Reds 1B Christian Encarnacion-Strand (back) on 10-day IL

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The Cincinnati Reds placed first baseman Christian Encarnacion-Stand on the 10-day injured list on Thursday due to lower back inflammation.

In a corresponding move, the Reds recalled third baseman Noelvi Marte from Triple-A Louisville.

The 25-year-old Encarnacion-Strand is batting .158 (9-for-57) with two home runs, five RBIs, one walk and 13 strikeouts in 15 games.

Encarnacion-Strand, who played only 29 games last season because of a fractured right hand, missed two games on Saturday and Sunday. He played Tuesday, going 0-for-4 in an 8-4 home win over Seattle, and went 1-for-4 with a two-run double in a 5-3 loss to the Mariners on Wednesday.

“We’ve been talking to him all week and trying to manage it,” Reds manager Terry Francona said. “We got to a point where we said we were going to revisit after the game last night. It wasn’t getting worse, but it wasn’t getting better. The more we talked to the trainers … and after what he went through last year, it just seems like the right thing to do.”

Encarnacion-Strand is a career .230 hitter with 17 home runs and 58 RBIs in 107 games since making his MLB debut with the Reds in July 2023.

Marte, 23, has gone 1-for-6 in three games this season. He has played 104 career games since 2023 and has batted .244 with seven homers and 33 RBIs.

The Reds can play Jeimer Candelario at first base and expect Spencer Steer to return to the field soon. Steer, who sustained a right shoulder injury last year, has been limited to being the designated hitter. He practiced drills in the infield on Thursday morning.

“Steer coming back is the biggest. I don’t think he’s going to be very long,” Francona said.

Utility player Santiago Espinal, 30, while never playing first base in 478 major league games, also has been practicing the position.

–Field Level Media