Cincinnati Reds first baseman Christian Encarnacion-Strand (wrist) remains out of the starting lineup ahead of Tuesday's game against the San Diego Padres. The 24-year-old underwent an MRI which didn't reveal any significant damage. The hope is that Encarnacion-Strand can return at some point during the week. In the meantime, Jeimer Candelario will cover first base and bat seventh versus right-hander Yu Darvish.

Cincinnati Reds first baseman Christian Encarnacion-Strand (hand) received a precautionary MRI exam around three hours before the game on Monday against the San Diego Padres before his anticipated availability off the bench. "He's feeling better, but we're just making sure," manager David Bell said. The reason for the caution is that Encarnacion-Strand had an old fracture in the same hand, so the Reds want to make sure his latest injury isn't related to that. The 24-year-old has missed two straight games, but it sounds like fantasy managers should consider him day-to-day for now. On top of the injury, he's hitting just .196 (20-for-102) with two homers and 16 RBI early. CEH shouldn't be dropped in fantasy formats, though. Check back to see if he's starting in the second game of the series in San Diego on Tuesday against the Padres.

Cincinnati Reds first baseman Christian Encarnacion-Strand (hand) will remain out of the lineup ahead of Monday's game against the San Diego Padres. Encarnacion-Strand was hit on the hand during Saturday's game and will now miss two games because of it. The hope is that this is a minor issue that won't require a trip to the injured list. Jeimer Candelario wilL hold down first base while Santiago Espinal plays third base during Monday's game. Fantasy managers will have to check back on Tuesday for another update on Encarnacion-Strand.

Cincinnati Reds first baseman Christian Encarnacion-Strand (rest) is out of the starting lineup ahead of Sunday's game against the Texas Rangers. The young slugger needs a rest day after going 1-for-14 over the last four games. The expectation is the 24-year-old will be back in the lineup following this one-game absence. Spencer Steer will cover first base, while Nick Martini serves as the designated hitter on Sunday.

Cincinnati Reds first baseman Christian Encarnacion-Strand is back in the Reds lineup on Saturday against the Los Angeles Angels. Encarnacion-Strand had been out the last two games with a scheduled day off on Wednesday and an illness on Friday. The 24-year-old will get a matchup against Angels lefty Patrick Sandoval. Encarnacion-Strand has struggled this season, putting up a .192/.197/.329 slash line in 76 PA. He hasn't been good against lefties either, hitting for just a .095 batting average. Fantasy managers shouldn't expect much in his return today and may need to exercise some patience before getting Encarnacion-Strand back in their lineups.

Cincinnati Reds first baseman Christian Encarnacion-Strand (illness) isn't feeling well enough to return to the starting lineup for the series opener on Friday against the visiting Los Angeles Angels. Spencer Steer will make another start at first base and hit in the two-hole, with Santiago Espinal playing third base and batting eighth against Angels left-hander Tyler Anderson. Along with CEH, Jeimer Candelario will also miss another game while being under the weather. Both Encarnacion-Strand and Candelario should be considered day-to-day. Check back on Saturday to see if they can return to action for the second game of the series against the Halos. Steer will be an intriguing DFS play against a left-hander on Friday after starting the year hitting .302 (19-for-63) with three home runs, 18 RBI and three stolen bases.

Cincinnati Reds first baseman Christian Encarnacion-Strand (illness) was scratched from the team's lineup on Wednesday against the Seattle Mariners due to an illness. He was the second Reds starter in as many days to be held out of the lineup with an illness, as Jeimer Candelario was scratched on Tuesday with flu-like symptoms. Candelario was also out on Wednesday, so it appears there's a bug going around Cincy's clubhouse right now. The good news is that the Reds are off on Thursday, so hopefully Candelario, Encarnacion-Strand and anyone else not feeling well will be feeling good enough on Friday to play against the visiting Los Angeles Angels. CES has two home runs and 12 RBI so far this year, but he's off to a slow start, hitting .192 (14-for-73) in his first 17 games played.

Cincinnati Reds first baseman Christian Encarnacion-Strand is getting his first day off this season on Wednesday when the team takes on the Seattle Mariners. Spencer Steer is getting the start at first base and is hitting cleanup, while center fielder Stuart Fairchild is batting in the three-hole against Mariners right-hander Bryce Miller. Encarnacion-Strand went 0-for-4 on Tuesday to drop his season average to .192 (14-for-73) in the early going, while he's added two home runs, 12 RBI and seven runs scored. With a scheduled day off for the team on Thursday, he'll get two days to rest before likely returning to action on Friday to face the Los Angeles Angels. Fairchild has had a pretty nice start in 2024, going 8-for-29 (.276) with no homers, three RBI and five stolen bases.

Cincinnati Reds first baseman Christian Encarnacion-Strand hit a solo home run in the bottom of the ninth inning to walk off the visiting Washington Nationals on Sunday. Encarnacion-Strand finished the series finale by going 1-for-5 with the solo home run and two strikeouts in the 6-5 win. Outfielder Will Benson tied the game with a two-run homer, and CEH finished the Nats off with his solo blast to get the Gatorade shower. It was a nice way to cap off the game for the 24-year-old, as he was 0-for-12 to start the season prior to the blast. Encarnacion-Strand showed off impressive power in his rookie season last year, but he also struck out at almost a 30% clip. Between first base and designated hitter, he should be a lineup regular for Cincy in 2024 after the team moved on from Joey Votto. Hopefully, Encarnacion-Strand's walk-off homer will now get him going.

Cincinnati Reds first baseman Christian Encarnacion-Strand went 1-for-3 with his fifth homer of the spring in Sunday's Cactus League contest versus the Cleveland Guardians. In addition to his five home runs, the slugger has driven in 14 runs and is hitting .333 in 51 at-bats. First base has opened with infielders Matt McLain (shoulder) and Noelvi Marte (suspension) absent from the Opening Day roster. Encarnacion-Strand got his first big-league opportunity in 2023 and hit .270 with 13 homers and 37 RBI in 222 at-bats. A premier slugger in the making, CES makes for an excellent source of power after the early rounds with an ADP of 155.

Cincinnati Reds first baseman Christian Encarnacion-Strand went 2-for-5 on Wednesday in a 19-11 Cactus League win over the Giants. His day at the plate included a home run, two RBI, and three runs scored. The 24-year-old is now batting .292 (7-for-24) with three home runs, eight RBI, and eight runs scored in the spring season. He's looking to follow up a season in which he hit 33 home runs between Triple-A and the majors and with a Barrel% of 10.5% last season in his 222 MLB at-bats, his projection of 26 home runs certainly seems within reach, if not more. RotoBaller ranks the powerful righty at 137 overall, ten picks ahead of his NFBC ADP of 147.