For some MLBteams, September is about the hunt for an October postseason berth.
That was the Cincinnati Reds' plan after grabbing the final National League wild card last season, but the club has now been sentenced to playing spoiler while trying to figure out who might be worth a roster spot in 2027.
Call it a September job fair after the Reds finished a losing August (13-16) with a 5-0 loss to the San Diego Padres in front of 16,162 fans at Great American Ball Park Monday night.
Terry Francona's club has spent much of the season trying to determine exactly what it has. There have been impressive feats from the core of this team like Elly De La Cruz and All-Stars Chase Burns and Sal Stewart.
After that, September will be about one final opportunity to see some of their younger players against a scheduling gauntlet that includes 21 games over the next 24 days against teams in playoff position.
Héctor Rodríguez hopes to be part of the 2027 equation by finishing this season on a high note. Nearing the one-month mark since being called up, Rodriguez has been making a good enough first impression to move up to the leadoff spot in the lineup.
Prior to Padres series, Rodríguez went on a seven-game tear on the road, going 10-for-27 (.370) with an .852 slugging percentage and a 1.303 OPS. He had four homers, seven RBI, three walks and scored seven times during that stretch.
Rodríguez jumpstarted the Reds' offense on Sunday Night Baseball when he turned on a Shota Imananga hanging breaking ball for a go-ahead three-run homer in the fourth inning.
"It's nice to see him hit it off a lefty," Francona said Aug. 31.
Over those seven games, Rodríguez raised his batting average 68 points from .162 to .230. On Aug. 15, he was hitting .083. Those numbers aren't necessarily what will determine whether Rodríguez has a place on the 2027 Reds, but it is why September matters.
"You have to make adjustments. OK, let's see who you are first," Francona said.
It's up to Rodríguez to take advantage of the opportunity against some playoff-caliber hurlers over the next four weeks. Can he respond when pitchers adjust? Can he find the barrel of the bat consistently against lefties? He's still trying to find to carve out a role in the outfield. There have been encouraging signs as Rodríguez has settled in.
"I don't know about unique," Francona said of Rodriguez's hands. "They're definitely hitter's hands. He's gonna have to swing at strikes. If he does, it gets exciting. If he doesn't, he'll probably make some outs."
Rodríguez showed a little bit of both in Monday's loss to San Diego. The 22-year-old was just 2-for-16 at home before leading off the first inning with a hard-hit single through the right side. He advanced to third on a double by Stewart, but the Reds couldn't drive him in.
That became a theme on a night where Cincinnati stranded 10, went 0-for-7 with runners in scoring position and was shut out for the fifth time in the last 20 games.
In his next at-bat, Rodríguez struck out a high fastball out of the zone. He later flew out to left, struck out looking and ended the game with a popout to finish 1-for-5. He's now hit safely in eight of the last nine games.
Francona pointed out that Rodríguez had just a couple of hits in his first 30 at-bats and had an OPS around .750 (.768) entering the San Diego series. Now Francona hopes to get a better sample size in September.
"We're starting to see who he is, which is good," Francona said. "That's what we wanted to do."
September roster expansion allows teams to get a better view of a player. Before 2020, rosters ballooned to as many as 40 players in September. Teams now go from 26 to 28 players with a maximum of 14 pitchers.
"In the past, when you could have like 40 guys, it was hard to get a read sometimes," Francona said. "It's way more normal throughout the rest of the year."
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Héctor Rodríguez hopes to be top candidate in Reds' September job fair
