JJ Bleday Sends Message About His Reds Future After Up-and-Down Year

May felt like a dream for outfielder JJ Bleday and the Cincinnati Reds, but the rest of the 2026 season turned into a long grind for the left-handed hitter.

He was named National League Player of the Month for May after hitting .301 with eight home runs, 25 RBIs and a 1.018 OPS, and then he batted .190 over his final 103 games starting June 1.

In a conversation with Mark Sheldon of MLB.com that was published Tuesday, Bleday said his first year in Cincinnati was about average overall, with a lot of good early on and a lot of mediocrity as well.

Bleday signed with the Reds as a free agent in December after the Athletics designated him for assignment, and he opened the year with Triple-A Louisville before the club recalled him in April.

In 133 games, he batted .217 with a .740 OPS, 58 RBIs and a career-high 24 home runs while playing mostly in left field.

His best night came in August at Arizona, where he singled, doubled, tripled and homered to hit for the cycle in an 11-5 win over the Diamondbacks.

Bleday told Sheldon the slide came from not holding on to his swing mechanics as the season wore on and his body got tired, and he pointed to the toe tap he uses for timing as one piece that was hard to repeat.

He plans to spend the offseason at his home in the Philadelphia area looking for the right drills to get that feeling back.

The rough summer did not shake Bleday's belief in himself once the talk turned to his future.

"I played pretty much every day when I got called back up here. I was proud of myself for staying healthy. It's still just trying to prove to myself that I am an everyday guy. Going forward, whatever happens this offseason, I still know I am that guy and that I can do that," Bleday said in his look back at the season.

I like that answer, because it shows a player who knows his numbers slipped but still believes in what he did in May.

A hitter does not reach 24 home runs and 72 walks by accident, and Cincinnati needs that pop, so his job this winter is keeping his swing in place for six months instead of six weeks.

According to MLB.com, Cincinnati is expected to look for outfield upgrades this winter after finishing at or near the bottom of baseball in several offensive categories, and Bleday is under club control for two more seasons, per the same report.

Center fielder Dane Myers and outfielder Héctor Rodríguez are among the players expected to compete for spots too, and Myers felt good about his own first year with the club as well.

Some fans would rather see the front office chase outfield help from another team, and there is no shortage of ideas on how to build a contender.

I still think Bleday has earned a real chance to win a starting job in spring training, and he said he plans to get to work quickly so he is ready for that opportunity.