Cincinnati Reds outfielder Jake Fraley (illness) and Will Benson are both out of the lineup on Monday against the Philadelphia Phillies and left-hander Ranger Suarez. Fraley is missing his third straight game due to an illness, while it appears Benson is being rested with a lefty on the mound in this one. Stuart Fairchild is starting in right field and batting leadoff, while Bubba Thompson gets a start in center field and is batting in the nine-hole. Fairchild might be worth a look as a low-cost DFS sleeper in the leadoff spot. He's hitting .250 (10-for-40) so far with no homers, five RBI and five stolen bases in 2024. Fairchild is hitless in his five career at-bats against Suarez, while Thompson has never faced the soft-tossing lefty in his career.

Cincinnati Reds outfielders Jake Fraley and Will Benson are not in Saturday's lineup against the Chicago White Sox. Benson and Fraley will sit versus White Sox left-hander Garrett Crochet. Both outfielders should be available off the bench and will look to re-enter the starting lineup for the series finale on Sunday. Bubba Thompson and Stuart Fairchild will replace Benson and Fraley in the outfield. Thompson is starting in center field, batting eighth, and is hitting .250 (2-for-8) with four stolen bases over nine games this season. Fairchild is starting in right field, hitting fifth and slashing .304/.385/.304 with four stolen bases over nine games in 2024. Fairchild and Thompson are deep-league streamers at best in a tough matchup against Crochet.

Cincinnati Reds outfielder Will Benson will stay in the team's starting lineup on Monday while facing left-hander Cristopher Sanchez and the Philadelphia Phillies. Meanwhile, left-handed-hitting outfielders Jake Fraley and Nick Martini will both retreat to the bench. Benson is in right field and is hitting in the nine-hole. To begin the year, the Reds are viewing the 25-year-old left-handed hitter as an everyday player, as he hasn't been benched for either of the two lefties the team has faced. He's obviously not as attractive at the bottom of the order against a southpaw in fantasy, but Benson is off to a strong start in 2024 for the Reds, going 5-for-12 (.417) with a home runs, three RBI and two runs scored in three games played.

The Cincinnati Reds announced their starting lineup for Opening Day on Thursday in Cincinnati against the Nationals, with outfielder Will Benson penciled into the second spot in the order. Benson gets the start in centerfield after the projected Opening Day starter T.J. Friedl fractured his wrist in a spring game and was officially placed on the 10-day IL on Wednesday. Benson is intriguing for fantasy purposes, as while he's in there he brings a solid power-speed profile to the table, with the six-foot-five-inch lefty hitting 11 home runs and stealing 19 bases last season in just 329 PA. Benson will face the Nationals' RHP Josiah Gray whom he is 2-for-3 off of in his career, including a double and a strikeout.

With Cincinnati Reds outfielder TJ Friedl (wrist) set to open the 2024 season on the injured list with a fractured right wrist, Will Benson and Stuart Fairchild could see additional playing time to start the season, per MLB.com's Mark Sheldon. Manager David Bell said, "It's all going to work out. I'm focused on the guys we have here." The 25-year-old Benson had a successful 2023 season in limited playing time but is batting just .200 in 25 spring at-bats. Fairchild has yet to stick in a big-league role but is hitting .360 with three home runs in 25 spring at-bats. From a fantasy perspective, Benson's potential to provide power and speed seems to give him the edge over Fairchild in deeper leagues. However, fantasy managers should watch for further news as the regular season approaches.

Cincinnati Reds outfielder Will Benson is not in Tuesday night's starting lineup against the Cleveland Guardians and left-hander Logan Allen. The 25-year-old had a nice day as part of a doubleheader Sunday versus the Pirates, combining to go 2-for-5 with a triple, two walks, two runs scored, and a stolen base while the Reds split the twin bill with their NL Central foe. It's been a big season for Benson who is hitting .283 with seven home runs, 12 stolen bases, and a .902 OPS across 69 appearances. However, Benson's unsustainable .402 BABIP and elevated 30.2% K% are indicators of regression to come while his .326 xwOBA sits well below his current .387 wOBA in 215 plate appearances on the campaign.

Cincinnati Reds outfielder Will Benson (back) has returned to the starting lineup on Friday against Pittsburgh Pirates right-hander Johan Oviedo, and he's starting in right field and hitting eighth in Cincy's batting order. Benson missed just one game due to back stiffness and will be back in there to start the weekend. The 25-year-old left-handed hitter will return to a .269/.373/.503 slash line with an .875 OPS, seven home runs, 10 doubles, five triples, 20 RBI, 11 stolen bases and 30 runs scored in 204 plate appearances and 66 games in his first year for the Reds and just his second in the big leagues. Benson hasn't been very good so far in August, but he should see plenty of playing time against right-handers down the stretch, especially after the Reds optioned Nick Senzel to the minors on Friday.

Cincinnati Reds outfielders Jake Fraley and Will Benson are not in the team's starting lineup on Sunday against a left-handed pitcher as the team faces the division-rival Milwaukee Brewers and southpaw Wade Miley. Nick Senzel is starting in right field and batting seventh, while Spencer Steer will get the start in left field and hit fifth against Miley in the first-half finale. Fraley has been a consistent contributor for the Reds so far in 2023, hitting .276 (62-for-225) with 11 home runs, 52 RBI, 16 stolen bases and 33 runs scored in 73 games, but he's gone just 3-for-30 with no homer against lefties this year. Benson is also hitting a strong .293 (34-for-116) on the year, but he's only had one hit in 10 at-bats against lefties.

Cincinnati Reds outfielder Will Benson is absent from the starting lineup for Friday's game against the Atlanta Braves. This appears to be nothing more than a routine day off for the left-handed slugger. Benson has been hot at the plate since the start of June. He's slashing .333/.492/.533 with two homers and five RBI in 23 games. Jake Fraley will fill in at right field and bat fifth versus right-hander AJ Smith-Shawver on Friday. The expectation is that Benson will return to the lineup after this game.

Cincinnati Reds outfielder Will Benson is not in the starting lineup on Monday against left-hander Drew Smyly and the Chicago Cubs. Left-handed hitters Jason Vosler and Jake Fraley will also start on the bench, with outfielder TJ Friedl starting in right field and batting ninth. Stuart Fairchild is making the start in left field and batting sixth, while Jose Barrero is in center field and hitting eighth in the lineup. The 24-year-old Benson is still searching for his first hit in 2023 after going 0-for-8 with six strikeouts in his first two games of the year over the weekend. Fairchild, 27, has only five home runs and eight RBI in 60 career MLB games heading into Monday's contest.

The Cincinnati Reds acquired outfielder Will Benson from the Cleveland Guardians on Wednesday in exchange for outfielder Justin Boyd and a player to be named later. Benson is a left-handed-hitting outfielder that was taken 14th overall by Cleveland in the 2016 draft. The 24-year-old made his major-league debut in 2022 and played in 28 games, going 10-for-55 (.182) with no home runs, three RBI, eight runs scored and 19 strikeouts in 61 plate appearances. He's been much better in the minor leagues, though, and has an intriguing power/speed combination for a rebuilding team like Cincinnati. There's a good chance Benson will see more big-league at-bats in 2023, and he'll give the Reds some extra outfield insurance with Nick Senzel (toe) questionable for the start of the regular season.