It took weeks for Noelvi Marte to feel comfortable at Triple-A Louisville, but something finally clicked during a series against the Indianapolis Indians.
From May 12-17 at Louisville Slugger Field, Marte collected eight hits and nine RBIs against the Pittsburgh Pirates’ International League affiliate.
“That Pirates (affiliate) had really good talent, and when I finished that series I felt like, ‘man, I’m ready. I’m back,'” Marte said via team interpreter and athletic trainer Tomas Vera. “That series was key for me.”
Marte’s batting average climbed to an eye-popping .378 by the end of the six-game set with Indianapolis.
Seventeen days later, Marte was back with the Cincinnati Reds, where he was the Opening Day right fielder for the club but was sent down after just 11 games.
In Louisville, Marte hit .369 over 40 games with a .984 OPS. He clubbed eight home runs and 59 total hits.
“He’s been sent back a couple times,” Reds manager Terry Francona said, “and both times he responded by playing really well.”
Marte fought his way back to the big leagues and was promoted to Cincinnati, the team announced on June 3. The Reds will hope veteran outfielder TJ Friedl can do the same and play his way out of his season-long slump in Triple-A after he was sent down in a corresponding move.
The moves came at a moment in the season when the Reds were looking for consistent offensive production. Their .229 team batting average was 27th out of 30 teams in MLB entering play June 3.
Francona has pulled many levers while attempting to get more offense out of his roster. The organization also promoted top infield prospect Edwin Arroyo from Louisville two days prior to Marte’s promotion. That came when Elly De La Cruz was forced to the injured list with a hamstring injury.
After losing 9-2 in the June 1 series opener to the Kansas City Royal, the Reds (31-29) won 4-3 in 10 innings with just four hits, three of which were home runs.
Friedl, 30, is a veteran of more than 500 games for the Reds and was key to the club’s run to the postseason in 2025. In 2026, he played his way out of regular playing time for the team. As of June 3, Friedl was hitting .179.
“He’ll get a chance to play everyday and kind of rediscover being Friedl,” Francona said. “He’s not that far removed from being our leadoff hitter and our everyday center fielder, and he’s kind of fallen on some tough times, and sitting the bench, I don’t know. You’re right, it was a very difficult conversation. Like, we labored over it. The conversation with him is he’s an unbelievable teammate. He’s an unbelievable kid. This just gives him the best chance to find himself.
“There will be nobody rooting for him more than me. I guarantee you that.”
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Reds recall Marte from Triple-A Louisville, send down Friedl
Reporting by Pat Brennan, Cincinnati Enquirer / Cincinnati Enquirer
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Pat Brennan, Cincinnati Enquirer | USA TODAY Network
