hector Rodriguez. With Sal Stewart as the likely designated hitter, there doesn’t appear to be a clear path to significant playing time.

As most things go, the purchase price matters here. But if you’re Andujar and you look at similar offers from other teams, you might see a clearer path to playing time than with the Reds. And if you’re in Cincinnati’s front office, you’re probably looking at the roster and wondering how exactly you can find him a decent amount of playing time given what the team looks like, which also means you’re probably not going to offer too much money.