David Ross and Javier Valentin have not produced as much with the bats as the Reds hoped they would.  Ross is hitting only .196 but he does have 14 homers and 32 RBIs in 209 atbats.  If Ross could get his average up to around the .230 range the Reds could live with that because of his power.  Javier Valentin is hitting .247 with 1 homer and 14 RBIs in only 85 atbats this season.  Look for him to get more playing time if Ross keeps hitting under .200.

Shortstop Alex Gonzalez got off to a hot start this season but he’s been a little cold lately with the bat.  In his last 5 games, Gonzalez is only 2 for 18 (.111 avg, .311 OPS).  Still, Gonzalez is an asset whether he hits or not because of his great glovework at shortstop.

In the National League it’s imperative that everyone can hit a little bit on the roster.  With that in mind, the Reds are disappointed in the start of the 2007 that Juan Castro is having.  In 13 games this season he’s only 2 for 21 (.095 avg, .317 OPS) with only 1 run scored and 1 RBI.  He also has whiffed 7 times already which is way to many for his style of hitter.  If he doesn’t get his bat going soon his butt will likely be nailed to the bench.

Encarnacion has played in 14 games so far this season and he’s only hitting .182 with a .499 OPS.  He’s only 8 of 44 with 4 runs scored and 5 RBIs.  The Reds need Encarnacion to hit or they can’t play him because he’s probably the worst defensive thirdbaseman in the major leagues.

Catcher David Ross is only 1 for his first 15 (.067 avg, .126 OPS) with 2 RBIs.  Ross will never be a hitter that has a high batting average, but he must get it started soon because the Reds have another catcher that’s sharing time with him (Javier Valentin) that could steal at bats from him.