The Cincinnati Reds are about to take the field for the first time this season without David Bell in the dugout. Bell was fired last Sunday night, and the Reds named bench coach Freddie Benavides as the team’s interim manager for the final five games of the 2024 season.
Benavides has been part of the Reds organization for a long time, and has kept Bell’s seat warm whenever the former Cincinnati skipper was ejected during his six seasons at the helm. That happened often, as Bell was prematurely sent to the locker room 32 times during his Reds’ tenure.
But Benavides is hoping to shed the interim tag in the coming weeks and take over as the next manager of the Reds. Benavides spokes openly about the opportunity earlier this week, and will get a chance to show what he can do as the head-man over the last week of the season. Unfortunately, the 58-year-old Reds-lifer is not off to a great start.
Freddie Benavides’ humdrum lineup won’t prompt Reds fans to want interim tag removed
Strangely, Benavides’ lineup card for the Reds’ game against the Cleveland Guardians looks eerily similar to what Bell might’ve drawn up. In fact, one has wonder if Bell left this exact lineup on his desk upon leaving Great American Ball Park on Sunday night…