We hate to break it to Twins fans, but the Tyler Mahle trade is looking worse than ever after Christian Encarnacion-Strand burst onto the scene for the Reds with a pinch-hit, three-run homer on Tuesday night. Oh, it was his first MLB hit and it sailed into the upper deck to give the Reds an 8-7 lead over the Giants.
Christian Encarnacion-Strand's first career hit is a pinch-hit homer and gives the @Reds the lead! pic.twitter.com/DrGNvnX0yc
— MLB (@MLB) July 19, 2023
Mahle is currently in the early stages of recovering from Tommy John surgery. He made just four starts before an injury ended his 2022 season and his 2023 season was over after just five starts as a sore elbow led to season-ending surgery. Mahle will be a free agent this winter, so his time in Minnesota could be over.
Meanwhile, the Reds have Encarnacion-Strand, who killed opposing pitchers at Triple-A before getting called up to the big leagues this week. He went 0-for-3 in his first MLB game and then hit the gigantic homer in his second game that left his bat at 105.8 mph and traveled an estimated 426 feet.
The other guy the Twins gave up for Mahle is Spencer Steer, who has had an outstanding season for the Reds. Entering Tuesday’s game, Steer was slashing .272/.363/.467 with 14 homers, 19 doubles, two triples, 43 walks and 51 RBIs.
Here’s how Steer’s stats would rank if he played for the Twins this season.
- Hits: 91 (1st)
- Doubles: 19 (2nd)
- Triples: 2 (T-1st)
- Homers: 14 (3rd)
- RBIs: 51 (1st)
- Walks: 43 (1st)
- OPS: .830 (2nd)
At Triple-A Louisville, Encarnacion-Strand had been dominant this season. In 67 games he slashed .331/.405/.637 (1.042 OPS) with 20 homers, 21 doubles and 62 RBIs.
The Mahle trade could very well go down as one of the worst in Twins history.
